Apr 25

A few years back, a documentary was made called “Supersize Me”, in which the documentary-maker dined on nothing but McDonald’s for something like 30 days. It got a lot of press attention because, well, it was pretty horrifying.

Everyone I know who watched it swore off fast food altogether… for at least a couple days. Seriously, the stuff is dangerously addicting.

At any rate, it really called attention to the fact that America’s super portions of food are getting out of control. Not just food, but drink, too! Just how big is a Super Big Gulp, anyway?

It’s time to get re-familiarized with proper portions of food. It may take awhile to feel comfortable with these portions as your stomach and body readjust, but you will both (you and your body) be thankful for it in the end.

Let’s start with meat. A good portion of meat is about 3 or 4 ounces, or about the size of a deck of cards. You can also buy a small kitchen scale and start weighing everything and measuring according to serving size. Over time, you’ll be able to eyeball how much of something you can eat, fairly accurately.

It’s also a great idea to look at your plates. As our food portion sizes have grown larger, so have our plates and bowls! Start serving foods on smaller plates or even pitch (as in donate or sell) the old dishware and buy smaller versions.