IS FOOD PORTION SIZE IMPORTANT? Your portion size can “make” or “break” your weight-loss plan. For example, you start your day with a bran muffin and some whole-grain cereal. Sounds good, but what if your bran muffin is the size of a softball that has more fat than a chocolate covered doughnut. Then your cereal bowl is equivalent to five serving, according to the label! This is where portion sizes are important.
The number of calories you eat depends not only on what you eat but how much you eat. Even lean food choices can be a downfall if portions are large. So, keeping tabs on how much you eat is the “key” to managing your calories and your weight.
We all underestimate how much we are eating. That’s why it’s important to keep measuring utensils handy. A food scale for weighing portions and a set of measuring cups and spoons are essential.
Start out by measuring and weighing the foods you eat consistently and read the food. There are also charts you can purchase that shows standard serving of foods. For example, the standard three-ounce lean steak contains about nine grams of fat. But if you normally eat a seven-ounce steak, you’re getting 21 grams of fat!
If you find that your helpings are not always standard serving sizes, start cutting back. Another helpful tip is trying to serve your foods in standard portion sizes by dividing larger portions into two or more serving on your plate to get a sense for standard.
All this may be a little tedious at first. But once you become familiar with what a serving portions size looks like, you will be able to judge food on sight. Then you will be able to go to a restaurant and guess the weight of a portion of food with little effort on your part. Then, you will only have to weigh or measure foods occasionally to check your accuracy.
Tags: is food portions important?, keep tabs on calories, measuring the food, portion size, weighing the food, weight loss plan