You Are What You EatServing sizes and “hidden

sugars”

By: Andrew Melillo Dave Hart Renee Gainer

What is the Difference?

•“Portion size" and "serving size" are used interchangeably

•There is a difference!

•Portion Size: Amount of food served for 1 person

•Serving Size: Recommended portion of food to be eaten

Problem with Portion Sizes•Often incorrect at restaurants.

▫TOO LARGE or TOO SMALL •Too many or too few calories and essential

nutrients.

•Too LARGE can cause obesity ~ leading to heart disease, diabetes , and many types of cancers

•Too LITTLE can cause deficiencies of vital nutrients leading to many negative health effects.

•What do you think is the bigger problem today?▫People consuming too much of too little?

Restaurant Serving Sizes… •1 serving of meat is a deck of cards, how many decks do you see??

•1 cup of pasta is a serving,how many cups do you think areon this plate?

•1 pancake is a serving, can you count all these?

½ a cup of ice cream is a serving…

Serving Sizes• The recommended amount of food you SHOULD eat!

• Found on nutrition facts labels

• Required on ALL commercial food items.

• Get the RIGHT amount by using measuring units:

▫Cups

▫Ounces

▫Tablespoons

▫Teaspoons

• What the Food Pyramid recommends using for

reference.

How do I know How much?• Woman's fist or baseball - a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the

size of your fist

• A rounded handful - about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta▫ Good for chips or pretzels

• Deck of cards/ Palm of Hand - serving of meat, fish or poultry▫ 1 chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop

• Golf ball or large egg - one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts

• Tennis ball - one half cup of ice cream

• Computer mouse - small baked potato

• Compact disc - 1 pancake or small waffle

• Thumb tip - 1 teaspoon of peanut butter

• Six dice - a serving of cheese

• Check book - a serving of fish- 3 oz.

• PRACTICE! Find your own measuring cups and practice measuring the correct servings.

Incorrect Serving Correct Serving

Incorrect Serving Correct Serving

MY PYRAMID!•The amount we need from each Food Group

depends on our AGE, GENDER and PHYSICAL ACTIVITY level.

•"MyPyramid Plan" at www.MyPyramid.gov.

•Measuring and Analyzing Serving Size

ACTIVITY

Hidden Sugars •Sugar in foods that you would never know

is there!

Class Discussion Questions??•1.) Do you think you eat more, less than or

equal to the amount that is recommended on a normal basis?

•2.) What types of problems could you potentially run into if you continue your eating patterns as they are?

•3.) Name one precaution or strategy that you could take/use so that you could eat a healthier amount of food on a normal basis.

Conclusions- Checking for Understanding

•What is portion size?

•What is serving size?

•What is the difference between portion size and serving size?

•What is the biggest problem among Americans today and portion sizes, too large or too small?

Checking for Understanding continued….

•What is another way to measure a serving of meat without any measuring tools?

•What are hidden sugars?

•What is an example of a food product that contains a high, medium, and low amount of sugar?

•Where can you go for help in monitoring your serving sizes of food?