Common Portion Size Mistakes

You might think you are doing a good job of sticking to your diet and eating healthy. But if you still feel fat, chances are good that you are overeating some foods. Almost everyone makes portion size mistakes (including myself!!)

No matter what kind of food you are eating, serving size matters. Even if you are eating "healthy" food, your portion size should match the recommended serving size. 

Cereal: When was the last time you measured your cereal before pouring it into a bowl? Have you checked the Nutrition Facts Label to determine the correct serving size? At first I didn't  bother to look but now I do this all the time. If you pour your cereal straight into the bowl, chances are good you are eating up to 2 servings.

Chicken Breast: Lean protein is healthy. Not if you eat too much of it. If you are eating a whole chicken breast dinner, you might be eating too much. A serving of chicken is 3-4 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards. Some people use the palm of their hand as a guide. 

Coffee Creamer: This might be the most fattening thing you consume all day. And you're not off the hook if you the fat-free variety. A single serving of liquid creamer is one tablespoon. Do you pull out the measuring spoon when you add cream to your coffee? Nope!!

Cooking Spray: You might skip the oil and butter when preparing your meals. This is good! But you might be neglecting to account fort he calories in your cooking spray. If you use PAM to avoid adding calories to your food you might want to know that a single serving of the spray is 1/3 of one second. Do you keep a stopwatch in your kitchen? 

Bread: If you pack yourself a healthy lunch with lean meat sandwich, kudos to you! But did you accurately record the calories in your whole grain bread? Remember a single serving is only one slice a bread!!!!

Fruit: A healthy serving of fresh fruit is great! But if you are counting calories or watching your sugar intake you need to monitor how much you are eating. For example, if you sit down with a bowl of grapes, you might add one serving of grapes to your food diary. A single cup serving of grapes is only 16 grapes. So the next time just make sure you count!!

Salad Dressing: A healthy salad is a great alternative to any greasy lunch! But the salad dressing can add calories that could make any prudent calorie counter blush, including me!!! A serving size of salad dressing is usually 2 tablespoons, so keep that in mind!

You can measure your portions easily if you equip your kitchen with essential measuring tools. So this way you can make sure you are eating the right amount per serving!!!

~Wendy