Portion Control

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four.  Unless there are three other people.  ~Orson Welles

The other night, hubby brought home some ice cream.  The full-leaded fat and sugar kind.  As I was reading the label, I thought it really didn't look that bad.  At around 130 calories and 7 grams of fat, I thought I could go ahead and indulge.  Then I saw the portion size.  One half of a cup.  Half a cup. That's all.  Just half.  Well, could half a cup really be that small?  So, I got my measuring cups out.  Half a cup is very tiny.  And, probably not even worth it.  (Even though I love ice cream.)  I remember the last time I had ice cream and didn't look at the label.  I probably had about 4 servings in one bowl!  No wonder my jeans and I are at odds.


I'm not much for measuring.  I'll admit it.  When I'm cooking, I rarely ever get out the measuring cups.  I eyeball it and then go from there.  I think that's why I like cooking more than baking.  With baking, you have to be exact.  And I, to say the least, am not an exact kind of person.


So, in order to keep my portions under control, I have had to start measuring.  The only thing I haven't had the guts to measure is peanut butter.  I love peanut butter and apples.  The portion size for peanut butter is 2 TBS.  That's all.  I pile up 2 tablespoons on my saucer ....  I just need to know how much more than that I pile on.

But, dear readers, I promise that the next time I get the peanut butter, I'll practice what I preach.


Here are some rules of thumb and helpful hints when it comes to portion sizes:

MAKING SENSE OF PORTION SIZES Many of us tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat and tend to overestimate the recommended portion sizes for many foods. For example, try pouring out your usual portion of pasta and measure it! Then, compare it to the label portion size. Chances are, you're eating two, three, four or more times the amount on the label. If you are confused when reading a food label, try relating the portion size of a serving to everyday items. It is an easy way to visualize what a true portion size looks like. Woman's fist or baseball—a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist A rounded handful—about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta – this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels Deck of cards—a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don't count your fingers!) – for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop Golf ball or large egg—one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts Tennis ball—about one half cup of ice cream Computer mouse—about the size of a small baked potato Compact disc—about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle Thumb tip—about one teaspoon of peanut butter Six dice—a serving of cheese Check book—a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.) Eyeball it! Take a look at the recommended serving sizes on the new USDA MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Get out a measuring cup or a food scale and practice measuring some of your favorite foods onto a plate, so that you can see how much (or how little!) a ½ cup or 3-ounce serving is. This will help you "eyeball" a reasonable serving!