Portion control is in the palm of your hands
Simin Levinson, lecturer at Arizona State University’s School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, shows how to use your hands as a way to control the portion of food you eat. John Samora and Karen Fernau, The Arizona Republic
Use your palms and fingers to judge how much food to pile on your plate, experts advise.
Portions are spinning out of control. We eat bagels the size of a small Frisbee and popcorn from tubs. A typical restaurant bowl of pasta could feed a small family.
Much of what Americans eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner is two to three times bigger than the government's definition of a portion, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer group.
Health experts place much of the blame for America's growing waistlines on larger portions. Poor diet and lack of exercise also are cited as the main reasons one-third of Americans are obese.
"People hear a lot about what they should eat, but not how much they should eat. Many have no idea what a healthy portion of chicken, rice, fruits and other foods are, and that is one of the reasons we are eating way too much," said Simin Levinson, lecturer at Arizona State University's School of Nutrition and Health Promotion.
Take the common tuna-fish sandwich, for example. A standard tuna serving set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is one-fourth of a pound and 340 calories. However, many restaurants now serve a tuna sandwich weighing two-thirds of a pound, with 720 calories, according to the center.
According to experts, today's portion crisis has gradually unfolded over 20 years. Blame falls squarely on restaurants and a cagey marketing strategy. For a little bit more, they entice us to eat more. Too many of us do, both at restaurants and at home.
"What we see on a restaurant plate has become the norm. Our portions are bigger, our plates are bigger and our appetites are bigger," Levinson said.
Cookbooks also appear to be playing a role in portion mania. Researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab reviewed the serving sizes and calorie content from recipes in seven editions of the "The Joy of Cooking," the editions from 1936, 1946, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1997 and 2006.
The findings: Your dish likely has far more calories than the recipe your grandma made from an earlier edition of the cookbook.
Researchers found 18 recipes present in all seven editions, and the average calories per serving increased in 17 of them. Among the dishes: brownies, sugar cookies, apple pie, macaroni and cheese, beef stroganoff, Spanish rice and goulash.
Using standard nutritional analysis techniques, serving size and calorie levels for those recipes, the researchers found that the average number of calories per recipe in 1936 was 2,124, with about 268 calories per serving. In 2006, those numbers had risen to 3,052 calories total in each dish, with 436 calories a serving.
Americans of all ages overeat, but those growing up during the last two decades of super-sizing are particularly guilty of bloated portions.
As ASU nutrition senior Amy Hergenroether said, "My friends have no idea what a portion should be, and they believe it makes sense to pay a little more for a lot more food. To eat healthy portions, they must first learn what one actually is and not fall for the economics that make it attractive to eat twice as much as you should."
At ASU, nutritionists recommend using your hands as guides. A portion of chicken, fish, beef or other protein is the size and width of your palm. Starchy carbohydrates like pasta, potatoes and rice are the size of your fist. A serving of fat, including peanut butter, olive oil or butter, is half a thumb.
A fruit serving fits in the palm of one hand, vegetables in the palm of two hands.
"Unlike a deck of cards, tennis ball, measuring cups or other visual images, hands are always at the table with you," Levinson said. "They are practical and accurate."
PORTION CONTROL TIPS
After learning what a portion looks like, make a commitment to eat healthy portions at least 80 percent of the time.
-- When dining at restaurants known for their jumbo portions, half is the new whole. Split an entree or take half home for later.
-- Be mindful. Pay attention to how much butter you slather on bread and to the dressing you pour on your salad.
-- Eat off smaller plates and bowls. The serving of spaghetti that looks anemic on a 12-inch dinner plate can pass as a satisfying meal on a 10-inch plate.
-- Cheat with vegetables. If you must super-size, double the portions of salad, broccoli and other low-calorie, nutritious produce.
-- Eat slowly and the portions will seem bigger. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal that your stomach has had enough.
-- Practice makes perfect. Measure out a cup of cereal and half cup of milk for a few weeks. Eventually, you will be able to eyeball the correct amount.
Source: Arizona State University