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Downsize Your Portions

People eat more when they are presented with larger portions of food, says the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In fact, children as young as two are affected by portion size, and learn early on to mimic their parents' eating habits. According to the Mayo Clinic, Americans often underestimate how many calories they consume each day by as much as 25 percent.

The profusion of pre-packaged, processed foods in supermarkets and fast food restaurants has helped skew portion sizes from standard to super-sized. So how can an individual relearn healthy portion sizes and reset their expectations of how much food they should actually eat at any given meal?

Start by familiarizing yourself with appropriate serving sizes. If you don't have a food scale or measuring cups handy, use some familiar visual cues to help you judge portion sizes.

One serving of fish (3 ounces) is the size of a deck of cards

One serving of pasta or dry cereal (1/2 cup) is the size of a hockey puck

One serving of fresh fruit (1/2 cup) is the size of a tennis ball

One serving of butter (1 teaspoon) is the size of one die

Just to make sure you're sizing your portions properly, give yourself a test. Pour a bowl-full of cereal and then transfer the contents to a measuring cup. How does your portion compare with the recommended serving size?

How do you control your portion sizes? Do you measure? Do you keep track of what you eat on any given day? Let us know here, or email me, at jcurtis@mainstreetconnect.us

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