Cole County Health Department

By the end of this lesson you will: Identify proper serving sizes according to the Food Guide Pyramid Be able to differentiate between portion and serving size List 3 tips to "Down Size" your portions

Read the lesson below.  After you complete it click on "Let's Review".  Answer the questions.  Click on the submit button to send your answers to the WIC office.  Your answers will be retained in your chart until your next WIC nutrition appointment.

Is Bigger Better?    Lets find out what portion sizes look like Here are some examples from the Food Guide Pyramid   How can you follow the Pyramid Recommendations What's the difference between portions and servings? Let's take a look at some common fast food meals. Tips to help you choose sensible portions.

Is Bigger Better?

Anyone eating on the run or at restaurants has probably noticed that food portions have gotten larger.  Some portions are called "super sized," while others have simply grown in size and provide enough food for at least two people.  With this growth comes an increase in waistlines and body weight.

One way to stop unwanted pounds from trickling on your body is to eat sensible portions.  That's easy to say - but not always easy to do.  Read through this lesson to help you decide what sensible portions are for you and your child.

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	1 fruit serving = ½ cup canned or 1 medium fruit (about the size of a tennis ball)		1 meat, poultry or fish serving= 3 oz (about the size of a deck of cards)
	1 grain = 1 slice bread, presliced (about the size of a cassette tape) or 1/2 cup pasta (about the size of an adult woman's palm, stacked 1" high)		1 dairy serving =8 ounces (the size of a container of individual yogurt)
	1 vegetable serving = 1/2 cup cooked or canned vegetables (about ½ a baseball)		1 fat serving = 1 teaspoon (about the size of 4 stacked dimes )
	Handful = 1-2 oz. Example: 1 oz.nuts = 1 handful or 2 oz. pretzels = 2 handfuls		Fist = 1cup Example: Two servings of pasta or oatmeal
	Palm = 3 oz. Example: a cooked serving of meat.		Thumb = 1 oz. Example: piece of cheese

Now, think about your plateful of spaghetti and meatballs.  Estimate the amounts of spaghetti, sauce, and meat.  You may decide, for example, that the spaghetti portions was about 2 cups (2 fists).  (Use the table above to determine what a cup looks like).  You may decide the tomato sauce looked like 1 cup (1 fist), and the meatballs were about 6 ounces (2 palms).  With the 2 slices of garlic bread, you now have an idea about how much you ate for dinner.  But how do your portions translate into standard servings? 

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Here are some examples from the Food Guide Pyramid:

Bread Group	Vegetable Group	Fruit Group	Dairy Group	Meat/Protein Group
1 slice bread	½ cup cooked	1 whole medium	1 cup (8 oz) milk	2 eggs
1 medium muffin	1 cup raw leafy	½ cup canned	2 slices cheese (2oz)	2-3 oz cooked meat
4 small crackers	½-¾ cup juice	¼ cup dried	1 ½ cups frozen yogurt	1 cup cooked beans

According to the Food Guide Pyramid, here's how the spaghetti dinner added up:

Food	Your portion	One pyramid serving	Pyramid food group	Number of Pyramid servings you ate
Spaghetti	2 cups	½ cup	Grains	4
Garlic Bread	2 slices	1 slice	Grains	2
Tomato sauce	1 cup	½ cup	Vegetables	2
Meatballs	6 oz.	2-3 oz.	Meat and Beans	2-3

To figure out if the spaghetti dinner was the right amount of food for you, use the Pyramid.  The number on the side of the Pyramid represents the amount of servings not to be exceeded in one day.    The pyramid serving sizes and the recommended number of servings from each group are guides to help determine your daily intake. Most children and inactive women need less calories and should therefore stay toward the lower end of the recommended servings.

Let's say an inactive women was eating this spaghetti dinner.  The Food Guide Pyramid recommends only 6 servings of Grains (remember we are staying at the lower end for inactive women and children).  This dinner already has 6 servings - the total recommendation  for someone with lower calorie needs.  If you had counted your portion of spaghetti and bread as only 1 serving each, you might think you had only eaten 2 servings from the Grains group.  But you actually ate 6!  By comparing the portion you ate with the standard Pyramid serving, you can judge whether your daily intake is right for you.

