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Supersize Meals lead to Supersize Waists

One of the biggest indicators of a “good meal” often is not the ambience of a restaurant, the rare ingredients used or the popularity of the chef.  In fact, if you poll most people they would describe a good meal as one with overflowing portions.

These “Supersize” meals are leading to excess weight, heart disease and the inability for people to know when enough is enough.
When we put clients on our meal plan, one of the first questions we often get is “How much is a serving?”  We all know the Recommended Serving Suggestions or Food Pyramid, but what does that really mean in real terms.

Here are some “real life” comparisons you can make in order to eyeball your plate and know what to eat and when to stop:

• It is recommended that daily you consume 2-3 servings of lean meat.  A great way to measure this serving  is one serving on lean meat is about the size of a deck of cards or checkbook.
• For Whole Grains and Breads, the recommendation is about six servings.  One serving of bread would be one slice. Cup your hand and that is about one serving or rice or pasta.  For a bagel, imagine the size of a hockey puck for ½ bagel, which would equal one serving.
• Fruits and Vegetables are great choices and the combined recommendation is a whopping 9-10 servings per day.  One serving of fruit would be 1 small apple and 1 serving of vegetables would be the size of the bulb on a light bulb.  For berries and grapes, think of a handful for one serving.
• Dairy is important for bone health and the recommendation is 3 servings per day.  1 serving of milk or yogurt would be 1 cup and 1 serving of cheese would be the size of two 9-volt batteries.
• Finally, fats when chosen correctly are good such as nuts, olive oil and more.    Eat them sparingly, which is the recommendation.  So if you choose to eat some almonds, choose 10-15 in order to achieve one serving.

So how do you control yourself with these impressive Super-size servings? Still go to your favorite restaurant but when you order, immediately ask them to box up half of your meal for later and serve you the other half. Educate yourself on what proper servings are in order not to blow your clean eating initiative and make sure you are eating 5-6 mini meals per day instead of 2-3 large meals.

Finally, make a plan and write it down.  We often ask our clients to record a food diary—it is amazing how eye opening it is to see what you are eating and the quantities when it is in black and white.  Enjoy food but know when to say when.