Portion Sizes
Many of us tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat and tend to overestimate the recommended portion sizes for many foods.
For example, try pouring out your usual portion of pasta and measure it! Then, compare it to the label portion size. Chances are, you're eating two, three, four or more times the amount on the label.
What does a healthy portion look like?
1 oz. meat: size of a matchbox
3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards or bar of soap--the recommended portion for a meal
8 oz. meat: size of a thin paperback book
3 oz. fish: size of a checkbook
1 oz. cheese: size of 4 dice
Medium potato: size of a computer mouse
2 Tbs. peanut butter: size of a ping pong ball
1/2 cup pasta: size of a tennis ball
Average bagel: size of a hockey puck.
Boost Servings of Fruits and Vegetables
Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. Since the serving sizes are relatively small, most people can easily follow the recommendations. Substitute low calorie, high-fiber fruits and vegetables for higher calorie foods and snacks; they'll help you feel full and you'll save on calories!
One serving looks like this:
medium apple or orange: the size of a tennis ball
1 cup chopped raw vegetables or fruit: baseball size
1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots, mango): a small handful
lunch-box size container of unsweetened applesauce
cup of lettuce: four leaves
chicken stir-fry with 1 cup of mixed broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms (= 2 vegetable servings)
1/2 cup cooked or canned legumes (beans and peas)
5-6 baby carrots