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In today's society, people see value in large portions. Unfortunately larger portions do not equate to healthy meal choices. There seems to be a growing distortion of what a true serving size is verses a portion. A portion can be defined as the amount of food you choice to eat vs. a serving which is the unit of measure used to describe the amount of food recommended from each food group. Serving sizes can be found on the Nutrition Facts label on packaged food or by looking at the Food Guide Pyramid or the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Typical restaurant portions have drastically increased over the past 20 years. The below chart was developed by the Children's Nutrition Research Center to compare portion sizes:
| Food | Portion size 20 years ago | Portion size now |
| Soda | 6 ounces (85 calories) | 20 ounces (200 calories) |
| Bagel | 3 inch diameter (140 calories) | 5-6 inches (350 calories or more) |
| Chips | 1 oz bag (150 calories) | 1.75 oz "Grab Bag" (260 calories) |
| Pasta | 2 cups (280 calories no sauce) | 4 cups or more (560 calories) |
| Burger | 2 oz patty + bun (270 calories) | 4 oz patty + bun (430 calories) |
| French Fries | 2 ounces (210 calories) | 5 ounces (540 calories) |
| Plate Size | 10 inch diameter | 12.5 inch diameter |
Eating at the Marketplace can often be overwhelming, as there are many stations to choose from. Pay close attention to the amount of food you are choosing. Here are a few quick tips on how to measure food portions:
- Serving of meat (3 ounces) is equal to the size of a deck of cards
- 1 cup of fruit or vegetables is roughly equal to the size of a baseball
- Computer mouse is roughly a serving of cereal or a baked potato
- CD is the size of one serving of a pancake
- 4 dice is equal to a serving of cheese (approximately 1.5 ounces)
- Your thumb is a serving of peanut butter (1-2 tablespoons)
- 1 scoop of ice cream is a serving of ice cream, pasta or rice (1/2 cup)
- Some tips on how to control your portions:
- Use a small plate for your entrée and a large plate for your salad.
- Don't eat out of a bag or a container – make yourself see how much you are eating.
- Scrape out the inside of a bagel or baked potato.
- Eat foods with built in stopping points – bite size candy bars or individually packaged items.
- Avoid eating in front of the TV or while busy with other activities. Pay attention to what you are eating and enjoy it.
- Eat slowly so your brain can get the message that your stomach is full.
- Take seconds of fruits and vegetables instead of high calorie meats or desserts.
- Eat three sensible meals throughout the day. This will help prevent over eating due to extreme hunger.
- Eat breakfast every day.
- Keep snacking to a minimum.
- When you do treat yourself, enjoy the dessert but only have one!
- Get sauce, salad dressings, and butter on the side so you can control how much you use.
- Avoid items that contain the words "mega", "giant", "large", and "jumbo"
