Understanding correct
serving sizes can be a bit confusing. We
all have heard of serving sizes and that we need to eat the correct amount of
serving sizes but what is the correct amount? Have you ever heard of the term portion
distortion? I didn’t know what that was
until I was looking into serving sizes.
Portion distortion is when we eat large amount of portion sizes thinking
that it is normal. I know that I over eat and it is something
that I have to work on. But let’s face it;
it is way too easy to overeat in our society because everything is
oversized. Just in the last 30 years
portion sizes have increased dramatically.
In the 1980’s if you were to go to a restaurant and order fries it would
have been around 210 calories. Now it is
610 calories. Just because portion sizes of increased dramatically does not
mean that our waistlines can handle it! Check out how much these foods have changed
since the 1980s.
Serving Sizes: Then and Now
Food or beverage
|
1980s (calories)
|
Today (calories)
|
Turkey
sandwich
|
320
calories
|
820
calories
|
French
fries
|
210
calories
|
610
calories
|
Bagel
|
140
calories
|
350
calories
|
Slice
of pizza
|
500
calories
|
850
calories
|
Soda
|
85
calories
|
250
calories
|
Correct Portion Sizes: How to Keep Portion Distortion
in Check http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Living/Weight-Management/Article-Viewer/Article/348/correct-portion-sizes-how-to-keep-portion-distortion-in-check.aspx
I for one have a hard time going
out to eat and ordering anything small. I really don’t know of very many people
who do go out to eat and just orders small meals or doesn’t get refills. But we all should! If I go to Wendy’s and get the asiago chicken
ranch meal that comes with a large drink and large fries that would be 1580 calories. The average person is on a 2100 calorie per
day diet. That means I can only eat 520 more calories. If I get the same meal in a small it is 1120
calories. That is still a lot, it is a
little better but I would still be eating 2 to 3 serving sizes in one
meal! No wonder people have a hard time
losing weight. No wonder I am having a hard time losing that muffing top! You
can also fall victim to portion distortion even if you didn’t eat fast food and
are eating healthy. There are certain healthy
dinners that I make and I know I over eat but I have no will power. If something is good I go crazy and eat and
eat and eat. Then I get mad at myself
when I cannot lose that few pounds I have been working so hard on to lose. You can work out at the gym everyday but if
you are overeating then you will not make your goals. Losing weight or getting amazing abs and
toned body is 20% gym and 80% diet.
*I know it is not easy or realistic to eat healthy all of the
time or to never over eat. Here are some
helpful ideas that I use to help me keep my portion sizes in check.
*Always order small meals when eating out. Order off of the kids menu when you can to
keep the calories down as much as possible.
*If at a restaurant ask for a to-go container before you get
the meal. When your order arrives, take
at least half of the meal and put it away immediately so you do not overeat.
*Try splitting meals
with someone else. (This is tough for
me. Anyone that knows me knows I will
not split a meal but I am working on it!)
*Always
pack a lunch so you do not have to go out.
*Measure
out your food until you get the idea of what a serving size actually looks like
*Look at the serving size on the back of the package on
everything you eat so you know how many serving sizes are actually in a
package. Don’t eat a whole bag of chips
or a whole bag of candy.
One of my
favorite websites is choosemyplate.gov.
If you haven’t checked it out I would recommend that you do. It is easy to use and you can find out what
serving sizes you need in all of the food groups. You can also use supertracker which helps you
plan your diet, tracks your diet, and tracks your physical activity. But if you
do not want to go to the website I have the charts right here! I use these charts all the time. I have them printed up in my kitchen so that
everyone in the family can see how much they need to eat every day to stay
healthy. Hope this helps out you
guys. Try not to fall victim to portion
distortion!
