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- Portion
Contortion
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- Sixty seven percent of
Australian men and forty five percent of
Australian women are overweight or obese,
and the incidence of child obesity has
tripled within the last ten years. We all
know that obesity is greatly responsible
for the high rates of heart disease and
diabetes. Coupled with the fact that we
lead a very sedentary lifestyle, I also
blame “super-size” portions for
this growing obesity epidemic. Super-sized
portions are helping to create super-sized
people!
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- Most people underestimate
a true portion size and consume much more
than they think they do, especially hand-to-mouth
foods eaten one at a time, like chips,
fries, lollies, biscuits and nuts.
Restaurant food, takeaway meals, and
processed frozen convenience meals are
also higher in calories, fat and sugar
than food you prepare at home. The
average restaurant entree has about twice
the number of calories most adults need
in one whole meal and you can get more
than a whole day's calories in just one
serving of some fast foods.
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- In the 1950s a typical
fast food hamburger contained a 30g meat
patty and a soft drink was 250 mls (1 cup).
Today, a typical fast burger contains a
60g meat patty (along with all the
additives!) and a one-serve soft drink
can be 500 mls (2 cups). Look around at
what we have on offer - mega-size muffins,
“25% extra free” temptations,
extra-large cakes, and heaped plates of
pasta.
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- Restaurant portion sizes
are sometimes two to four times bigger
than a recommended portion size.
Smorgasbords, buffet meals and eat-all-you-can
places are a perfect set-up for many to
overeat. With so much food, it is often
very difficult to know when to stop. For
many people, the more food that is put in
front of them, the more they eat.
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- The fact is - the more you
eat out, the more fat and calories you
will eat and the fatter you can get!
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- Try to bring your food
portions under control. It will go a long
way in curbing weight. To better control
your energy intake, and therefore your
weight, you need to know what and how
much you're eating. Measuring foods for a
few days can teach you what a correct
portion looks like – after which you
will be comfortable in judging a portion
size by sight. Check food labels for
serving size, measure them out and eat
one serving only.
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- Eat at home more often.
Use a smaller plate to serve, so that
less food looks like more. Eat slowly,
and stop eating when you are satisfied,
not stuffed. Eat more fruits, vegetables
and whole grains. They fill you up with
less calories, they contain valuable
fibre and loads of health-promoting
nutrients. When you prepare dishes at
home, divide the portions properly to
serve, and then put the rest away before
eating so you won't be tempted to finish
it. Freeze the rest for another time.
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- So what should we be
eating and how much? The following
portion sizes will help you plan a
healthy diet.
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- Vegetables:
minimum of 6 servings a day. One serving
is 1 cup raw vegetables, ½ cup cooked,
½ cup vegetable juice.
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- Wholegrain Breads,
Cereals and Grains:
5 to 8 servings per day. One serving is 1
slice of bread, ½ English muffin, ½
bread roll, ¾ cup dry cereal, ½ cup
cooked cereal, rice or pasta.
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- Fruit:
2 to 3 servings per day. One serving is 1
medium fruit, 1 cup berries, ½ cup fruit
juice, ½ cup canned or cooked fruit or
¼ cup dried fruit.
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- Dairy:
2 to 3 servings per day. One serving is 1
cup milk or yoghurt
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- Healthy Proteins:
2 to 3 servings per day. One serving is
30-125g cooked lean meat, fish or poultry,
1 egg, 2 egg whites, ½ cup cooked beans.
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- Fat & Oils:
One serve is 1 teaspoon oil, butter
or margarine, full fat mayonnaise, 1
tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise, 25 g
avocado, 5 olives. Incorporate a couple
of serves of healthy fats per day.
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