POLOKWANE – It is often advertised as increasing your value for money; you get much more by only paying a little more. Sound familiar?
Together with these increases in meal sizes come increases in waistlines and body weight. In order for us to eat and be healthier, we need to know how much a portion is.
When using a plate as reference for portion size, you need to use a plate that is less than 25cm in diameter. Obviously a quarter plate portion will be different on a bigger/smaller plate.
Build your meal step by step, thinking about the different food groups and ensuring you choose a healthy food option from each to ensure your meal provides your body with all the correct nutrients that it needs.
Fill half of your plate with fruit and vegetables. Ensure you choose fruit and vegetables with different colours (red, orange, green etc.) in main and side dishes (it is not enough if you only have a few vegetables mixed into your main dish). You could also eat fruit, vegetables, or unsalted nuts as snacks in-between main meals, but then your portion at mealtime would have to decrease in order to keep calorie intake correct.
It is wise to use skim or 1% milk, because it contains less fat and calories compared to full cream milk, but the same amounts of calcium and other essential nutrients. For those who are lactose intolerant or with cow’s milk allergies try calcium fortified non-dairy alternatives (soy milk, nut, seeds or milk etc.)
Choose whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, and pasta for at least half of your grains to fill a quarter of your plate. Read food labels and ingredient lists of food packaging to help you identify healthier whole-grains.
Opt for lean meat and poultry choices for a quarter of your plate, with seafood (especially fatty fish which is high in omega 3 fatty acids) at least twice per week. And last but not least, do not forget to include beans into your diet, because they are naturally high in fiber and protein and fat free.
To see if you know how today’s portions compare to the portions available 20 years ago, quiz yourself on Portion Distortion. You will also learn about the amount of physical activity required to burn off the extra calories provided by these larger portions.
– See more at: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/tools-portion-distortion#sthash.0DWFOTwA.dpuf
For more information on portion sizes visit a registered dietitian.
Anke van Waveren
Registered dietitian
