Portion control
- Holly
- Sep 11, 2018
- 3 min read
Eating is one of the biggest pleasures of our lives. We eat in social settings to celebrate events such as weddings, babies, birthdays, and so much more. In some cultures eating is more of an event and takes hours in the day to prepare and sit down and eat. The culture I grew up in was typically rushed and sometimes we all ate dinner at different times. The truth is that we all have to eat to survive (or thrive) so that is where our choice and portions of foods come into play.
I am a nutritionist that believes any food can be calculated into a healthy diet. Obviously some foods provide “better” nutrients for us and therefore we should fill our plate with more of those foods. The USDA MyPlate campaign recommends making half of the plate fruits and vegetables. Fresh (or frozen and even canned) fruits and vegetables provide high amounts of vitamins and minerals which are vital for health. If we fill up on healthy produce, then naturally we will eat less of the foods that are typically higher in saturated/trans-fat, extra salt and added sugar.
Consider how you build your own dinner plate. Does the starchy part of the meal such as rice, pasta or potatoes take up half of the plate? How much meat or protein are you getting? Are you getting both a fruit and vegetable at most meals? Ideally, the starch and protein should make up about ¼ of the plate each leaving the rest for fruits and vegetables, with a dairy on the side of the plate. Having a healthy balance of food groups generally means a variety of nutrients contributing to an overall healthy diet.
So the next question is, where do the treats fit in to all of this food group balance? If I’m being honest, I love my treats. I can appreciate a good donut or pastry and I still make treats for my family. The key is moderation. I don’t have a donut every day or even every week (though if I lived near a place that made really amazing pastries, it might be every week). On days when I do eat a treat, then I tend to cut back on calories somewhere else in the day. For me, it’s usually the starchy portion of the meal since that food group typically provides fewer nutrients than say fruits, veggies or protein. Also, my treats often are higher in carbs so I don’t need to be adding more to my total caloric load.
It’s also worth mentioning that a “treat” doesn’t have to be sweet. My hubby prefers the salty snacks so chips and salsa, crackers and dip, or anything else that is not eaten on a regular or daily basis can be considered a treat.
While counseling clients who like to eat a full plate, I recommend starting with a small plate because it looks full without more food. An interesting article published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, discusses portion sizes and how they have changed over the years. Also mentioned is that in general people underestimate the calories in large portion meals and therefore don’t know how much they are consuming. Suggestions from the article include eliminating large portions from our lives. In my situation, this is not always the case so when I eat a snack, I will put in a small bowl (portion controlled) rather than eating mindlessly out of the package. Serve meals on smaller dinner plates/bowls. When dining out, order an appetizer instead of an entrée or have half the entrée packaged up to go right away so not to eat the entire restaurant-sized portion.
To bring this full-circle, don’t eliminate any food from your diet (unless you really don’t care for it) and moderate eating less healthy foods so your diet is mostly filled with nutrient-dense, healthier foods that improve health and quality of life. Remember you don’t have to eat the entire cake to know it’s delicious. Save some for another time, even if that means freezing half of the cake for later.
How do you keep your portions at a healthy size?
References www.choosemyplate.gov
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