Daily Fruit TABLE
|
||
Daily Recommendation*
|
||
Children
|
2-3 years old
4-8 years old
|
1 cup
1 to 1 ½ cups
|
Girls
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old
|
1 ½ cups
1 ½ cups
|
Boys
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old
|
1 ½ cups
2 cups
|
Women
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old
51+ years old
|
2 cups
1 ½ cups
1 ½ cups
|
Men
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old
51+ years old
|
2 cups
2 cups
2 cups
|
Daily Vegetable Table
|
||
Daily Recommendation*
|
||
Children
|
2-3 years old
4-8 years old
|
1 cup
1 ½ cups
|
Girls
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old
|
2 cups
2 ½ cups
|
Boys
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old
|
2 ½ cups
3 cups
|
Women
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old
51+ years old
|
2 ½ cups
2 ½ cups
2 cups
|
Men
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old
51+ years old
|
3 cups
3 cups
2 ½ cups
|
Daily Grain Table
|
|||
DAILY RECOMMENDATION*
|
Daily minimum amount of whole grains
|
||
Children
|
2-3 years old
4-8 years old |
3 ounce equivalents
5 ounce equivalents |
1 ½ ounce equivalents
2 ½ ounce equivalents |
Girls
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
5 ounce equivalents
6 ounce equivalents |
3 ounce equivalents
3 ounce equivalents |
Boys
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
6 ounce equivalents
8 ounce equivalents |
3 ounce equivalents
4 ounce equivalents |
Women
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old 51+ years old |
6 ounce equivalents
6 ounce equivalents 5 ounce equivalents |
3 ounce equivalents
3 ounce equivalents 3 ounce equivalents |
Men
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old 51+ years old |
8 ounce equivalents
7 ounce equivalents 6 ounce equivalents |
4 ounce equivalents
3 ½ ounce equivalents 3 ounce equivalents |
Daily protein foods table
|
||
Daily recommendation*
|
||
Children
|
2-3 years old
4-8 years old |
2 ounce equivalents
4 ounce equivalents |
Girls
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
5 ounce equivalents
5 ounce equivalents |
Boys
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
5 ounce equivalents
6 ½ ounce equivalents |
Women
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old 51+ years old |
5 ½ ounce equivalents
5 ounce equivalents 5 ounce equivalents |
Men
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old
51+ years old
|
6 ½ ounce equivalents
6 ounce equivalents 5 ½ ounce equivalents |
Daily Grain Table
|
|||
DAILY RECOMMENDATION*
|
Daily minimum amount of whole grains
|
||
Children
|
2-3 years old
4-8 years old |
3 ounce equivalents
5 ounce equivalents |
1 ½ ounce equivalents
2 ½ ounce equivalents |
Girls
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
5 ounce equivalents
6 ounce equivalents |
3 ounce equivalents
3 ounce equivalents |
Boys
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
6 ounce equivalents
8 ounce equivalents |
3 ounce equivalents
4 ounce equivalents |
Women
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old 51+ years old |
6 ounce equivalents
6 ounce equivalents 5 ounce equivalents |
3 ounce equivalents
3 ounce equivalents 3 ounce equivalents |
Men
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old 51+ years old |
8 ounce equivalents
7 ounce equivalents 6 ounce equivalents |
4 ounce equivalents
3 ½ ounce equivalents 3 ounce equivalents |
Daily Dairy table
|
|||||
Daily recommendation
|
|||||
Children
|
2-3 years old
|
2 cups
|
Women
|
19-30 years old
|
3 cups
|
4-8 years old
|
2 ½ cups
|
31-50 years old
|
3 cups
|
||
Girls
|
9-13 years old
|
3 cups
|
51+ years old
|
3 cups
|
|
14-18 years old
|
3 cups
|
Men
|
19-30 years old
|
3 cups
|
|
Boys
|
9-13 years old
|
3 cups
|
31-50 years old
|
3 cups
|
|
14-18 years old
|
3 cups
|
51+ years old
|
3 cups
|
||
Daily Allowance oils
|
|||
Children
|
2-3 years old
4-8 years old |
3 teaspoons
4 teaspoons |
|
Girls
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
5 teaspoons
5 teaspoons |
|
Boys
|
9-13 years old
14-18 years old |
5 teaspoons
6 teaspoons |
|
Women
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old 51+ years old |
6 teaspoons
5 teaspoons 5 teaspoons |
|
Men
|
19-30 years old
31-50 years old 51+ years old |
7 teaspoons
6 teaspoons 6 teaspoons |
|
