Most of us confuse portion control and serving sizes. A portion is the amount of food you put on your plate. A serving is a specific amount of food defined by common measurements, such as cups, tablespoons etc. For instance a pancake serving is 4 in. but a typical portion you might eat is 6 in. or 2 servings. Or a serving of milk is 8 oz., but the portion you poor might be 16 oz. which is twice that. If your portion control is out of control, you might be SUPERSIZING your meals and yourself. Understanding serving sizes will help you better control your portions.
One way to help you understand serving sizes is using visual cues. Solid everyday objects to compare specific portions of foods too. You don't need to memorize a food list or carry around measuring spoons to help you know serving sizes. But understanding what a serving size is compared to a specific object will help you. For instance; a med. pepper is about the size of a baseball and equals one veg. serving.
While not all foods perfectly match visual cues, this method can help you better judge serving sizes and practice portion control, which may help w/ weight loss. If you think the servings seem small, don't panic. Remember that you should be eating multiple servings from all food groups; everyday. So let's take a look at some of these objects and food portions side by side.
So compare this CD to a serving of a pancake. There equal in size and the pancake is one serving of bread or grains.
A base ball is equal in size to a peach which is one fruit serving.
Other comparable foods are 1 c. of cooked pasta, an apple or a bell pepper, or 1/2 c. of vegetables.
A check book is equal in size to a 3 oz. serving of chicken breast which is 1 serving of meat.
You can use the check book with other thinner cuts of meats as well.
A deck of cards is equal in size to a 3 oz. serving of steak. You can use the deck of cards to compare to those more thicker more heavier cuts of meats.
4 dice is equal in size to 1 oz. of cheese or 1 serving of dairy. Other comparable foods; 4 dice = to 2/3 c. of cottage cheese, 2 dice = to 2 tsp. of mayonnaise.
A golf ball is equal in size to 2 tbsp. of peanut butter which is 2 servings of fat. A golf ball is also equal in size to 1/4 c. of nuts which is a serving of protein.
A hockey puck is equal in size to 1/2 c. cooked broccoli which is 1 serving of vegetables. Other comparable foods are; 1/2 c. cooked pasta, 1/3 c. cooked rice, 1/2 of a med. bagel.
A light bulb is equal to a 1/2 c. of cooked rice which is 1 serving of grains. Also comparable to 1/2 c. of yogurt or ice cream.
A computer mouse is equal in size to small baked potato which is one serving of carbohydrates.
A poker chip is equal in size to 1 Tbsp. of dressing or a serving of fat. Other comparable foods are; tsp. of olive oil,or 2 tsp. of mayo 1 tsp. of peanut butter or 1 tsp. of butter.
A tennis ball is equal in size to an orange which is one serving of fruit. Other comparable foods are; 1/2 c. mashed potatoes or ice cream, 3/4 cup of cooked pasta.
It may take time to become use to comparing your foods to solid objects like these but the idea is to help you become a better judge of servings and portions, especially as you are putting meal together. But the more you practice the better you will become at it. Which will give you more control over your portion sizes. Controlling your portion sizes also means controlling your calories and that's the key to achieving your weight loss goals.
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