Handling Your Portions
Reviewed by Staff of Diabetes Digest

Do you feel like you know what a reasonable portion of meat, pasta, or cereal is? Or do you feel like you’ve lost perspective of what’s reasonable due to larger-than-ever dinner plates, jumbo size orders of French fries, and ever growing restaurant portions. One reason Americans are growing wider in the waistline and developing diabetes at a more rapid rate is that we constantly overeat. Our portions outsize our nutritional needs both at home and when eating restaurant meals.

For many people with diabetes and for even more people on the road to developing diabetes (pre-diabetes), the most effective therapy to control blood glucose and get related problems under control is to lose a few pounds. A big step toward achieving these goals is to get back in touch with reasonable portions. The easiest way to do this is to just eat less of the foods you enjoy. Start by cutting your portions down by one quarter. For instance, rather than a cup of rice, make it three quarters of a cup. If it’s 2 cups of dry cereal, eat one and a half cups.

TIPS TO GET PORTIONS IN CONTROL AT HOME

• Let the Nutrition Facts panel teach reasonable servings by looking at the serving size for one portion. Remember, the nutrition information is based on one portion.
• Use your measuring tools on occasion to keep your eyes in line with proper portions. If you weigh and measure foods at home you will have an easier time “guestimating“ portions when you eat out.
• Use smaller plates. Huge dinner plates promote overeating.
• At family meals, don’t serve family style by putting bowls, pots or casserole pans, on the table. It makes it too easy for everyone to overeat.
• When you buy produce - fruits, vegetables, and starches - buy the smallest ones you can find. Look for small apples, bananas and potatoes.
• When you buy meat, fish, or poultry, buy what you need for the meal, rather than too much. This will limit overeating.
• If you are used to “eating seconds,” try this: split your smaller portion in half so you can look forward to having seconds, but not overeating.

TIPS FOR RESTAURANT MEALS

• Steer clear of items with portion descriptors that shout LARGE - giant, grande, supreme, extra large, jumbo, double, triple, double decker, king size and super (unless you split them). Seek out portion descriptors that shout SMALL - junior, single, queen, petite, kiddie, and regular.
• Don’t get taken in by meal deals or other “bargains” that promote saving money while you overeat.
• Avoid all-you-can-eat restaurants or buffets.
• Be creative with the menu. Don’t automatically order a main course. Opt for a soup and salad, or soup and appetizer. Or order a half portion. Or eat family style by sharing a few items with your dining partners.
• Split, share, and mix and match menu items to get what you want to eat in the portion you want to eat it.
• Bring the portion-estimating abilities you have mastered at home out to restaurants. Estimate what you should eat rather than eating what they serve you.
• If the portion you’ll be served will be too large, ask for a take-home container when you order. Put away the “second serving” before you dig in. “Double your pleasure” by enjoying the leftovers when you are truly hungry again.

HANDY HAND GUIDES

Use these hand guides to get a feel for reasonable portions. They are always with you - at home or out.
Thumb tip = 1 teaspoon
Thumb = 1 ounce
Palm = 3 ounces
Tight Fist = 1/2 cup
Handful = 1 cup