Portion Distortion - How aware are you?

Fast food restaurants have influenced our lives in many ways. Most noticeably we are consuming more calories without thought due to convenience and portion size. Twenty years ago a portion of fries in a fast food restaurant was about 2 ¼ oz and weighed in at just over 200 cal. Today, most fast food restaurants sell a portion of fries that is almost 3 times the size by weight (about 6 ½ oz) and a whopping 600 calories. And the soda pop that you order with those fries has grown too. Soft drink portions have grown from about 8 oz to mega cup sizes that now range up to 32 oz! While consuming four times the volume of soda pop you are consuming 4 times the calories. And soda pop calories are considered empty calories – meaning there is little or no nutrient value with those calories. They are all sugar!

Most of us need a reminder of what constitutes a portion. Of course a portion or single serving varies depending on the food or beverage being consumed. Here are some simple guidelines for assessing the quantity of food being served.

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT

1 cup of salad greens = baseball

1 baked potato = your closed fist

1 med. fruit = baseball

½ cup of fresh fruit = ½ baseball

¼ cup of raisins = large egg

GRAIN PRODUCTS

1 cup of cereal flakes = your closed fist

1 pancake = compact disc

½ cup of cooked rice, pasta, or potato = ½ baseball

1 slice of bread = cassette tape

MEAT AND ALTERNATIVES

3 oz. meat, fish and poultry = deck of cards

3 oz. grilled/baked fish = checkbook

2 Tbsp. peanut butter = ping pong ball

DAIRY AND CHEESE

1½ oz. cheese = 4 stacked dice or 2 cheese slices

½ cup of ice cream = ½ baseball

FATS

1 tsp. margarine or butter = 1 dice

Knowing what constitutes a portion will make it easier to control the calories you consume. Most of us have been fooled by the portion distortion of restaurants and have come to consume a much greater number of calories that we really need. By paying attention to the amount of food you put on your plate or for making a conscious decision about how much to leave for a “doggie bag” when in a restaurant you will be well on your way to cutting back your calories.

Give it a try, size up your meals using the guidelines above and see how well you avoid portion distortion.