Smart servings
Rethink how you serve your meals and snacks and you’ll become a portion pro in no time
Rethink portions
SEE THE SERVING
“At home, I measure out a perfect portion of food or drink to see how it looks in my dishes,” says Jill Weisenberger, author of Diabetes Weight Loss: Week by Week. “This way I’ll know in advance that, say, my portion of wine is up to a specific design etched into the glass. You can do the same for ice cream, cereal – really for any food and dish that has markings of some sort.” To become a pro eyeballer, measure out your ideal serving size – best determined with the help of your health care team – for foods, such as berries, rice, soup, and fish, a few times each month.
REPURPOSE PETITE PLATES
Giant bowls and jumbo serving utensils may make it easier to serve a crowd, but these can also lead you to feel like you’re portioning out a small amount when you’re really taking more than your ideal serving. Break out those dessert plates you’re saving for special occasions. Treat yourself like a guest – arrange your portions on one of those smaller plates.
You’ll feel indulged, not deprived.
BUY BIG, PACKAGE SMALL
Weisenberger suggests preportioning foods into single-serving baggies or containers. “For example, if your ideal portion of crackers is six, put six crackers each into several baggies and pop [them] back into their original box.” Voilà – perfect grab-and-go snacks. To save money, certified health coach Carrie Boe, type 2, buys healthy ingredients like nuts in bulk, then repackages them into single-serving containers. She snagged a glass food-storage container set on sale, so now it’s easy to fill up the containers all at once. Some of her serving-size go-tos: a handful of almonds fits in a babyfood-size jar, ¼ cup of hummus or guacamole fills a 40g container, and a serving of defrosted edamame in the pod fits in a 1½ cup bowl.
PILE ON THE VEGIES
Every time you serve yourself a meal, think “vegies first,” advises Boe.
Load your plate with big portions of fresh vegies, then add in moderate helpings of lean protein and healthy fats. This way, you’ll naturally crowd out space that might be taken up by less-nutritious options. ■