Scaling Down on Serving Sizes

Okay, here’s the deal: For breakfast I have a blueberry smoothie. For lunch I have a grilled chicken salad with nonfat vinaigrette or a PB&J on whole grain bread. For a snack, I have raw nuts or another smoothie.

And for dinner: All hell breaks loose.

I’m a good cook, so when I make dinner, I tend to fix a plate overflowing with food. But we’re meant to eat one serving of each food, and I’m pretty certain one serving of pasta is not one giant bowl. I’m also not so sure a serving of mashed potatoes is “as much as I can eat.” So I decided to educate myself on what a serving size really is. Luckily, experts are starting to understand that we humans have trouble eyeballing measurements such as a half cup or a tablespoon, so they’re comparing proper portions with everyday objects. Here’s the scoop:

One serving of this food = The size of this item.

Veggies or fruit = One baseball.

Cooked rice or pasta = A rounded handful.

One snack, such as pretzels or chips = A rounded handful.

Meat = A deck of cards or the palm of your hand (not counting fingers).

Fish = A checkbook.

Nuts or dried fruit = One large egg.

Ice cream = A tennis ball.

Baked potato = A computer mouse.

Pancake or waffle = A CD.

Peanut butter = One thumb tip.

Cheese = Six dice.

Boy, some of these serving sizes seem so tiny! A thumb tip of peanut butter on a sandwich? A single CD-sized pancake, when we’re used to getting a stack of plate-sized flapjacks at the local breakfast joint? But there you have it — we eat way too much.

I know that if I can manage to keep my portion sizes under control, especially at dinner or when I have an occasional treat, I’ll become more fit and healthy. How are your portion sizes — are they reasonable or way too big? Do you plan to cut portion sizes to reach your weight-loss goals? Please share your experiences in the Comments below.

Stay healthy,

Linda