Chapter 6: Portion Sizes
When you don’t have measuring cups, like when you’re eating at a restaurant or a cafeteria, it may not be as easy to know what a normal portion size is. Fifteen grams of carbs is one serving. Most people need about three to four servings of carbs at each meal. Some taller, athletic people who get a lot of exercise may need four to five servings of carbs.
The more carbs in a type of food, then the less of that food that makes up one serving. Half a cup, or about the size of half of a baseball, is one serving of a starchy vegetable or cooked cereal. Don’t be fooled by the size of a bowl or plate.
Bread and pasta have more carbs, so a serving of them will be smaller, about the size of a hockey puck.
A serving of fruit is equal to the size of a tennis ball. Fruit in stores tend to be large, so often half of the fruit is one serving. Consider eating fruit throughout the day instead of having all two to four servings at one sitting.
Drinking fruit juice will give you a lot more sugar and raise your blood sugar faster than eating a piece of fruit. It is better to eat your fruit than drink it.
A lean protein like peanut butter or low-fat cheese can go with fruit for a great snack. A serving of cheese is the same size as four dice.
It is important to include protein in your diet two to three times a day. One serving of any kind of cooked meat is three ounces. That’s the same size as a deck of cards. Before you eat it, remove the extra fat and skin. It’s much healthier for your heart that way.
As you eat healthier, your taste may change. If you eat fewer sweets, you may notice that cake begins to taste too sweet and you may crave fruit instead.
Here are some tips for eating proper portion sizes, especially when eating out:
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