From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Portion control is understanding how much a serving size is and how many calories a serving contains. Portion control is important for weight management as the weight is defined by the total calorie intake. Healthy eating, using Aristotle's philosophy, is the desirable middle between two extremes of excess and the other of deficiency (over eating and not eating enough), the "golden mean." Portion control is eating a healthy balance of amount and types, of varied foods.

Food guide pyramids are used as a visual aid to help people eat a varied diet and control portions.

The failure to control portions is often caused by emotional factors such as a depressed mood or boredom. To avoid overeating triggered by emotions, planning meals ahead and using smaller dishes may be helpful.

Portion sizes can be estimated by using objects as a point of reference. One way of determining portion size is to compare hand size. For example a healthy serving of protein should not be larger than a palm size piece of meat. Carbohydrate servings such as pasta can be measured by fistfuls. A healthy serving of pasta should be one fistful.

See also

• Serving size
• Mindless eating
• Nutritional facts

References

• Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
• "Portion control: 7 things you need to know". Calorie Counter. http://www.actabit.com/portion-control.html. Retrieved 2006-05-30.  
• "Does Package Size Accelerate Consumption Volume?" (2005) Journal of Marketing, Brian Wansink, 60:3 (January), 1-14.

External links

• Do You Know How Food Portions Have Changed in 20 Years?
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid
• Portion Control Plates at Healthy Plates
• DishDiet Portion Control Plates
• Practice Portion Control To Lose Weight
• Mindless eating [1]