It is important to understand the difference between a portion size and a serving size. They are not synonymous with one another.

• Serving Size: a specific quantity that serves as a reference amount for the nutrition content of that food. It is not necessarily the amount of food that an individual should eat in one sitting. The amount a person should eat depends on multiple factors such as an individual’s activity level, current weight goals, and overall health status.

• Portion Size: a portion is the amount of food that an individual chooses to put on their plate to consume in a sitting.

Over the years portion sizes have been steadily increasing. This has led to a rise in caloric consumption per meal and contributed to the obesity epidemic seen in our country. The issue is that these larger portion sizes have distorted what individuals now consider to be a normal portion of food. This is quite apparent in the restaurant industry as well, as seen in the infographic below.

TIPS & TRICKS

The following list has some tips for you to implement to help control your portion sizes.

1. Most people will finish the food that is on their plate, no matter how large the portion size.

   • So, use Smaller Plates (7-9 inches) when serving your larger meals such as breakfast & dinner. The smaller plate doesn’t allow for massive portion sizes and you will probably notice that you’re satisfied after finishing the smaller portion of food.

   • Using large plates often leads people to simply overeat, you want to avoid that feeling of being so full you are uncomfortable. A good rule of thumb is to eat until you are about 80% full.

2. Drink a glass of water before starting your meal, the body can interpret thirst for hunger which causes an individual to consume more calories. In addition, the water will also help fill your stomach, so you become full faster.

3. SLOW DOWN! In our culture, everyone is so busy that meals are often consumed as quickly as possible.

   • Slow down the pace at which you eat by starting with a salad or small appetizer course before serving the meal. Allow time in between courses to converse and allow your body to feel full.

   • Individuals often eat so fast that they outpace their body’s ability to produce the hormones signaling that they are full; this leads to that “so full I can’t even move” feeling. Try and savor each bite of food you take, and chew thoroughly. This should help you slow down the eating process and allow your body to function as intended.

4. Fill your plate with low-calorie nutrient-dense foods such as Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes, & Whole-Grains. According to the USDA (myplate.gov), half your plate should be composed of fruits and vegetables. This will allow you to eat a lot of food and feel full without overconsuming calories.

5. Although time-consuming, the best way to ensure you are eating the correct amount of food for your weight goals is to Weigh your food. This isn’t for everyone, but this does help tremendously when struggling with weight loss. This technique doesn’t allow any room for errors that occur when using measuring tools like cups and tablespoons; a level cup of rice is calorically much different than a heaping portion where the “cup” is overflowing.

   • This is especially important when tracking calorie intake in apps like MyFitnessPal. People may input having 1 cup of rice when they have 1 1/2 cups or more.