The amount of food eaten is just as important as what is eaten, so understanding portion sizes and control is necessary for healthy living.
By: Ned Weiss, M.D.
In the world today, the general perception is that bigger is better. Often that same mentality applies to eating habits. Food is available at every turn, from grocery stores and restaurants to sporting events to the hot dog stand on the street. In fact, we are usually never more than a few steps (or drive-through window) away from the next meal or snack. Therefore, it’s no wonder that waistlines have followed the "super-size" patterns of today.
The amount of food eaten is just as important as what is eaten, so understanding portion sizes and control is necessary for healthy living. But with the restaurants serving overflowing plates of food and the all-you-can-eat buffets readily accessible, it can be difficult to recognize what encompasses a normal portion size.
The excess amount of food available is an epidemic that is contributing to obesity in America. Research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25 percent. This erroneous belief can be partially blamed on the fact that typical food portions are significantly higher than the recommended serving size.
For example, a regular bagel measuring 3 inches in diameter contains about 150 calories and counts as two servings of bread. But the "jumbo" types of bagels, frequently offered at bakeries and grocery stores, are more often measuring four and a half inches in diameter and contain 300-500 calories.
Packaged foods have also increased in size in recent years. Take a look at the soda can, for instance. A few years ago, vending machines sold 12-ounce cans of soda. Today, it is typical for vending machines to offer 20-ounce bottles. Rarely do consumers treat that bottle as more than one serving but the label clearly identifies it as two and one-half servings.
Understanding that what we see is not always what we get can help curb excessive consumption of food. A plate of food does not necessarily equal a serving. More often than not, it is more than what should or need to consume.
A study by Barbara J. Rolls, Ph.D., a nutrition expert at Pennsylvania State University, proved that people can be easily misled as to what makes up an appropriate portion. The research showed that people eat more when they are given more.
By giving the study participants four different portion sizes of macaroni and cheese on different days, researchers found that the bigger the portion size, the more the participants ate. Yet all the participants rated their fullness after each meal similarly.
The study also found that there is generally no compensation for overeating at one meal by eating less at another and that larger portions can take precedence over the body’s natural sense of fullness.
Americans have become acclimated to the high calorie, high volume food readily available and fail to realize the enormity of what is consumed on a daily basis.
It is a common misconception to blame a genetic or metabolic reason for the obesity epidemic in America. The truth is that in most cases, overeating is 70 percent of the reason for obesity, while a sedentary lifestyle covers the remaining 30 percent.
On any given day, nearly 50 percent of American women and 25 percent of American men are dieting. Although there are thousands of different diets available, there are proven methods for losing weight.
Ms. Rolls developed a plan, known as Volumetrics, which encourages filling up on large portions of low calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. By eating high volumes of these types of foods it is easier to avoid the temptation of high calorie foods. Making some easy dietary changes will still leave you feeling full but with less caloric intake.
Meal replacement products can also be efficient for portion control and weight loss. They are often easy to use, involve little effort and effectively monitor caloric intake by offering pre-packaged meals or bars to consumers. More than 50 studies have shown that people lose more weight and keep that weight off by following meal replacement diets than any other diet.
Portion control, as part of the daily eating routine, is helpful to maintaining a healthy weight. Reading food labels is an easy and effective way to find out the recommended portion size.
Another option is to identify what a serving size looks like by comparing it to an everyday object. For instance, a serving size of cheese is two ounces, or the size of two dominoes; a cup of pasta looks like a tennis ball; three ounces of meat resembles a deck of cards; a medium potato is the size of a computer mouse and two tablespoons of peanut butter resemble a ping pong ball. A serving may not equal a portion in some cases, so determine the appropriate amount to eat by following the food pyramid guidelines.
This method actually retrains the mind to think about food differently, so it does take time and effort. However, it is an effective way to control portions by determining an appropriate amount to consume at a glance.
Environmental control is also necessary. Once the threshold of overeating is approached, it is unlikely that someone will practice portion control. The temptation is simply too great. Eliminate the temptations from the start by making foods that have a lower energy density, or high volume and low calorie, a staple in the diet.
Controlling portion sizes and utilizing meal replacement diets is a skill process. Like any other skill, there is a need for practice, coaching and a support system.
Organized weight loss programs, such as Health Management Resources (HMR) and others, incorporate these methods and strategies and hold people accountable for their decisions.
For more information on portion control and nutrition, please contact the Nutrition Department at University Medical Center at (609) 497-4251. To find a Princeton HealthCare System physician who deals with weight loss and management issues, call (888) 742-7496 visit www.princetonhcs.org.