While the key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is to balance healthy eating combined with regular physical activity, being aware of the size of the portions you eat is just as important.
Bigger portions tend to encourage us to eat more whether we really need to or not. It therefore makes sense that the less food in front of you, the less you’ll eat and the fewer kilojoules you’ll consume.
Here are a few tips you can use to cut down on portion size while also helping to satisfy your appetite:
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Measure food with a measuring cup or weighing scales to give you an accurate idea of what a portion size should be
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Serve food on individual plates instead of a serving dish on the table
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Put chips, nuts and other snacks in bowls or on plates rather than eating them straight from the pack
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Avoid standing at the buffet table at parties. Fill your plate once with what you want and try and sit down to enjoy
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Avoid second helpings
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Look on food packaging to find guidance on what constitutes an ‘average’ portion/serve
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Controlling portions properly may mean you need to buy less food each week and could save you money.
Sample serving/portion sizes*
One serve is equivalent to:
2 slices of bread
1 cup of cooked rice, pasta, noodles
1½ cups of breakfast cereal flakes or ½ cup of muesli
75g or ½ cup of cooked vegetables
1 cup of salad vegetables
1 potato
1 medium piece of fruit
1 cup of diced pieces of fruit
½ cup or 125ml of fruit juice
1 cup or 250ml of milk
40g of cheese
200g of yoghurt
65-100g of cooked meat
½ cup of cooked beans, lentils etc
80-120g of cooked fish
½ cup unsalted nuts
1 tablespoon of margarine
1½ scoops or 50g of ice cream
* these sample portion sizes are based on recommendations made from the Dietary Guidelines for Australians (2003). For more individualised advice, see an Accredited Practising Dietitian http://www.daa.asn.au/
