Out of Portion Control

Do you know the proper portion size per serving?

If you haven’t done your research, you may be consuming twice, even three times the recommended amount.

Studies show that generous portions at home and at restaurants are a leading cause to our nations obesity problem. Which makes sense considering your serving size of meat should be equal to a deck of cards. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Big Mac that size.

Here are some fun, and shocking, tools you can use for portion control from WebMD (the article is from the spring, hence the marshmellow “peeps” reference):

• 2 TSP peanut butter = one peep
• ¼ cup dried fruit = 1 golf ball
• ½ cup cooked rice, pasta or cereal = 1 tennis ball
• 1 ½ ounces natural or 2 oz. processed cheese = 2 small chocolate eggs
• 1 medium piece of fruit = 1 baseball
• 1 cup milk or yogurt = 1 baseball
• ½ cup cooked or raw cut up fruits or vegetables = 2 peeps
• 1 cup leafy vegetables = 2 tennis balls
• 1 small muffin = 2 peeps
• 1 ounce lean meat or fish = 1 egg
• ½ ounce nuts or seeds = 4 jelly beans
• 1 cup ready to eat cereal = 1 baseball
• 1 cup grapes, cherries, or berries = 1 baseball

Tip: When you’re out at a restaurant and they put the “oh my goodness!” size plate in front of you, ask for a box to go. Put half your meal in the box, and eat the other half. Then you have a good portion for later or tomorrow, and you won’t be eating twice or even three times your fill.