Along with our discussion of the plate method, the next piece of the portion puzzle is how to judge the amount of each food to eat. Portion size is an important part of any weight loss plan. It is easy to say “choose one cup of cereal” or “choose a half cup of pasta,” but it can be more difficult to be able see how big that really is. There are two easy ways to estimate how big your portion is--use everyday items as portion guides and limit the size of your plate
The general guidelines are as follows:
1 cup = one baseball
½ cup = one lightbulb
¼ cup = one golf ball
2 tablespoons = two poker chips or one golf ball
1 tablespoon = one poker chip
1 ½ oz of cheese = three stacked dice (about the size of you thumb)
3 oz of meat = a deck of standard playing cards
3 oz of any type of fish = one checkbook
1 muffin or biscuit (about 3 oz) = one hockey puck
1 oz of lunch meat = one compact disc
1 brownie = a dental floss package
1 slice of cake= a deck of cards
1 cookie = two poker chips
Plate size is also an important consideration when choosing how much food to take. Plates have grown by 4-6 inches over the last 30 years, and we want to fill them up with food. When deciding what size plate to use, choose one that is about 7-9 inches wide, excluding the rim. Bowls should be about 6-7 inches across. Be sure to use the same plates and bowls consistently.
Use these guidelines, along with the plate method, when choosing how much food to put on your plate and you will see changes in how you look and feel.
For more information, visit www.healthyeating.webmd.com.
Healthy Action Step: Measure the diameter of your plates. How many are 7-9 inches across? Use those plates most often when using the portion guidelines above.
