Nutrition and Health
What about Portion Sizes?
In order to adopt healthy eating habits, it’s important to pay attention to portion sizes. In today’s society, we tend to eat big meals that are too often unbalanced when it comes to food groups.
As a rule of thumb, most people should aim for the following recommendations: 1/2 of a medium size plate should contain vegetables and/or fruit, 1/4 should contain whole grains ( ex: brown rice, whole wheat pasta, small sweet potato, etc.) and the other 1/4 should contain meats and alternatives (ex: chicken, fish, chickpeas, eggs, tofu, etc. ). If you are not already eating this way, you can gradually change your eating habits in order to work towards smaller portions, more balanced meals and a healthier you!
A Registered Dietitian can help you learn more about portion size and how many portions you need for each group. Contact the Optimal Health Institute for more information.
Food for thought: Studies have shown that by putting vegetables on your plate first, followed by meat and alternatives and finally grains, you can save an average of 400-600 calories per plate! So whether you are at home, at a restaurant, buffet or a pot luck, serve yourself vegetables first!
