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Commonsense Portions

Obesity became an epidemic in this country at the same time that portion sizes grew enormous.

Research has shown that most people cannot evaluate portions accurately, and it’s not their fault. The “typical” portion size often differs on food labels, in dietary guidelines, and in the amount of food served when you eat out.

It’s no wonder you and everyone else are confused. And add to that the fact that there is a difference between a serving and a portion. A serving is a standard measurement of food. For example, the Food Guide Pyramid tells you a serving of pasta is 1/2 cup. A portion is the amount of food you are served. A typical restaurant portion of pasta equals 3 cups, which translates into 6 servings. The government is offering standard servings while you are faced with bagel, soda, sandwich, and pasta servings that are anything but. Eating large portions on a regular basis overrides the natural feeling of fullness making it all too easy for overeating to become a habit.

Don’t get caught up in the difference between a serving and portion. Just use commonsense and think about simple ways to reduce the amount of food you eat. The following chart provides some simple tradeoffs; none will leave you starving, but all will save calories.

Saving Calories

Typical Serving	Commonsense Portions	Calories Saved
Movie theater popcorn, small, 7 cups 400 calories	Popcorn, microwave low fat, 3 cups 150 calories	250
24-hour store, extra large soda, 8 cups (64 ounces) 800 calories	1 can soda, 12 ounces 140 calories	660
Large coffee + 2 tablespoons half & half, 2 teaspoons sugar 82 calories	Small coffee + 2 tablespoons skim milk, 1 teaspoon sugar 26 calories	56
Restaurant serving tuna salad, 8 ounces 800 calories	Tuna salad, 4 ounces 400 calories	400
Salad with 2 tablespoons creamy Italian dressing 320 calories	Salad with 2 tablespoons fat free creamy Italian dressing 200 calories	120
Restaurant serving pasta, 3 cups 600 calories	Cooked pasta, any shape, 2 cups 400 calories	200
Steakhouse 1 pound porterhouse steak 1190 calories	Steakhouse 8 ounce boneless sirloin 420 calories	770
Baked potato + 1/4 cup sour cream 320 calories	Baked potato + freshly ground pepper 200 calories	120
Pancake house pancakes (4) 800 calories	Pancake house short stack (2) 400 calories	400
1 cup cereal + 1 cup whole milk 260 calories	1 cup cereal + 1 cup nonfat milk 180 calories	80
1 cup premium vanilla ice cream in sugar cone 380 calories	1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt in wafer cone 197 calories	183
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting 484 calories	Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, split with a friend 242 calories	242

Research shows regardless of how hungry you are people eat more when presented with large portions of food. Simply knowing this can prevent you from overeating. Hang on to your commonsense.

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