Health Watch

It can be tough fitting in a regular exercise routine but you manage to make time. The rewards are vast. We are here to help with yet another challenge – recognizing proper food portions to assist in maintaining or losing weight. Here are some tips:

Healthy Lifestyle Tip: How to Pick the Perfect Portion

Re-adjust your food goggles so you can spot a sensible serving size. The first step is to train your eyes to recognize the difference between a healthy serving and a hefty one.

Use Your Hand

Give yourself a hand to determine reasonable servings. According to Ruth Ann Carpenter of the Cooper Institute in Dallas, your hand can accurately measure portion sizes. Your fist is about a cup – the amount you should eat of cereal, fruit, soup, salad, or spoonful of casserole. Cup your hand and you have a half-cup – the recommended amount of pasta and other starches, ice cream or desserts. Your palm, not counting the fingers, represents a roughly 3 to 4oz. serving of meat, poultry, or fish.

Use Your Fingers

A serving the size of your thumb equals about a tablespoon – a sufficient amount of peanut butter, sour cream, salad dressing or cream cheese to spread on other foods. Fats, such as butter, oil, and mayonnaise, should be kept to a teaspoon per meal, a portion about the size of the tip of your thumb.

Use a Ball

Vegetable and fruit servings should be the size of a baseball. A golf ball is equivalent to 1/4 cup, the proper serving size of nuts or dried fruit. A portion the size of a tennis ball is a sensible scoop of ice cream. Tennis balls are also a good way to judge the size of a medium-sized apple, orange, or pear.

Use Your Stuff

Poke around the house for other handy visual aids. For example, a baked or boiled potato should be the size of your computer mouse. Stack six dice to get an idea of a single-serving size of low-fat cheese. Whip out your checkbook or a deck of cards to measure a healthful 3 to 4 oz. of fish, chicken, or meat.

So go ahead, and treat yourself to an ice cream cone or a couple of cookies from time to time. If you do it in moderation, it won't derail your healthy diet. It'll be easier to stick to a healthful eating plan if you get to include foods you enjoy.

Sources: livestrong.com and realage.com