The average person can’t tell you what one cup of food accurately looks likes. It gets worse when you ask them what an ounce looks like. As I fine tune my own eating more and more it becomes increasingly evident that the general population was never educated on correct portion size (including myself 😉 ). Which leads to other questions regarding healthy foods. Can you eat too much? Is there such a thing as ” too much of a good thing?” Counseling people on nutrition is undoubtedly difficult. No one wants to measure their food. Only the truly dedicated will actually measure and write down their foods. To make things simple for the other 99% of people who detest measuring; here are simple ways to measure your food intake.
1 cup or 8oz of liquid is equal to the size of a baseball
* 1 cup of veggies.
* 1 medium fruit (baseball)
* 1 cup of cereal
* 6 oz of yogurt is equal to 3/4 a baseball
MEATS
* Chicken and steak – 3 0z is equal to the size and thickness of a deck of cards
* Fish – 3 0z is the size of a check book
CHEESE
* One ounce of cheese is equal to 4 dice ( rougly the size of a string cheese)
Peanut Butter / Dried Fruits / Dressings
* One ping pong ball is equal to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter / 1/4 cup of dried fruit
* 2 tablespoons of dressing
OILS
* vegetable oils, olive oils etc. – One thumbnail is equal to one teaspoon
These are great ways to keep your portions under control. However, you do have to be honest with yourself! Don’t visualilze a softball just because your tired and need more carbs to relax. The best way to get the figure you want is to obey portion control with all your foods (even if they are healthy). Overindulging in healthy foods can also lead to weight gain. Eating more often in smaller amount helps to shrink the stomach and lead to weight loss that is maintainable. One of the best things to do when eating portioned meals is to remind yourself that there will always be more food later. Some people tend to panic (as if they won’t be able to eat later). Plan out your meals in your head, know what your eating and when (to the best of your ability). This way you can be confident in your choices to and control your eating through out the day.
Adria Ali
JulieV says