If you often fill your plate up, yet want to keep your weight down, you may benefit from the health-promoting strategy that dietitians and psychologists call "portion control." Instead of following a strict diet plan, you eat three meals a day and keep portions within set limits.
Apart from the fact that one-fifth of all Americans are obese, practicing portion control is a good idea for overall health. "Many Americans unknowingly and habitually eat more than they need," says Deirdra Price, Ph.D., a San Diego psychologist specializing in eating disorders and weight control.
According to Price, author of Healing the Hungry Self (Penguin, 1997), overeating is epidemic due to factors such as a widespread lack of nutritional education and the pervasive "super-sized" meals sold in fast-food and other restaurants throughout the country.
Yet portion control doesn't mean denying yourself your favorite foods. Instead, "use the palm of your hand to measure out serving sizes, for the palm of your hand is a good indicator of how much food your body needs per meal," says Price. For example, the amount of meat, chicken or fish that you can fit in your palm (about two to three ounces) should be the size of your serving.
"If you snack, eat a handful of trail mix, a handful of potato chips or a single-serving packet of M&M's," Price advises.
Here are some daily menu portion guidelines from registered dietitian Cindy Maynard, M.S., R.D., of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Breakfast: A maximum of two pieces of toast with honey, one banana and one cup of juice, plus one egg.
Lunch: The protein part of your lunch (fish, chicken, beef) should be only 2 to 3 ounces, with a cup of pasta or rice, a pear, some steamed vegetables and a cup of yogurt or milk.
Dinner: Fish, beef or chicken servings should be no larger than a deck of cards and weigh 2 to 3 ounces. Two to three servings of whole-grain bread, whole-grain pasta or brown rice are suggested. One to two vegetables are allowed, as is a cup of milk and a healthy dessert, such as half a cup of frozen yogurt.
There are many other easy ways to enjoy meals containing healthily-sized portions. "Order half-sized meals at restaurants, buy single-serving frozen meals at the health food store or supermarket, cook food and freeze it in single-serving sizes," says Price.
