With obesity at epidemic proportions, it’s no surprise that most Americans are simply eating too much. But the interesting thing is that they don’t even realize they’re doing it. If you go out to eat these days and “clean your plate” like your mother taught you, you’re probably consuming 2-3 times the amount of calories she did when she did they same. How? A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that average portion sizes for nearly every category of food eaten away from home has increased since the late 1970s. This effect has spilled over into portions at home as well. If we go out to dinner and are served a 10 oz. baked potato, we are more than likely to serve ourselves a 10 oz. baked potato at home, even though the appropriate serving size is 3 oz. Another report in the Journal Of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that many popular foods and beverages are now manufactured in sizes up to five times bigger than when they were initially introduced. Portions for many of these foods now exceed federal recommended standards by as much as eight times!

If we go back in time to when I was a little girl, a meal at a fast food restaurant consisted of a 3- 4 ounce hamburger, 3-ounce serving of French fries, and a 10-ounce soft drink. Today my children are face with the average fast food burger being 7.6-ounce, french fries weighing in at 7-ounce or larger and drink size of 32-ounces. And, as mentioned earlier, eating out in restaurants has taught us to also adopt the supersize mentality at home. The result is that many people no longer know what a portion should look like.

Right-sizing Your Meals: So how do you go about getting your portions under control?

The first step should be to invest in a set of measuring cups and spoons, along with an inexpensive scale. You may be shocked to find out how much you are actually eating. And don’t worry that you’ll have to carry a scale and measuring cups everywhere you go. Once you weigh and measure your food a few times, you’ll have a better idea of what a normal portion looks like. Another trick is to use everyday objects to visually estimate portion sizes. According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics use these simple house hold objects to help gauge portion size.

— A teaspoon of butter or margarine is roughly the same size as the tip of your thumb (to the first joint)

— Three ounces of meat is equal to a deck of cards

— One cup of pasta is about the size of a tennis ball

— One bagel is about the size of a hockey puck

— 1 1/2 ounces of cheese is the size of three dominoes

— Two tablespoons of peanut butter is roughly equivalent to ping-pong ball

— A half cup of vegetables is the size of a light bulb

Even after you master the art of portion sizing, eating normal-size portions in a supersized world can take some getting used to. Studies have shown that the more food we see, the more we tend to eat. So the key is to keep large portions out of sight — and out of mind.

Here are some tips to make it easier:

— Use a luncheon size plate for dinner

— Move the meat off the center of your plate and pile on the vegetables

— Serve plates directly from the stove (no serving dishes on the table) and leave the leftovers out of sight

— Take a small portion of a snack food and put the container away. Better yet, buy these foods individually packaged, or divide the bag into portions and store them in small baggies.

— Put half your restaurant meal in a doggie bag for lunch the next day

If you have a nutrition question you’d like answered in this column or if you like to schedule an appointment. Contact the office at 706-473-5801 or email us at oconeenutrition@yahoo.com

Lisa Eisele, RD, CSO, LD is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. She also holds a Board Certification as a Specialist in Oncology Nutrition. Lisa and her partner Stacy Paine, RD, LD own Oconee Nutrition Consultants, LLC located at Cowles Clinic. (706) 473-5801