Portion distortion

As we pour breakfast cereal into our bowl or serve up dinner to our family, most of us are dishing out more than the recommended serving size.  Over the past couple of decades portion sizes have been increasing both inside and outside the home. The size of regular burgers at fast food chains may be relatively unchanged but now they also offer larger sized burgers and you can upsize your fries and soft drinks for only minimal extra cost. Studies have even suggested that our dinner plates are now even larger than ever before, allowing us to unconsciously ‘super size’ our home cooked meals.
In an age where obesity is on the increase eating appropriately sized meals is important in maintaining a healthy weight.

So what is a healthy serving size?

As we all come in different sizes it would be unrealistic to have one serving size for all. Therefore a quick and easy way is to use your hands as a guide.

• One serving of carbohydrate: the size of a clenched fist e.g. 1 wholegrain bread roll or ½ cup muesli
• One serving of vegetables: the amount that fits into 2 cupped hands e.g. half a cup of cooked vegetables
• One serving of fruit: the amount that fits into 1 cupped hand e.g. 1 pear or 2 small plums
• One serving of cheese: the size of your thumb
• One serving of snack food: one cupped handful
• One serving of meat & chicken: the size and thickness of the palm of your hand (excluding fingers)
• One serving of fish: the size and thickness of the palm of your hand (including fingers)
  

How many servings of each food group should we have per day?

The Ministry of Health recommends:

Food Group	Number of Serves Per Day
	5-12 years	Adolescents	Adults
Vegetables	At least 3	At least 3	At least 3
Fruit	At least 2	At least 2	At least 2
Breads and Cereals	At least 5 Older children need 6	At least 6	At least 6
Milk and Milk Products	At least 2-3 servings	At least 3	At least 2
Lean meats, chicken, seafood, eggs, dried beans, peas and lentils	At least 1	Choose 1 to 2	At least 1

  

Tips for a healthy serving size

• Try using a smaller sized plate.
• Place vegetables or salad on the plate first, they should make up half of your main meal.
• As long as they have eaten a bit of everything don’t insist that children finish everything on their plate. This can create bad habits for later in life.
• Eat slowly as it takes up to 20 minutes for your stomach to register it is getting full.
• Avoid supersizing fast food meals.
• If enjoying a snack such as chips or nuts from a family sized bag separate off a serving size and eat only that. Alternatively buy single serve bags.
• Measure serving sizes on a kitchen scale until you become used to what they look like.

 

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