Combating Portion Distortion
by Diane Dankert, RD, Project Nutritionist
16th Street Community Health Center WIC Program, Milwaukee

Are you a member of the Clean Plate Club? If so, now is a good time to discontinue your membership! Many people are eating more than ever simply because portion sizes have gotten bigger—a lot bigger.

Over the years, restaurants have increased portions to attract more customers. Twenty years ago, bagels were 3 inches and 140 calories. Now, bagels are 6 inches and 350 calories. An average glass of soda was 6.5 ounces with 82 calories, but these days a regular soda is 20 ounces with 250 calories. Two decades ago, a serving of fries was 2.4 ounces and 210 calories, but now they serve 6.9 ounces worth 610 calories.

Many of us have forgotten the old portion sizes. These larger portions have become the new “normal”. We have fallen for “portion distortion”!

So exactly how much should we eat? USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend the number of servings needed and defines the serving size for each food group. This information is provided in detail at www.MyPyramid.gov. Here’s one way to compare portions with the recommendations:

 

• A 3-oz. serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. • A half-cup serving of rice, noodles, or fruit is the size of half of a baseball. • One pancake the size of a CD is one serving.

Another way to keep serving sizes in check is to read labels. Look for the Serving Size and the Number of Servings Per Container. If a cake has 10 servings, cut the cake into 10 equal pieces. You’ll know how big one serving is and you can determine the number of calories.

So instead of the Clean Plate Club, you may want to join the Use Leftovers For Another Meal Club!