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How can you follow the Pyramid recommendations?

Plan your meals!  Pay particular attention to HOW MUCH you will eat at each meal.  It is a good idea to split the servings up and have a food from each group at each meal.  You should never skip any meals, and often some people will need snacks in between meals.

Here is an example:

Meal:	Grains Group Portions	Pyramid Grains Group servings
Breakfast	½ cup oatmeal	1 serving
Lunch	1 hamburger bun	2 servings
Dinner	1 slice of garlic bread 1 cup spaghetti	3 servings
Total Grains	4 portions	6 servings

Do this for each food group!

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What's the difference between Portions and Servings?

	A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat.  There is no standard portion size and no single right or wrong portion size.
	A serving is a standard amount used to help give advice about how much to eat, or to identify how many calories and nutrients are in a food.

For example:
You eat a sandwich with 2 slices of bread.  The Food Guide Pyramid serving size for bread is 1 slice.  Your portion is 2 slices, which equals 2 servings from the Pyramid Grains group.  Your servings are one-third of the Pyramid recommendations of 6 serving for people needing 1,600 calories per day.

Another example:
A portion of McDonald's French Fries in Paris is 3 ounces, whereas the portion of fries is 5.5 ounces here in the U.S.!  This means Americans are getting nearly twice as many calories in the "same size" portions!

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Let's take a look at some common fast food meals...

Fast Food Meals

			vs
8oz	2oz	small fries		24 oz
100	280	210		300	530	610

 

An 8 oz soda, regular hamburger, and small fries = 590 calories

When super sized it totals = 1440 calories

The difference in calories is 850 calories.  It would take you over *2 hours of leisure walking to burn the extra calories.  *Based on a 160 pound person.

To compare at your local fast food hamburger stops:  Sonic Jr. Burger is 335 calories .  Once supersized to the "Supersonic" it totals 930 calories .

Ham Sandwich:

	VS.
ham sandwich on two slices bread 320		10-inch ham sandwich 820

A ham deli slices on sandwich bread = 320 calories

10-inch ham at most fast food sub restaurants = 820 calories

The difference in calories is 500 calories.  It would take you over *1 hour and 25 minutes of bike riding burn the extra calories.  *Based on a 160 pound person.

 
Realize that it is still possible to eat fast food occasionally and follow a sensible diet.  However, be cautious of the portions size and see how it relates to our serving size according to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.  It is also wise to limit your time spent at fast foods places to no more than once a week.

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Tips to help you choose sensible portions:   When eating out: Order an appetizer instead of the entrée.  (beware of fried appetizers) Ask for the lunch portion.  (You might have to pay dinner prices, but it beats the extra calories) Resign from the "clean your plate club" - when you've eaten enough, leave the rest or ask for a "doggie bag". Ask for salad dressing to be served "on the side" so you can add only as much as you want.  Instead of pouring the dressing on, try dipping your fork in the dressing then eat your salad. Order an item form the menu instead of the  "all you can eat"   At home: Once or twice, measure your typical portion of foods you eat often.  Use standard measuring cups.  This will help you estimate the portion size of these foods and similar foods. Be especially careful to limit portions of foods high in calories, such as cookies, cakes, other sweets, and fats, oils, and spreads. Try using a smaller plate for your meal. Put sensible portions on your plate at the beginning of the meal, and don't take "seconds".

Many people think that the bigger the portion, the better!  But is that so?  Not if you're trying to manage your weight.  Remember, the best way to stop unwanted pounds from trickling on your body is to eat sensible portions.  So next time your served your spaghetti and meatballs, ask your waiter for an extra plate to share with your family.

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Click on "Let's Review".  Answer the questions.  Click on the submit button to send your answers to the WIC office.  Your answers will be retained in your chart until your next WIC nutrition appointment.