Hunger Games

What do a deck of cards, a golf ball and a tennis ball all have in common? Well, besides the obvious fact they’re all used in sports (if you count poker), these three items can also reference accurate portion sizes!

In this day and age we’re definitely eating too much…but who’s to blame? Is it our inability to stop when we’re full, or is it the food industry, who continues to serve us huge portions? My goal this week is to give you the necessary tools to eat the right portions when face-to-face with a dinner plate.

General Guidelines

Overall, YOUR personal portion size is the size of YOUR hand. So when you grab a handful of baby carrots, then that would equal one serving size of veggies for you. I love this principle because it can be used for children AND a 200-pound man.

Meat-ing Your Serving Needs

According to Canada’s Food Guide we are supposed to eat 2-3 servings of meat or meat alternatives a day, or 10 - 35% of your daily diet.

In general, one serving of meat (75g or ½ cup) is about the size of a deck of cards. If you’re not a meat lover, then a serving of meat alternatives can be

• 3/4 cup of Legumes, which is about the size of a tennis ball.

• Two tablespoons of peanut butter, which is about the size of a golf ball.

Lastly, meat should NOT be the center of attention on your dinner plate – it should only be a quarter of the plate.

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Image courtesy of IsraelGarcia