Lindsay Zahner shows how to eyeball portions using household objects: a baseball for cereal, a golf ball for peanut butter, a cork for cheese, a shot glass for dressing. She explains why food marketing lies about serving sizes and suggests using a smaller plate to make portions feel bigger.
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No, you don't have to count every calorie, but you do need to know what portion sizes look like. It's not your fault, especially when we're inundated with commercials like this. They make us think that this is one serving of pasta. Plus, the way they spread that butter on that breadstick—that was almost erotic. It even says 1 serving on the nutrition facts on their website. When this is actually almost 2/3 of your daily calorie intake for the average person. Let me give you a better idea of portion sizes using common household objects. For breakfast, a serving of cold cereal or oatmeal is about the size of a baseball. Maybe pair it with a tennis ball-sized apple or orange for fiber. 1 slice of bread is 1 serving of grains, and 1 teaspoon of butter looks like a dice. If you prefer peanut butter on your toast, a serving size looks about like a golf ball. A serving of berries or chopped fruit fits in a 60-count vitamin bottle. A golf ball-sized amount of nuts will keep you from overeating on your fats. A softball-sized amount of greens, a cork amount of cheese, and a shot glass of salad dressing equals a healthy salad. A vitamin bottle, computer mouse, and deck of cards will help you eat your veggies, starches, and meats in proper serving sizes. A checkbook and a light bulb will help you keep your fish and grain portions in check. See what I did there? Now here's where we can trick your brain a little bit to make you think that you're eating more than you actually are. We're going to take that same meal and we're going to put it on a salad plate. It sounds stupid, but it is science-backed, I swear. Take a look for yourself and notice what your brain does. I bet you just went, whoa, that looks like more food. Now let's get to dessert. A floss-sized amount of dark chocolate and an egg-sized amount of dried fruit fruit, contains tons of antioxidants, and will actually satisfy your sweet tooth. Now that you know what actual portion sizes are, be mindful of this next time you go out to eat.
