Picture this: you’re out to eat, trying to make a healthy choice about what to have for dinner. You say “no” to the special of the day: creamy shrimp Alfredo, and quickly flip past the burger section of the menu. With much thought, you find and order the roasted chicken, served with sweet potatoes and veggies. You’ve got it!
As the waiter arrives and delivers your meal to you, you receive a plate the size of your head - topped with an enormous amount of protein, a mountain of starch, and some veggies decked in sauces.
Whether you were expecting it or not… this, right here, is your portion.
So… Why is portion control important?
If something like the previous scenario has ever happened to you, you may know the answer to that question. Usually, when we have an uncontrolled portion, we have uncontrolled amount of calories available to us, which can be dangerous. A review published in 2013 stated that larger plates of food can lead to us eating up to 45% more than what our average intake would be1. That’s a lot! Most data and studies support the claim that we will almost always eat more if we are offered larger portions.
In rare cases, though, this may not always be negative. Imagine that in the previous scenario, the waiter arrived with an even bigger plate filled with raw veggies and mixed greens. Portion control is dire except for one food group: non-starchy veggies. Have at ‘em!
Portion control is important because it allows for you to have a tight handle on how many calories you are presumably taking in. This means eating what your body needs instead of mindlessly overindulging!
Portion vs. Serving
These two words may be used synonymously when describing specific topics, but should not be used interchangeably when describing food and the meals that we eat.
Do not fret! Within every portion of any meal there are servings. MyPlate is a great visual in order to help you understand what each food group’s serving should look like.
Understanding these servings, and serving sizes, is going to be your savior in tricky situations like these because it will help you dictate your portion size.
Written by Kyrstin Draney, dietetic intern at Meredith College