Creating a heart- and brain-healthy diet isn't just about putting
healthy foods in your body - it's about eating the proper amount. Without a
doubt, most Americans eat too much. Restaurant portions are large, many
single-serve snack packages have ballooned over the years, food is all around
us, and many people have lost the ability to recognize when they are full.
Knowing how much you should be eating might involve a little bit of measuring, but that can be made easier by relating portion sizes to every- day objects. Follow our portion size guide so you know how much food makes up one serving.
Below are a few other tips to ensure that you're eating the right portion amounts:
- Most restaurant portion sizes are at least double or triple the portion you should be eating. As soon as your meal arrives, cut it in half and box up the other half. Take it home to have for lunch the next day.
- Serve food on small plates. Instead of using a dinner plate, substitute a luncheon plate or a salad plate.
- When eating at home, put a small portion of food on your plate, and keep the rest of the food in the kitchen. Then, if you want to eat more, you'll have to get up to get it.
- Read food labels. When a package says that it contains more than one serving, measure out one serving into a separate dish.
- Avoid eating in front of the TV or while reading. Instead, focus on the tastes, textures, and aromas of your food. This can keep you from mindlessly munching your way to the bottom of a bowl of popcorn or bag of chips.
- Listen to your body's hunger cues. Pay attention to feelings of hunger and fullness.
Knowing how much you should be eating might involve a little bit of measuring, but that can be made easier by relating portion sizes to every- day objects. Follow our portion size guide so you know how much food makes up one serving.
Below are a few other tips to ensure that you're eating the right portion amounts:
- Most restaurant portion sizes are at least double or triple the portion you should be eating. As soon as your meal arrives, cut it in half and box up the other half. Take it home to have for lunch the next day.
- Serve food on small plates. Instead of using a dinner plate, substitute a luncheon plate or a salad plate.
- When eating at home, put a small portion of food on your plate, and keep the rest of the food in the kitchen. Then, if you want to eat more, you'll have to get up to get it.
- Read food labels. When a package says that it contains more than one serving, measure out one serving into a separate dish.
- Avoid eating in front of the TV or while reading. Instead, focus on the tastes, textures, and aromas of your food. This can keep you from mindlessly munching your way to the bottom of a bowl of popcorn or bag of chips.
- Listen to your body's hunger cues. Pay attention to feelings of hunger and fullness.
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