Did you know that there is a difference between serving sizes and portions?
A lot of people don’t know this. But there really is an important difference between the two terms.
Serving sizes
A serving is a measured amount of food or drink. For example, one cup (8 oz) of milk or one slice of bread is a serving. Another example of a serving is the food you are served in a restaurant. The serving size is determined by the company or person who serves you the food.
Portion sizes
A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat for a meal or snack. It can be big or small; it can be one or more servings or it can be less. You are the one who decides what your portion is going to be.
Reading Nutrition Facts Label
Many of the foods that we often eat an entire package of as a single portion actually contain multiple servings in them. The calorie count that is written on the package usually represents the calories per serving. If you see 200 calories on the container and there are 4 servings in it, you will actually be eating 800 calories in one sitting when you eat the entire package. A lot of people don’t know this and food companies like it this way.
Carefully read the nutrition facts label on packaged foods. It will tell you the number of servings in the container. While you get to chose the portion size you use, remember that when your portion size is greater than the serving size, you will be eating more calories that are written on the package. You can easily calculate the total calories in the entire package by multiplying the serving size by the number of calories per serving.
For example, a 3-ounce bag of chips, which some people eat at once (a single portion), has 3 servings in it.
Determining a healthy Portion Size
Determining a healthy portion size can quite confusing. However, there are simple handy guides to determining portion sizes using your hands. If you Google “handy guide to portion sizes” you will find a lot of them. They use your fist, palm, thumb and thumb tip to estimate portion sizes for different types of foods.
Source: Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
I don’t worry so much about portion sizes
Having said that, I don’t worry so much about portion sizes. I have personally never used portion sizes. I read the labels to see what ingredients are in there and the number of calories per serving. However, I focus on behavioral changes, eating slowly, chewing, chewing, and chewing, etc, to control my portion size while allowing me to feel satisfied and not hungry. And that’s how people have lived for thousands of years. Our ancestors didn’t spend time estimating portion sizes, they just lived and ate in ways that naturally controlled their portion sizes without them even thinking about their portion sizes or trying to control them. I personally think that’s the best approach to go.
Further Reading
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/nutrition-facts.htm
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