​Prioritize Portion Size!

​When it comes to healthy eating, how much you eat can be just as important as what you eat. Eating portions that are too big can lead to overeating and weight gain. Follow these tips to manage the munchies while enjoying realistic portions.

Size up your portions with these handy estimates
Each example represents one serving according to Canada's Food Guide. 
Deck of cards = 75 g  of meat, fish or poultry
4 Dice = ​50 g of cheese 
shot glass = 1/4 cup of nuts 
Baseball = 125 mL
​cooked pasta, rice or couscous
  Tip of your thumb = 5 mL of butter
light bulb = 125 mL of mashed potato 
Finding yourself hungry too soon after eating meals or snacks? You might need to add more fibre- and protein-rich foods to your meals.
 
Fibre helps fill you up and protein helps your energy last longer. Together, they deliver meal and snack satisfaction.
 
• Fibre up. Choose more
vegetables, whole fruits,
whole grains (e.g. barley
or oatmeal), ground flax,
nuts and seeds, and
pulses (e.g. lentils, black
beans, chickpeas).
 
• Put protein on your
plate. Enjoy small
portions of meat, fish,
poultry or alternatives
(eggs, pulses, tofu) and
milk products.

Manage Munchies

Keep treat-type snack foods out of sight so you’ll be less likely to nibble.
Studies show, you are more likely to choose available, easily reached foods. 
  • Keep nourishing snacks (e.g. hardboiled eggs, cut up veggies, yogurt, nuts, whole grain crackers) on an eye-level shelf in the fridge or cupboards so something healthy is the first thing you see.
  • Clear kitchen counters of all food except for a bowl of fresh fruit for crunchy snacking.
  • Turn off screens during meals so you are less likely to eat mindlessly long after you are satisfied.

Plate size matters

Over the last 100 hundred years, the average dinner plate has increased in size by about 22%, from 9.62 inches to 11.75 inches. This, along with various other factors, contributes to portion distortion and overeating. 

In the example below,  both meals are nutritionally "balanced". But, check out the calorie count when the same foods are served on a 12-inch versus 9-inch dinner plate. 
12-inch plate meal: 779 calories
9 oz salmon filet
3/4 cup of rice
1.5 cups of salad. 
 9-inch plate meal: 519 calories
6 oz salmon filet
1/2 cup of rice
1 cup of salad. 

While the 260-calorie difference between the two plates might not seem like a big difference, the numbers do add up. Here's how the math breaks down: Adding roughly 250 calories to all three meals every day means consuming on average an extra 750 calories each day, or 5,250 calories a week. If you're not burning these calories off, through additional exercise,  this could translate into weight gain of about 0.7 kg per week. While changing your plate size may not be a magic bullet for weight loss, it may significant impact your efforts. 

Try this!