Perspectives on Portions

If you’re paying attention to what you eat, you’ve probably heard about ‘portion control.’ It is being aware of the difference between a portion (the amount you choose to eat or are served) and a serving size (the amount of food recommended for nutrition purposes). Although the term “serving size” is used on nutrition facts labels, it may or may not coincide with the recommended serving size. Additionally, to practice effective portion control you must know the recommended serving sizes and what they look like, e.g. a ½ cup of chopped vegetables or an ounce of grains. Because portions are typically much bigger than recommended serving sizes, it is well worth the effort to learn the general basics of serving sizes. Just being aware of the discrepancy can help you eat less and lose weight. 

According to the CDC the average 30-something woman is 5’4” and 163 pounds. I created a profile in the SuperTracker tool on the My Plate website using these dimensions and named the profile “Suzy.” I was informed that Suzy’s Body Mass Index (BMI) fell above the healthy range. Nevertheless, I selected to “maintain current weight” meaning Suzy will not lose weight at the given recommendations. Here are her recommended daily food intakes and what they mean:

6 Ounces of Grains, Make Half of them Whole Grains 

Grains and protein foods are measured by weight (ounces) whereas fruits, vegetables, dairy, and oils are measured in volume (cups, teaspoons). It is useful to remember that 28 grams = 1 ounce as many bread products like cereals and crackers list their serving sizes in portions of food (“Six Crackers” or “1 cup”) but will note the grams afterwards. For example, I have a box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares that lists the serving size (which is actually a portion) as “1 cup (60 g).” This would actually count as TWO recommended servings, or 1/3 of Suzy’s grains for the day. What else counts as 1 ounce of grains:

• One, 1-ounce slice of bread (check the package, many slices are larger)

• ½ cup cooked pasta, rice, or cereal

• 1 ounce uncooked pasta or rice (useful to have a scale for this)

• 1 tortilla (6 inch diameter)

• 1 pancake (5 inch diameter)

• 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal (about 1 cup cereal flakes)  

2 ½ Cups of Vegetables and 2 Cups of Fruit

Vegetables and fruits are measured by volume (cups) making the serving sizes easier to visualize. One serving is one cup of raw or cooked vegetables or fruits. One cup is about the size of a baseball or you can visualize a 1-cup measure that you use in your kitchen. Double up on leafy greens, as 2 cups of leafy greens counts as a 1-cup serving. The opposite is true for dried fruit; ½ cup of dried fruit counts as a 1-cup serving. One cup of 100% vegetable or fruit juice also counts. There are also weekly recommendations for dark green, starchy, red, and orange vegetables as well as beans and peas to emphasize eating a variety.

3 Cups of Dairy, Choose Fat-Free or Low-Fat

Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, pudding, ice cream, and cottage cheese are measured in cups; cheese is measured by weight in ounces. One serving of ‘natural’ cheese (a.k.a “Real Cheese” in Wisconsin!) is 1½ ounces and is about the size of 4 dice; the serving size of processed cheese (e.g. American) is 2 ounces. TIP: When you bring cheese home, immediately divide the block into 1½ oz portions; cut an 8-ounce block into 6 equal pieces that will be just under 1½ ounces. Note that it takes two cups of cottage cheese and 1½ cups of ice cream to equal to a 1-cup serving. Remember to choose fat-free or low-fat and use caution with puddings, ice creams, and yogurts as they can have a lot of added sugar. (FYI, my current favorite frozen yogurt is Blue Bunny All Natural Vanilla– 100 calories per ½ cup and a short ingredient list.)

5 ½ Ounces of Protein Foods

Because the protein foods group includes meats, fish, beans, nuts, and eggs, servings are measured both in weight and volume. Remember that 1 pound = 16 ounces; therefore a ¼ pound beef patty will count as 4 of Suzy’s allotted 5 ½ ounces per day. I'm surprised that recommendations include half-ounces since that is such a small amount, but it must have mattered enough to do it. What else counts as one ounce of protein:

• 1 ounce lean meat, poultry, or seafood

• 1 egg (great to keep on hand – FYI hard-boiled eggs keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator)
• 1 Tablespoon peanut butter (or any nut butter)

• ½ ounce nuts or seeds (1/2 ounce of sunflower seeds is about 1½ T)

• ¼ cup cooked beans or peas

6 Teaspoons of Oils

 Oils are not a food group but are necessary for good health and so are included in the guidelines. This includes oils used for cooking and foods high in oils such as dressings, olives, and avocados. In general, you want more mono-unsaturated fats like olive and canola oil and less solid fats like butter and lard. Since trans-fats are doubly detrimental to cardiovascular health by both lowering HDL (good) cholesterol and raising LDL (L for lousy) cholesterol, it is recommended to eliminate ALL artificial trans-fats. Alert: foods can list “0 grams of trans fats per serving” and actually have trans fats in them. (If it has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, they can round down.) You must check the ingredient list for partially hydrogenated oils, which indicate that trans fats are present. Did you know that 20%-35% of all our calories should come from fats? Fats perform essential functions in our bodies and help us feel more satisfied with our food – so don’t be afraid of good fats!

