Recently, I've heard (and maybe said once) several people exclaim "That's it?!?" as their meal is brought out at a "fancy" restaurant. In a culture where more is great and super-sized is even better, a 3 oz piece of chicken and a small plate of pasta seems downright puny. But really "That" is most likely a much better representation of what we are supposed to consume regarding portion size than the huge plates of food we are used to receiving. I find it helpful to use the following props to estimate correct portion sizes.
- pasta or rice=1/2 cup or one small fist
- cooked meat= 3 oz or one deck of cards
- muffin=1 large egg
- peanut butter=2 tablespoons or a golf ball
- pancake=CD
- 1 oz cheese=4 dice
If you are like me...when I first saw this list I totally balked...I mean really....who eats only a small fist worth of pasta or a muffin the size of an egg?! That's insane! OR it's totally correct! We just need to change our way of thinking...more is not always better and super sized is just plain worse. Armed with these tools (figuratively of course...but then again you could carry props around with you...but eyeballing works too...) there's no reason for us to overeat!
Just some food for thought...
Visuals are always helpful...I am going to purchase the real thing (dice, fists, a golfball, etc) to store in my purse to make myself tow the line! Keep the great tips coming, E.H.!
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