Portion Distortion Written by Joseph Ewing, RD, LDN

Over the past several years, portion sizes have increased significantly! With this increase in portion sizes, there has been a noticeable increase in obesity in people of all ages and ethnicities. Portion distortion refers to what “we” feel is a “normal” portion size versus what is actually being served. For example, a standard portion of steak is 3 ounces… Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ordered a 3 ounce steak? No, because it is not available. Most times when order a steak they come in 8 ounces, 12 ounces, 24 ounces or more! That’s incredible! We’re talking about an astronomical calorie difference. The recommended 3oz Filet Mignon has 130 calories vs. an 8 ounce filet mignon with 301 calories (served at Outback Steakhouse (www.caloriecount.com)).

Portion vs. Serving Image: milesforthought.wordpress.com

According to the National Institutes of Health, a “portion” is how much food you choose to eat at one time, whether it is at home, in a restaurant, prepackaged or homemade. A “serving” size is a specific amount of food or beverage such as 1 cup of pudding or 1 slice of bread. Sometimes when you are eating a “portion” of food, it matches the serving size, but many times it does not. In order to explain this concept, let’s look at a can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup.

Serving size is ½ cup

Servings per container are about 2.5. This means if you eat this whole can of soup you would be consuming 2.5 servings of soup!

If you consumed 1 (1/2 cup) portion of this soup, you would consume 480mg of If you consumed the sodium. If you serving of ½ cup you consumed the entire can would be consuming of soup you would be 90 calories. If you consuming 1200mg of consumed the whole sodium which is 80% of can, you would be your recommended daily Image: www.imgbucket.com chowing down on 225 sodium intake! calories!

See how easy it is to consume excessive amounts of calories without even knowing it?! Do you know anyone who will only eat ½ cup of Cambell’s tomato soup? It is very easy for the whole can of soup to disappear in one sitting.

Portion Control… If You Don’t Know, Eyeball It

Although many restaurants have made the nutrition information regarding their various products available online or in the restaurant, there are many instances where nutrition information is not available to us. Below are some useful comparisons to aid you on your journey to portion control:

• 4 dice = 1 ounce of cheese cubes • 2 dominos = 1 ounce of cheese, sliced • 1 deck of cards = 3 ounce portion of lean meat • 1 checkbook = 4 ounce portion of fish • 2 golf balls = 2 tablespoons of peanut butter • 1 CD = approximate size for pancakes or waffles • 1 hockey puck = appropriate size for a bagel

Set Yourself Up for Success! Image: porkpnp.typepad.com Making good food choices and tracking calories is great start to achieving a healthier lifestyle. It can aid you in your goals for weight management, improve your cardiovascular health, diabetes management and so much more. Portion sizes in restaurants tend to be at least double the recommended serving size of foods, so being armed with this knowledge is half the battle. Take time to learn the difference between the portion size that you are consuming of your favorite foods, and compare that to recommended serving sizes of these food items. Are you eating 1, 2, even 3 times the recommended serving size? Making lifestyle changes can be difficult, so take this journey one step at a time. Here are some helpful tips to making sustainable lifestyle changes that can aid you in achieving your nutritional goals:

Ø First, ask yourself, “What is my end goal?” “Where do I see myself two/three years from now?” o Example: § I want to lose 20 lbs. § I want to have blood sugar levels within a “good” range. § I want to improve my cholesterol. Ø Second, set smaller goals for you to reach your end goal, and be specific! o Example: § I will start exercising consistently, once or twice a week, by April 1st.

Image: joemarfoglio.com

§ I will stop drinking soda July 1st. § I will start monitoring and recording my food/beverage intake today. Ø Third, create a list of things that YOU are willing to do to achieve your goals. o Example: § I will track my intake on the MyFitnessApp or in a food journal. § I will not keep soda in the house. § I will tour gyms in my area.

Write these goals down and check them off as you achieve them. “Treat” yourself (within reason) to something special each time you meet one of your small goals, and allow yourself a bigger “treat” when achieving your end goal. Consider enlisting a friend to take on this journey with you, who can help keep you motivated and moving toward your goals.

Outsourcing Some Help

For more information, or more specific information to meet your personal needs, speak with you primary care physician and/or contact a local Registered Dietitian (RD). They can help guide you through this process with specific recommendations.

Self Study

If you’re interested in learning more, check out some of the websites below: American Heart Association

This is a great site to learn more about healthy living for a healthy heart. They provide Information geared toward individuals with heart disease and general insights on healthy living at different stages of life.

www.heart.org Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

This is a great site for all things nutrition! Not only do they provide valuable information on healthy eating and healthy lifestyle choices, they also provide fun online and printable activities that can help get kids onboard with living a healthy lifestyle.

www.eatright.org Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Nutrition

The Centers for Disease Control or CDC webpage is a great resource for maintaining health, preventing chronic disease and promoting healthy eating and active living for Americans at any age.

www.cdc.gov/nutrition

About the Author: Joseph Ewing, RD, LDN is a Renal Dietitian with DaVita HealthCare addition to co-authoring of a number of books written to meet special dietary needs. Among them are, “Eating Well after Weight series, and “Feed Your Athlete: A Cookbook for Fueling High Performance,” which was released late 2015. Joseph has degrees in culinary nutrition and culinary arts from Johnson and Wales University and completed his nutrition training through the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He has more than a decade of experience in the culinary nutrition field.