WMS Proper Portions: Right portions to manage hunger and weight in healthy ways

Portion Sizes Matter!

Proper portion sizes are important for:

• Weight management - too many calories can cause weight gain
• Healthy blood sugar control - too much food at once can raise blood sugar
• Managing hunger without feeling overfull - overeating can lead to an upset stomach, while undersized portions can lead to feeling hungry again soon
• Getting sufficient nutrients - a balanced diet with enough food can support nutritional sufficiency
• Reducing food waste - serving the right amount of food to satisfy hunger without being overfull can help reduce leftovers and the potential for waste

Servings, Portions, and Portion Distortion

Serving sizes are a predefined amount of food or beverage. It may be specified in dietary guidelines or on a nutrition label. Serving sizes stay the same. 

Portion sizes are the amount of food or beverage served or consumed at one time (such as a meal or snack). Portions can change from occasion to occasion.

Portion distortion describes the shift from smaller portions to larger portions becoming the norm, or expected amount.

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Research Suggests That Portion Control Helps with Weight Loss

In the Portion-Control Strategies Trial, 186 overweight or obese women joined a weight loss program. They were separated into three groups.

1. Standard Advice - they were advised to eat less food while making healthy choices
2. Portion Selection - they were advised to choose portions based on energy density
3. Pre-portioned Foods - they were advised to structure meals around pre-portioned foods

Researchers measured participants’ weight loss for 12 months. Women who were told to pre-portion foods lost more weight!

Does the incorporation of portion-control strategies in a behavioral program improve weight loss in a 1-year randomized controlled trial? Rolls Int J Obes (Lond). 2017 Mar;41(3):434-442. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2016.217. Epub 2016 Nov 30. PMID: 27899807; PMCID: PMC5340595.

Discover Serving Sizes: Measure or estimate

These are standard serving sizes that can help guide reasonable portions. 

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Serving Sizes and Nutrition Labels

Nutrition labels also show serving sizes. Serving sizes on nutrition labels are standard amounts that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates. They’re based on amounts that people are likely to consume, and are called “reference amounts customarily consumed” (RACC). 

The RACC may be different from “serving sizes” based on food groups and nutrition. For example, a serving of bagel in the Dietary Guidelines is 1 oz (28 grams), but the RACC is 110 grams. 

Quantitative ways to measure portions

You can use tools to measure portions accurately. Here are some examples. 

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Study: Portion Control Tools Increase Awareness

Awareness can be the first step of making changes. In this study, researchers looked at 36 different studies looking at people using portion control tools. Tools included:

• Non-tableware tools like cooking utensils, educational aids and computerized applications
• Tableware tools like reduced-size and portion control/calibrated crockery/cutlery

Overall, the use of tools helped people reduce portion sizes. There was a small effect on calorie consumption and food intake. 

Impact of Portion Control Tools on Portion Size Awareness, Choice and Intake: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Vargas-Alvarez Nutrients. 2021 Jun 9;13(6):1978. doi: 10.3390/nu13061978. PMID: 34207492; PMCID: PMC8229078.

Tips for Proper Portions

Specialized tableware can help with proper portions. Commercially available portion control plates, for example, can have images marked of how much vegetable, protein, and carbs to include. Some plates are divided into compartments to make portion control easier. 

Small plates and bowls can help people eat less. If you’re not ready to invest in a new set of dishes, try filling your plate mostly full with salad greens or vegetables before adding other items. Small spoons and forks can also help you eat more slowly.

Here are more tips for proper portions. 

• Eat only at the table so you know how much you’re eating. In one study, people ate soup from a bowl that refilled itself without them realizing it. These people ate more than people who ate from a bowl that didn’t get refilled. The bottom line is that knowing how much you’re eating helps with portion control. 
• Serve yourself before sitting down so you know how much you’re taking and you have a clear end to the meal or snack.
• Leave food separate from table so you have to stand up if you want second helpings
• Take vegetables first, both for first and second helpings 
• Wait 5 minutes, stand up, see how full you feel (sometimes feel fuller when stand up from table)
• Pre-portion foods when on the go or snacking away from the table

Proper Portions Without Hunger

You can reduce calories by having smaller portions. For example, swap a double burger, large fries, large drink, and cookie with a kids’ burger, small fries, small drink, and half a cookie. However, that strategy can leave you hungry. 

Instead, consider having smaller portions of high-calorie foods, and larger portions of low-calorie foods. For example, swap the original burger, fries, drink, and cookie for a small burger, small fries, large salad, large water, and piece of fruit. You’ll have fewer calories, more nutrients, and less hunger.

Give It a Try! How might you make this meal more appropriately portioned?

Strategies like smaller portions of high-calorie foods and larger portions of low-calorie foods  can work with healthy foods, too! Consider a meal with quinoa salad. Look at the following lists.

The “before” meal is quinoa salad with quinoa, olive oil, feta cheese, avocado, and herbs and spices. It is 1 ¼ cups and has 560 calories.

The “after” meal includes the same ingredients as “before,” but with less quinoa, olive oil, feta cheese, and avocado. These are high-calorie ingredients. This meal adds garbanzo beans and vegetables. The result is a meal with 2 ½ cups and 500 calories. It’s bigger, more nutritious, and lower in calories than the original meal.

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