Nutrition & Messages from Martin 09 Jan 2008 12:21 am
January 9, 2008 - Nutrition tip: Portion Control
In addition to eating a variety of fruits and vegetable everday, it is important to make sure that each meal is the right portion size for you. Rather than eating to fill completely your stomach, think in terms of what your body needs for normal functioning and how much food your body can process at one time. Overeating can lead to poor digestion of your food and other health issues. What I’ve found to work best for me is to eat about 4 - 6 times per day with each meal consisting of portions of foods that are about the size of my fist. So I am eating about the same amount or slightly more than I used to when I had 3 meals per day. By spreading this amount of food over more meals (not all meals being the same size as in total calories), I am not sluggish from eating a lot in one sitting (as in no more post meal ITIS); and I feel that more food digests more smoothly. Here’s a tip from Competitor texas health and fitness magazine on portion control:
For the average active person, the size of a small fist represents an appropriate portion of food. At main meals, aim to eat a fistful of starch (such as legumes, potatoes, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole grain cereal or a slice of bread) along with a fistful of protein (low-fat yogurt, milk or cottage cheese, soy foods, flank/round/sirloin steak, skinless poultry or fish) and two fistfuls of color (fruits and vegetables).**
For more details on what the right portion size is for you based on your caloric needs, I suggest that you check with your physician or dietician.
** information source: Competitor texas magazine (CompetitorTX.com), January 2008 vol.05 #1, pg. 12, article by Kimberly Mueller, M.S., R.D.