The holidays are here again, so consider holding your waistline steady, or even dropping a few pounds during this festive time. How? By practicing the fine art of portion control. Here are a few times to help:
At home
Place your measuring tools-measuring spoons and cups, and scale in an easy-to-use location. Weigh and measure foods at home to fine tune your guestimates when you eat out. Serve drinks and foods in the same size glasses, plates and bowls. This helps you judge portions correctly once you have set your gauge with measuring tools. Don’t serve family style. It promotes overeating. Portion out foods in the kitchen and leave the leftovers away from the table.
Learn what’s a reasonable serving from the serving sizes on food products nutrition facts label.
When out
Take your well-trained and honest eyes along and use them diligently. At parties, sample small tastes of what pleases your eyes, then see what pleases your palate, too. Return for more of the items you really enjoy. At a potluck gathering, position yourself as far away form the food as possible. Bring an item to a that you can eat without guilt, like raw vegetables with low-fat dip, stir-fried vegetables, or fruit platter with yogurt dip. Avoid buffet style restaurants. They prompt overeating.
Steer clear of items with portion descriptors that shout large: giant, grande, supreme, extra large, jumbo, double, triple, double decker, king size and super.
Seek out portion descriptors that shout small: junior, single, queen, petite, kiddie, and regular. Be creative with the menu. Don’t automatically order a main course. Opt for a soup and salad, or appetizer and soup. Or order a half portion. Or eat family style-share a few items with your dining partners. 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.
Nutrition facts
Buy fresh produce in the size that’s truly equal to a diabetes exchange; a small (4 oz.) apple, medium peach (6 oz.), or medium corn-on-the-cob (5 oz.). Weigh before you buy, Use the scales in the produce aisle.
Two 2-3 oz. servings of cooked meat per day is sufficient for most people. That includes red meat, seafood, poultry and cheese. Three ounces is the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.
How Much Fat and Saturated Fat Should You Eat?
Calories Total Fat: 30% or less (grams) Saturated Fat: Less than 10% (grams) Saturated Fat: Less than 7% (grams)+
1200 < 40 < 12 < 9
1500 < 50 < 15 < 12
1800 < 60 < 18 < 14
2000 < 67 < 20 < 16
2200 < 73 < 22 < 17
< = less than
+People with an LDL cholesterol of greater than 100 mg/dL may benefit from lowering saturated fat intake to less than 7% of their calories.
