Test your knowledge of portion distortion put out by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. For instance an 8 oz cup of coffee with cream and sugar 20 years ago had 45 calories. How does that compare to today’s Mocha Coffee? You might be surprised at some of the answers.
Quiz can be found here.
Portion sizes are so distorted today that most people don’t even know what a normal portion is anymore. This is a huge contributor to the obesity epidemic facing Americans. To give you an idea what a normal portion should look like here are a few examples:
- 1 oz. meat: size of a matchbox
- 3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards or bar of soap – the recommended portion for a meal
- 8 oz. meat: size of a thin paperback book
- 3 oz. fish: size of a checkbook
- 1 oz. cheese: size of 4 dice
- Medium potato: size of a computer mouse
- 2 Tbs. peanut butter: size of a ping pong ball
- 1/2 cup pasta: size of a tennis ball
- Average bagel: size of a hockey puck.
Most people underestimate how much they really eat. We’ve grown accustomed to the large portions served in restaurants. Many people will eat the entire meal instead of taking half home. Then they feel tired, sluggish and stuffed, rightly so because they’ve eaten enough for 2-3 people. The key to maintaining a normal weight is eating normal portion sizes.
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