Food Portion Sizes

According to a Journal of the Medical Association, food portion sizes have increased both inside and outside the home of all Americans for all categories. The most astonishing result of the food portion sizes is that the large portion sizes are food consumed at home. This shift in food portion sizes has also witnessed marked changes in eating behaviour in general. The waistlines of the Americans are keeping up with the portion increase trend. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly 60% of the nation is overweight. Majority of the Americans are consuming too much food as they are not aware of their food portion size. According to a dietician the Americans are mostly used to eating out in restaurants which does not have any fixed food portion size. They often get a distorted view as they are not likely to make a distinction between restaurant sizes and real sizes when they are going back home and checking on their diet. But the most important thing according to some nutrition experts is that one individual should be able to eyeball food portion sizes and know how much he/she is actually consuming. The key to healthy life is also to relate portion sizes to every day objects. The ‘more is better’ mentality at fast food restaurants is also harmful for a healthy living. It tempts one to buy larger-sized portions which often end up burning not only one’s pockets but also ruining one’s waistlines or health.

But there are ways to maintain food portion sizes and opt for a healthy life. One should be aware of unconscious consumption of food. One often tends to consume more while watching television or talking over the phone. In these times especially one is not aware of the actual quantity they are consuming and end up having more food than usual. One should also use smaller plates as then one won’t be tempted to fill up all the space left in the larger plates with extra food that they actually don’t need. One should also serve his/her own food by himself/herself. In this way the individual is clear about serving himself/herself what he/she actually needs and then cutting everything in half and saving the excess for the lunch or dinner next day. One should also kill the plate after finishing with his food. This means he/she should put the napkin or pour the salt on the leftover food so that he is not tempted in having what is left over on the plate. These are the ways to avoid distortion and to slim down portions at home thus being able to stay healthy. Many of us tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat and that often lends to ruininf of health. One can easily estimate their food portions by the different charts available in the market. To sum up the whole process of staying a healthy weight it is necessary for us to keep up with out food portion sizes.