Portion Sizes

Growing up, the term "portion size" was not a part of my vocabulary.  As a kid who grew up playing basketball and running track and cross country I would serve myself seconds, thirds or even fourths of my mom's southern casseroles with large side of very sweet tea. I was a bottomless pit which at the time worked since my metabolism was in high gear. To you moms out there who haven't yet figured it out (probably only 0.0007% of you) your metabolism will slow down...immensely! I have stayed active most of my adult life and at only 29 I can already say first hand that it gets harder to keep the weight off...but that's not going to stop me.

As we get older it is important to keep our portion controls in check.  One heaping serving spoon of peanut butter may taste delicious and seem appropriate but in fact even the regular recommended serving size of 2 Tbsp is still well over 200 calories alone.  That bowl of ice cream that seemed so small, well it's likely 3+ servings because a regular serving of ice cream is 1/2 cup...that is tiny!  I'm a big believer in "everything in moderation" so if we are able to keep our portion controls in check (on both healthy foods and treats) it helps us stay on track without feeling deprived. And yes, you can overeat healthy food as well.

Here are easy comparisons of proper portions that will help you determine how much of each food group you should be eating:

Grains
1 slice of bread=CD Cover
1/2 cup cooked brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc.=1/2 baseball

Vegetables
1 cup raw or cooked vegetables=baseball
2 cups raw leafy salad greens/spinach=softball

Fruits
1 cup raw fruit=tennis ball
1/2 cup dried fruit=2 golf balls

Milk
1 cup lowfat or fat free milk or yogurt=baseball
1 ounce of natural cheese= 9Volt batteries

Protein
3 oz of lean meat or poultry=deck of cards
3 oz of fish=checkbook

Oils/Healthy Fats

2-3 tsp olive or coconut oil=tip of thumb
2 Tbsp Hummus=golf ball
1/4 medium avocado

There are of course far more foods that those listed but this should give you a good starting point.