As their appetites change, keep serving right-sized portions and encourage them to slow down to enjoy their food. Then check in on whether they're full before they go for seconds. Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. The Truth About Serving Sizes One reason that people eat too much at meals is that they tend to eat what's on their plate. What to Look for A great way to think about healthy portion sizes is to use the concept of the "divided plate.
Use the other top section for starch, preferably a whole grain. Fill the bottom two sections with veggies or fruit and veggies. Portion-Control Tips Parents need to take control of our own portion sizes and help kids learn to do the same.
Here are some tips: Serve food on smaller plates so meals look larger. A sandwich on a dinner plate looks lost; on an appetizer plate it looks downright hefty. When cooking large batches or storing leftovers, separate them into smaller portions before you put them in the fridge or freezer.
That way, when your family reaches in, they'll automatically grab a portion that makes sense. Don't let kids eat out of bags or containers. Serve individual portions and make it a rule to eat in the kitchen. Dish out meals at the counter and avoid bringing the whole pot to the table. Not keeping the food at arm's length can make your family think twice about reaching for seconds.
Portion size is anything but obvious. Research repeatedly confirms that larger food servings not only provide more calories but also have two other effects. They encourage people to eat more and to underestimate how much they are eating. A few years ago, I asked Lisa Young, who teaches our department's introductory nutrition course, to ask her students to guess the number of calories in an eight-ounce Coke and a ounce Double Gulp -- yes, such things exist.
She did not expect beginning students to know the exact numbers, but did expect them to do the math. To her surprise, the average multiplier turned out to be three, not eight. How come? Students said that calories in a drink was impossible. Researchers at Penn State put it to the test and found some interesting conclusions.
Women in the study were given meals over a period of weeks that varied in portion size. The women were divided into two sets — a control group and a group that were taught techniques to control portions and eat healthier. Did the training make a difference? Yes, but in an unexpected way. Each of the meals contained different food options, including a higher calorie density food like garlic bread and a lower calorie density option like salad.
As the portion sizes increased, all participants ate more food, confirming previous research. However, those who had received the training ate more of the lower calorie options, such as salad, so they consumed fewer calories compared to the control group. These observations align with insights from Best Food Facts experts on portion control and healthy eating. The Volumetrics diet is one that focuses on feeling full or utilizing the volume and calorie density of foods.
What are those foods that are low in calorie density and promote weight loss? Size matters. Research has shown that people consistently eat more food when offered larger portions. So portion control is important when you're trying to lose weight and keep it off. A portion is the amount of food you put on your plate, while a serving is an exact amount of food.
To get a better handle on what you're eating, you could carry around measuring cups. Or you could use everyday objects as reminders of appropriate serving sizes, which is what the Mayo Clinic Diet recommends. Many foods match up to everyday objects. For example, a medium pepper is about the size of a baseball and equals one vegetable serving.
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