My REAL Journey

PORTION SIZE – SERVING SIZE

I think it’s safe to say that many of us underestimate the amount of food we eat. Try this: pour out the amount of food you’d usually eat (try it with pasta, cereal, etc.) Then – compare the amount you poured out to the serving size on the label. Don’t be surprised if they don’t match up. Portion size and serving size are not the same thing. Portion is simply the amount of food you choose to consume (a handful of almonds or a specific number of almonds). A serving is the specific amount of food that experts recommend you eat (1 slice of bread, 1 cup of milk). That’s where we get confused about the calories contained in the foods we eat! If someone drinks a large glass of orange juice they could easily consume 250+ calories when the ‘serving’ size is 8 oz for a calorie count of 110 calories.  Maybe it would be easier if we compared the size to simple everyday things so we can visualize it.

* a serving of meat ---- deck of cards

* a medium potato ---- computer mouse

* a serving of fruit or vegetables ---- a fist

*  dried fruit or nuts ---- golf ball

* ice cream ---- tennis ball

* a pancake ---- a dvd

* a serving of cheese ---- six dice

* a serving of pasta ---- a tennis ball

I don’t know about you but when I eat pasta I certainly eat far more than the size of a tennis ball! And if I eat at The Olive Garden … well, I don’t even want to THINK of how many tennis balls that would be!   J And the baked potatoes at our house are twice as big as a computer mouse! And just TRY to make a pancake the size of a dvd and your family will let you know what they think about that!  It’s very obvious that many of us eat far larger portions of food than we should; which in turn adds up to far more calories than we need. I’m hoping that by using these visual aids, I can get myself a little closer to the amount of food I should be eating!

*Thought for the day*

Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.