Weights and Measures: Portion Control
You can't measure every morsel that passes your lips, but it's a good idea to measure most foods and beverages until you get a feel for portion sizes. It's a supersized world out there, and most people are surprised to find that their idea of a single serving is actually two or three.
If you're into bells and whistles, there are food scales that are pre-programmed with nutritional information, as well as scales that will keep a running total of your daily food and nutrient intake for you. The only tools you really need, however, are a simple and inexpensive gram scale, dry and liquid measuring cups, and measuring spoons. Early on, it's a good idea to run everything that isn't premeasured through a scale, cup, or spoon first.
Ballparking It
Get intimate with your food, or rather, your dishes. Have a favorite mug or bowl? Pay attention to how completely a serving of yogurt or soup fills it up. You'll soon that find it's second nature to guesstimate your portion sizes.
There will be times when you can't use your favorite cup. Pulling out a gram scale at your special restaurant is a little unrealistic. In these cases, it helps to have some rough equivalents for comparison.
Here are some typical serving sizes and some points of reference for estimating portion sizes:
A cup of fruit or yogurt = a baseball, a clenched fist, or a small apple
Three ounces of fish, meat, or poultry = a deck of cards, the palm of your hand, or a pocket pack of tissues
One teaspoon of butter or mayonnaise = a thimble, a thumb tip (top knuckle to tip), or the head of a toothbrush
One ounce of cheese = your entire thumb, a tube of Chap-stick, or a AA battery
Fact
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that over a 21 year period, portion sizes of “all-American foods” — salty snacks, desserts, soft drinks, fruit drinks, French fries, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and Mexican food — grew considerably at fast-food restaurants and at the dinner table. The only exception? Pizza.
Using your hands to estimate servings is probably the easiest method — you don't leave home without them. However, make sure you compare your hand amounts against food that has been measured out until you get a sense of how accurately you're estimating. Of course, if you have particularly large or small hands, you need to adjust for size.
Even for the more experienced portion predictor, it's a good idea to test your skills at least once a month and measure your guess at a serving size. It's easy to start overdoing it, and the little bits (and bites) add up. If your control has been off for no apparent reason, one of the first things to check is whether your serving sizes are on target.
