Portion vs. Serving

I'd don't know about you, but I'd say the average American is a bit confused about portions and serving sizes.  I know I was.

In simple, plain English, a portion is the amount you decide to eat.  A serving is what the "experts" say you are supposed to eat.  For example, a product, say a large candy bar, may have two servings listed on the label, but you choose to eat them both at one sitting, thus consuming twice the amount of calories of one serving, half the bar. But who eats half a candy bar?  And who does the math?  Not many. 

Where this causes trouble is when you eat two times a serving size or more of everything.  The average American is just plain eating too much.  I know I was. And I did not even realize it.

Going out to eat?  Well, you'd better be prepared to over eat or be on guard because they'll serve you at least twice if not thrice what you need!  (Not to mention the salt!)

I've said this before, but by just paying attention to serving sizes, using smaller plates, and eating slowly, I've lost 10 pounds in a very short time, without feeling deprived!  Add those simple things to a desire to eat only whole foods and to limit my sugar intake, I believe that I am going to beat this beast once and for all! (It's just a matter of time, probably a long time!) 

The key is to know your serving sizes!  An easy way to judge is to eyeball what you'd normally portion yourself and cut it in half.  Yes, half!  Eat this slowly.  If you still need more, go get it.  But you have to eat it slowly and you have to check in with yourself,"Am I really still hungry?"  The only foods this does not apply to is non-starchy vegetables. Go ahead and load them on your plate!  (Or get a second plate.) 

What exactly is a serving size and how many should one have a day?  Web MD has a nice Portion Size Plate you can check out. 

Bon appetit!
Jenn