Portion control (dieting)
Encyclopedia
Portion control is understanding how much a serving size is and how many calorie
s a serving contains. Portion control is important for weight management as the weight is defined by the total calorie intake. Healthy eating, using Aristotle's philosophy, is the desirable middle between the extremes of excess and deficiency (over-eating and not eating enough), the "golden mean." Portion control is eating a healthy balance of amount and types, of varied foods.
Food guide pyramid
s are used as a visual aid to help people eat a varied diet and control portions.
The failure to control portions is often caused by emotional factors such as a depressed mood
or boredom. To avoid overeating triggered by emotions, planning meals ahead and using smaller dishes may be helpful.
Portion sizes can be estimated by using objects as a point of reference. One way of determining portion size is to compare hand size. For example a healthy serving of protein should not be larger than a palm size piece of meat. Carbohydrate servings such as pasta can be measured by fistfuls. A healthy serving of pasta should be one fistful.
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s a serving contains. Portion control is important for weight management as the weight is defined by the total calorie intake. Healthy eating, using Aristotle's philosophy, is the desirable middle between the extremes of excess and deficiency (over-eating and not eating enough), the "golden mean." Portion control is eating a healthy balance of amount and types, of varied foods.
Food guide pyramid
Food guide pyramid
A food guide pyramid is a triangular or pyramid-shaped nutrition guide divided into sections to show the recommended intake for each food group. The first food pyramid was published in Sweden in 1974. The most widely known food pyramid was introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture...
s are used as a visual aid to help people eat a varied diet and control portions.
The failure to control portions is often caused by emotional factors such as a depressed mood
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
or boredom. To avoid overeating triggered by emotions, planning meals ahead and using smaller dishes may be helpful.
Portion sizes can be estimated by using objects as a point of reference. One way of determining portion size is to compare hand size. For example a healthy serving of protein should not be larger than a palm size piece of meat. Carbohydrate servings such as pasta can be measured by fistfuls. A healthy serving of pasta should be one fistful.