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Portion Distortion
What’s considered one serving? What are adequate portions? Most of the time, when I work with
people regarding nutrition, there are quite a few questions related to portions and serving sizes. One way
to be aware of serving sizes is to read food and nutrition labels. On the nutrition facts label, it will state
what the serving size is near the top, the remainder of nutrient information pertains to that single serv-
ing size. With changes to our nutrition labels coming in the next 1-2 years, the part of the label listing the
serving size will be larger and easier to locate and serving sizes listed will be more in line with what an
individual may actually consume in one sitting. For example, for most bottled drinks the container actu-
ally contains 2 servings, so the nutrition information listed will only be for half the bottle. This will likely be
changed to reflect the nutrients of the entire container as that is what most individuals would consume at
one time.
Restaurants aren’t a great indicator for serving sizes either. In fact, over the last 30 years or more,
fast food restaurants have increased their average portion size and in turn the average number of calories
provided has increased. Not only has there been an increase in calories but also an increase in sodium.
Even when not going to a fast food restaurant, it’s important to keep serving size in mind. That 8-ounce
steak you ordered, that’s technically enough to feed 2 or more if you’re taking suggested serving sizes
into consideration.
So, what’s a serving size?!
Knowing the exact serving size of foods would require weighing and measuring all the foods you
eat, but that’s unrealistic. Instead, you can use the guide below to get a good idea of what a portion of
certain foods looks like. By Hanna Boyl
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