Most of us eat too often and too much! We underestimate the size of what we have eaten and overestimate what is healthy for us. For example, think about the portion you usually eat of a food you like. Read the label to see how many portions what you usually eat equals. When we eat pre-packaged foods, we often consume 2.5 to 3 times the portion size that we think we are eating. A portion size that is too large means the number of calories eaten is too high! It also often means that a great amount of energy needs to be used for the large amount of food eaten. When calories are not used, they are stored as fat in our bodies.
Examples of Portion Sizes to Consider:
- A serving of fruit or vegetables = baseball or a woman’s fist
- A snack food = rounded handful
- Serving of meat, fish, or poultry = deck of cards
- Portion of nuts = golf ball or large egg
- Ice cream = tennis ball
- Baked potato = computer mouse
- Pancake = compact disc
- Portion of peanut butter = ping pong ball
Portion size counts! Perhaps it is time for us to learn that big is not always better!
A good way to manage weight is to manage the portion size. Many of us grew up eating "family style" where family members serve themselves out of large bowls set on the table. When we were young and active, we burned calories and maintained healthy weights. When we are less active and reach for second helpings, the extra calories are likely to wind up in added weight that is hard to lose. Being aware of portion sizes can help us be aware of the amount we eat.
The My Pyramid plan can help people maintain their weight once the right one has been reached. For more information, click here to visit the US Government’s My Pyramid Website.
Some of us grew up in families where our parents told us to clean our plates. They told stories about starving children in other places. These old memories cause us to feel guilty if we leave food on our plate or throw something away. The truth is "cleaning our plates" will never help starving people in another place, but it can be a danger sign for personal health. A good way to watch portion size is to use a smaller plate or only eat a single portion. We can become more conscious about what we are eating. For example we can be aware of or "mindful" of the ways we eat meals and snacks. Eating even small bags of chips often contain two or more portions.
"Mindful Eating" Includes:
- Eating slowly and tasting each bite
- Recognizing how often you eat
- Thinking about what and how much you are eating
- Enjoying the experience
- Fix a plate of food paying attention to portion sizes
- Eat at the table rather than on the go
- Plan your meals when away from home
- Do not eat in the car
- Choose fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks
- Avoid snacking in front of the television
Snacking is a problem for many, but it does not have to be. Snacks can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Eating small snacks and spacing them between meals can still be healthy. If you must snack while watching television, measure a portion and place it in a separate bowl rather than eating out of the bag. Over-eating is easy to do when we have our mind on other things. Most of us no longer work like our ancestors did! Yet, too often we still try to eat like they did.
When eating away from home, the portions served are often much bigger than we need. When larger portions are given to us, we often try to eat this amount. Splitting an entrée or taking half the portion with you for later may be a wise way to prevent over-eating. For many, eating at fast food places or buffets often means eating more calories than needed. Buffets and pot luck dinners are always good; most of us fail to think about health or what those on special diets might need. Those extra calories in a dish piled high with desserts add up to inches on our waist lines if we are not careful.
Young children also need to learn about correct portion sizes. It is a good idea to start them with a small portion and let them eat only until they are satisfied. Sometimes we want children to eat more than they need. It is also important to take care about what foods we give to children in their early life. Giving children soft drinks or juices with a large sugar content is not good for them. In fact, it is good to remind ourselves that pizza, chips and pop are not healthy or well-balanced meals. In fact, these are foods that should only be eaten once in a while, not often. While active teens can eat the bigger size portions, youth or teens less active should watch their portion size. Eating fruits and vegetables as snack foods are good choices for children. During the training sessions, your leader will likely share some important information about good nutrition and healthy eating.
Many people have gotten into habits of cooking the same foods week after week. Thinking about trying new things or changing eating patterns is not what most people want to try. Family members often like eating the same foods fixed the same ways. However, if families are not careful they wind up eating diets that do not supply all that is needed. Many families include few fresh fruits or vegetables in their diet. Some families eat mostly fried foods. Others may eat foods that are often covered with gravy or cheese. Learning about good nutrition and planning meals around these ideas can help us improve what we eat.
Create a Healthy Eating Plan:
- Balance calorie intake with needs
- Eat fruits and vegetables every day
- Include whole grain breads
- Drink fat - free or low fat milk
- Cut extra fat off lean meat
- Avoid trans fats
- Broil and bake instead of frying
- Limit salt and extra sugar (corn syrup too)
- Choose poultry and fish whenever you can
- Beans, eggs, and nuts can replace for meat
Planning menus and choosing wisely can help decrease food costs and increase the number of healthy choices made. You might find help to work with local groups from your local Cooperative Extension Office. They may have some community programs to offer for groups that can give people the facts about food choices. They can give tips about things like nutrition, meal planning, label reading, cooking, and grocery shopping for a healthier way of life.
Food is truly a family matter! Some people do not want to change what they eat because it impacts others. For example, some women have a hard time because they feel guilty if they do not fix the foods their family wants. This can be a special concern if the adult woman has diabetes. She may know that she needs to change her eating habits, but if it conflicts with what her family members want then she may not do it. Families need to know ways to support one another in healthy eating to be healthy, prevent diabetes, and to manage it well.
The family that eats healthy foods together gets healthy together!
Some Cooperative Extension Offices offer a Dining with Diabetes program. It has been successfully used by many in the Appalachian region to learn more about nutrition, healthy eating, and cooking. The program offers several weeks of sessions where food and menus are discussed by a dietician. The program is for the person with diabetes and his/her family member. Foods are cooked and sampled, giving everyone a chance to taste things that are different and healthy. Those that take part in the sessions leave with recipes they can use at home. Check with your local Extension Office to see if they offer this program in your area.
Copyright 2010, Ohio University All Rights Reserved