DON'T SUPER-SIZE ME, PLEASE!

Over the years, the portion sizes of our foods have been steadily
increasing. This inflation has gradually eroded our perception of how
big a serving should be, and contributed to our national weight gain.
USDA statistics show that because of increased portion sizes, the
average American's total daily calorie intake has risen from 1,854 to
2,002 over the last 20 years. That increase-148 calories per day-
theoretically works out to an extra 15 lbs every year.

Did you know that 20 years ago, a bagel was only 3 inches in diameter
and had 140 calories? Today's bagel is twice as big and has 350
calories! This is 210 more calories than a 3-inch bagel 20 years ago.
You would have to rake leaves for almost an extra hour in order to
burn off those excess 210 calories.

A good way to get a grip on portion sizes is to review the
nutritional information on food packages, and measure out how much a
serving size is. Try to take a mental picture, and refer to it next
time you eat that food. Or use a dish that has the same volume as the
serving size, and always use the same dish whenever you eat that
food.

Another strategy is compare the food to every day objects.
For example, a single serving of:

Vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
Pasta is about the size of one scoop of ice cream
Meat, fish, or poultry is the size of a deck of cards
Dry cereal is about the size or your cupped palm
Apple is the size of a baseball
Potato is the size of a computer mouse
Bagel is the size of a hockey puck
Pancakes is the size of a compact disc
Cooked rice is the size of a cupcake wrapper
Cheese is the size of a pair of dice