Serving the Right Size

Want to lose weight -- or maintain a healthy weight? Practicing portion control will ensure you don't supersize your servings and help you control the amount of food you eat.

One way to see how much food should be in a serving is to check the Nutrition Facts label and measure it out. But that's not always practical. We'll help you "eyeball" your food to gauge what's too much -- and what's just right.

Shrink Your Plate to Lose Weight

The dinner plates we use at home -- and at restaurants -- are bigger than in the 1950s and '60s. A bigger plate usually means more food. If you grew up with the words "Clean your plate," you may be doing exactly that -- and risk overeating because of it.

Set Out Salad Plates

These tips will help you control how much you eat -- and reach a healthy weight.

• Eat from smaller dishes like luncheon or salad plates.
• Serve the correct portion.
• Don't go back for seconds or keep platters of food on the table.
• Store leftovers in portion-controlled amounts for other quick meals.

Eating Out? 4 Tips on Portion Size

Restaurants typically serve huge portions. If you eat out often, you need to always keep portion sizes in mind. Try these tips:

• Ask about half portions or order from the child's menu.
• If you get a full portion size, box up half your entrée before you start eating.
• Share your food with your companion.
• Eat a healthy appetizer and soup or salad instead of an entrée.

Learn to Eyeball a Portion Size

Having a mental image of these objects helps determine normal serving sizes: A deck of cards, a poker chip, a baseball, a hockey puck, a CD, some dice, a light bulb.

When you're counting calories, it's an easy way to get a ballpark estimate. Estimating portion sizes will get you started toward weight control.

Cut That Baked Potato Down to Size

1 small potato = the size of a computer mouse

That's 1 vegetable serving.

For weight loss, remember this: Restaurants serve giant potatoes with toppings -- which means lots of extra calories. Healthy eating tips:

• Eat a small portion, and take the rest home as leftovers.
• Choose a sweet potato. It has vitamin C, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, folate, beta-carotene

Serve the Right Amount

1 portion size pasta is ½ cup = ½ a baseball

That's 1 serving of grains.

Healthy eating tips:

• If you eat more pasta, skip the bread basket. But add those grains into your daily count.
• Use whole-wheat blend pasta, for extra fiber and satiety.
• Skip Alfredo or creamy sauces in favor of marinara.
• Use low-fat salad dressing for pasta salad.

Trim Waffles Down to Size

1 portion size pancake or waffle = the size of a CD.

That's 1 serving of grains.

Healthy eating tips:

• Order a small pancake & one egg. That's a serving each of grains & protein.
• Order whole grains (buckwheat, whole wheat) for more fiber and nutrition.
• Opt for fresh fruit or sugar-free syrup as a topping.

Your Favorites Can Fool You

Bagels and bran muffins seem like healthy eating standbys. But if they're big, start adding up the calories.

A low-fat muffin totes up about 300 calories. Same for a typical big bagel. Spread on some butter or cream cheese, and you've added more fat and calories. Breakfast suddenly becomes a 500-calorie bust.

Size Is Everything at the Bakery

1 small muffin = a tennis ball
½ a medium bagel = a hockey puck

That's 1 serving of grains.

Healthy eating tips:

• Make it a whole-grain bagel. The high fiber will curb hunger later.
• Opt for a high-fiber English muffin to save calories.

Watch Your Dairy Servings

1 portion size of cheese = four dice

That's 1 serving of dairy.

Cheese is high in calcium -- and fat. Try low-fat cheeses -- they have gotten better in taste and texture. But portion control is still an issue. A healthy diet allows just 2 to 3 servings of low-fat dairy.

Healthy eating tip:

• Ask for less cheese or low-fat cheese on pizza.

How Much Meat Is Enough?

A 3-ounce portion size = A deck of cards or the palm of your hand (minus fingers)

Lean protein in every meal -- like fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, beans -- can help with weight loss. But you only need 5-6 ounces in a day. So an egg at breakfast or ¼ cup nuts as a snack leaves about 3 oz. for your main meal.

Go Slightly Nuts for Peanut Butter

1 portion size or 2 tablespoons = a golf ball

That's 1 serving protein.

Peanut butter & jelly is great comfort food. And research shows that snacking on peanuts and peanut butter -- in controlled amounts -- is a good way to control hunger. But to avoid weight gain, you've got to exercise portion control. One portion size has about 190 calories, 17 grams fat. Jelly adds more calories.

Healthy Chinese Food

2 portion sizes cooked rice = a light bulb
1 portion size = a full cupcake wrapper

That's 1 or 2 servings of grains.

Rice is low-fat, low-calorie. Serve it with more healthy food -- plenty of veggies stir-fried in minimal oil.

Healthy eating tips:

• Steamed rice has fewer calories than fried rice.
• Brown rice has more fiber than white rice.
• Make sure whatever you eat with the rice isn't fried.

It's Easy to Overdo Fats and Oils

1 portion size of fat or 1 teaspoon = a poker chip or a stack of four dimes

That's 1 serving of fats and oils.

For weight loss, be mindful of fat. Most Americans get plenty of fat in the foods they eat -- like cooking oil, salad dressings, meats and nuts.

Healthy eating tips:

• Use spray cooking oils instead of liquid.
• Use heart-healthy olive or canola oil instead of butter.
• Ask for vinaigrette salad dressings on the side.

Have Just a Handful of Chips

Snacks are counted as "extra calories" in the food pyramid -- and you get 100 to 300 every day, depending on your activity level. If you crave chips, have some -- just not the whole bag.

1 portion size = 1 handful

That's 6 large tortilla chips or 20 potato chips or mini-pretzels.

Healthy eating tip:

• Baked, multigrain, and vegetable chips -- like carrot and sweet potato -- have more nutrients and less fat.

Spend Extra Calories Wisely

1 portion size =

• 2 fingers width cheesecake & chocolate cake
• one small scoop ice cream

Desserts are "extra calories," too. Consider:

• One slice of cheesecake = 250 calories, 18 fat grams.
• A wedge of chocolate cake = 235 calories, 11 fat grams.
• One scoop of chocolate ice cream = 250 calories, 12 fat grams.

Baseball-Sized Broccoli & Berries

• 1 serving fruits & veggies = 1 baseball or the size of your fist
• 1 cup leafy greens = 2 tennis balls

That's 1 serving fruits and vegetables.

Healthy eating tips:

• Green, red, and orange foods have lots of nutrition: Berries, red bell peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes.
• Dark greens are heart healthy: Spinach, broccoli, Swiss chard, kale.

How Pizza Can Be On Your Diet

There's no set portion size for pizza, so follow these healthy eating tips:

• Order a thin crust.
• Pile on vegetable toppings, and skip the meat.
• Ask for extra sauce -- and half the cheese.
• Have a salad to start.
• Stop after one or two slices, and take the rest home.