The dreaded Portion Distortion

Now how many times have you gone out to a restaurant and finished everything on your plate? I know I use to do this all the time. Unless your eating a plate of salad with no dressing, you could be taking in thousands of calories, and definitely atleast 2-3 portion sizes. This is not your fault, as the restaurant is not going to say, 'hey, here is your food, but there is enough food on this plate to feed your whole family.' No, you are going to get a plate of food and be expected to finish the whole thing. Before you know it, you are ridiculously stuffed and have eaten way more than you should have! Yes, we have all fallen victim to portion distortion at one point or another. Here are a few key points to remember when trying to figure out a portion size: 3 oz of meat = deck of cards 3 oz of fish = checkbook, not the checks but a checkBOOK 1 oz of cheese = 4 dice 1 tsp. of butter or margarine = postage stamp (the standard size guys, let not get crazy here) 1/4 Cup of mixed nuts, dried fruits, granola = size of golf ball 2 tablespoons of peanut butter = size of ping pong ball 1 cup of pasta or cereal = size of baseball 2 tablespoons of salad dressing = one full shot glass Another trick that can help you with portion distortion is use smaller plates. Try not to put your food on big dinner plates, but use salad plates. You eat with your eyes first, and you'll realize that food fills up on the salad plate when you are using the correct portions! Another eating out tip: When ordering your food, ask the waiter/waitress to pack half of the meal away in a doggie bag. This way you know you cannot over eat because the food will not be in front of you! I hope this was helpful to everyone!!