Follow Guidelines for Correct Food Portions

As any nutrition expert will tell you, if you’re looking for a successful diet that will help you lose weight in a healthy manner and keep it off long term, it isn’t about what foods you eat or don’t eat. It’s not realistic to think you’re going to deprive yourself of any one food forever. Rather, a healthy diet is about how MUCH you eat. If you want to get or stay healthy, simply control your portions and move around as much as you can. So, the good news is, there isn’t anything you can’t eat, at least every once in a while. The not-so-good news may be that you’re eating more than you need to on a regular basis. Okay, so portion control, portion control, we hear it all the time. But, what ARE the right portion sizes?

Experts have come up with some regulated examples to answer that question. It’s really fairly simple – half of your normal-sized dinner plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables. About a cup of fruit, about the size of a baseball, would be the right size and a medium potato about the size of a computer mouse. These should fill half the plate. Obviously, any other veggies would also follow the same guidelines. The bottom half of the plate should be filled with your protein and some whole grains. One quarter of the plate should hold the grains, such as a slice of bread the size of a CD and a meat or fish portion on the other quarter of the plate equal to the size of a deck of cards. Stick to these guidelines and use fat and oils sparingly and you’ll maintain a healthy lifestyle.