The single biggest thing you can do to improve your diet is get your portion control in check. The biggest problem with the average American’s diet right now is the amount they eat. When you go to a restaurant, you can order a 20 oz. steak with food on the side, when the most steak you should be eating is probably around 6 oz. Many meals people eat are well over 1500 calories, which is just insane.
As a rule of thumb a portion should fit in the palm of your hand or be about the size of a baseball. Meats should be about the size of a deck of cards, and red meats like beef should be even less. Dried fruits and items with a lot of sugar shouldn’t be more than the size of a golf ball. It’s the same with cheeses and fatty foods.
Visual Examples
Making the Change
Some people look at examples like that and fear that they might starve to death. Those portions are what you should be eating, and like exercise you can train your body to eat that way over time. Of course the portion sizes would vary between body types. For instance, a 6 foot tall man would obviously eat more than a 5’6″ woman that might naturally weigh half as much. Remember though, that the palms of their hands are probably different sizes too.
Eating foods that are high in fiber, like celery or broccoli will help stave of hunger, because high fiber foods make you feel full longer. That’s why it’s good to eat whole wheat and whole grain foods. Those grains have much higher fiber content than, say, Wonder Bread. This is just another reason why vegetables are so good for you as well.
If you’re not sure, ask.
If you’re having trouble figuring out how much of something you should eat or have a good example of some portion measuring techniques, please leave a comment below. If you liked this article, please subscribe.
