Portion control made simple: how to eat healthier without dieting

Maintaining a healthy diet isn’t just about what you eat; it’s also about how much you eat. Portion control plays a vital role in managing your weight and overall health.

Over the years our sense of what is a healthy portion has grown, partly encouraged by manufacturers, coffee shops and fast-food restaurants.

In the USA in the 1980s the typical dinner plate was 25 cm (9.8 inches) in diameter. In the early 2000s it was 30 cms (11.8 inches). This is an increase in area of 44%. This is the latest date I have this information for, but it’s probably got worse. I think many other countries would give similar figures.

With super-sized portions becoming the norm, it’s easy to lose track of what constitutes a healthy serving.

It’s time for a reality check. I think you may well be shocked.

What is a portion?

The answer to this is obviously dependent on what you are eating.  Below is a table of portion size for different foods.

The BDA (The Association of UK Dietitians) has portion sizes of foods on their website.  For example:

• Bread: 1 slice (34 to 36 gm)
• Pasta or rice: 2-3 tablespoons
• Potato: 3 egg-sized (175 gm)
• Puffed or flaked breakfast cereals: 3 tablespoons (30 gm)             
• Muesli: 2 – 3 tablespoons (45 gm)
• Milk: 200 ml/third of a pint
• Hard cheese: a small matchbox-sized piece (30 gm)
• Cooked meat (beef, pork, lamb, mince, chicken, turkey): a deck of cards (90 gm)
• Cooked white fish (cod or plaice) or canned fish: palm of your hand (140 gm)
• Beans or tofu: 4 tablespoons (150 gm)
• 1 medium apple or pear
• Dried fruit: 1 tablespoon
• Peas or carrots of sweetcorn: 3 heaped tablespoons
• Salad: 1 cereal bowl
• Cherry tomatoes: 7        
• Butter or spread: 1 teaspoon

Portion control plates

Portion control plates are designed to help you manage your food intake by visually guiding you on appropriate portion sizes for different food groups. These plates typically feature divided sections that are labelled or colour-coded to indicate recommended portions for proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables, and sometimes fats.

If you search online, you’ll find lots available to buy.

They can be very useful to help you eat more healthily and increase your awareness of portion size.

You may not need to use it forever. Just until you’ve got an idea about how big (or small a portion should be.

Tips for reducing portion size

•  Familarise yourself with the portion sizes above.
• Measure your food: some people always do it. Other people do it occasionally to recalibrate their understanding of what is a healthy portion.
• Use smaller plates and bowls: this makes the portions look larger. This visual trick can help you feel more satisfied with less food.
• Fill half your plate with veggies: it doesn’t have to all be the same type of veggie. This doesn’t include potatoes or rice. This naturally reduces space for larger portions of less healthy foods.
• Slow down and savour each bite: Eating mindfully and savouring each bite can help you recognise when you’re full, preventing overeating.
• Pre-portion snacks: Divide snacks like nuts, crisps/chips into single-serving containers or bags to prevent mindless munching.
• Avoid eating directly from the container:  Serve food onto a plate or bowl rather than eating straight from the packet. This helps you see how much you’re consuming.

Be patient with yourself. If you’ve been used to much larger portions, you may need to reduce the size of them slowly over time.