258 Discretionary Calories

The folks at the USDA and HHS aren’t all work and no play, so they do allow for a reasonable amount of calories (about 13% of total calories) for foods that don’t fit in any of the food groups. This includes foods such as chips, desserts, baked goods, alcoholic beverages, sodas, and candy. Unfortunately, these foods are usually rich in calories so a little goes a long way. Check food labels and familiarize yourself with the calorie content of the foods you like to splurge on.

Things To Keep In Mind

Remember that the food serving recommendations are simply a tool to help you eat a variety of foods and "not too much," as Michael Pollan says. It is not reasonable, or necessary, to measure and count all of the food you eat all the time. However, being aware of the recommendations and their respective servings sizes, especially if you want to lose weight, can be extremely useful. I personally re-visit my own recommendations from time to time as I too slip back into less-than-healthy eating habits. Spending a week or two following the recommendations can be an eye-opener and help keep healthy eating habits on track.

Additional Resources:

A guide to serving sizes: http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/servingcard7.pdf

See more detailed food groups serving size information at http://www.choosemyplate.gov; hover over the “My Plate” link on the left of the green menu bar and you can click on any of the 5 food groups for more serving information.

Get a personalized eating plan on SuperTracker at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html.

The Paleo Diet

Thanks to everyone who took a look at my site! I’m looking forward to this new venture and the journey on which it takes me. :)

A friend and her husband are considering the Paleo Diet and asked me what I thought. As I was researching it, I thought it would make a fine second blog entry so here goes.

The Paleo Diet, also referred to as the Caveman Diet, Stone Age Diet or Hunter-Gather Diet was created by Dr. Loren Cordain, a professor at Colorado State University. The basic idea behind the diet is that humans are genetically adapted to function best when consuming a diet of foods that could be found or hunted before agriculture or the domestication of animals. This tends to be a higher protein diet focusing on lean meats, nuts, fresh vegetables, fruits, and berries. The diet excludes dairy and all processed or cultivated foods like grains, beans, potatoes, sugars, bakery, sodas, beer, etc.

I did find some academic research on the Paleo Diet. A 2009 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition fed 9 healthy, sedentary volunteers the Paleo Diet for a period of 10 days. They found reductions in blood pressure, insulin levels, and improved lipid profiles (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, and LDL levels in the blood). There was no change in weight. Another study published in Nutrition and Metabolism in 2010, compared the Paleo Diet to the Mediterranean Diet in terms of how satisfying the diet was. The study was comprised of 29 males with pre-diabetes or diabetes and increased waist circumference (a risk factor for heart disease). The group on the Paleo Diet reported feeling more satisfied, in spite of consuming fewer calories, than those on the Mediterranean Diet. At the end of the 12 weeks, both groups showed lower levels of leptin (a hormone associated with energy metabolism) but those with lower levels of leptin in the Paleo Group were more likely to have lost more weight and inches relative to those with lower levels of leptin in the Mediterranean Group. Both studies noted an intake of Calcium below the recommended levels.

Although these examples show some potential for benefits of the Paleo Diet, we should keep in mind the context of the studies. Both groups were very small, the first group’s meals were prepared for them (nice!), one study excluded women, exercise was not a factor in either, and both studies were carried out during short time periods. There have not been any large, long-term studies of the diet. Note that blood pressure, insulin levels, and lipid profiles can all be positively influenced with other diets and regular exercise. I will also note that Dr. Cordain’s higher education is in Exercise Physiology, which is the study of how exercise and physical activity alter the structure and function of the body. Certainly nutrition is important in the study of exercise and physical activity, but the extent of his nutrition education is not clear.

From a professional nutrition standpoint, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) published by the USDA and the US Department of Health and Human Services are the key recommendations based on extensive, quality research. The My Plate icon is based on the Dietary Guidelines. The recommendations include eating food from all five food groups every day (Grains, Vegetables, Protein Foods, Dairy, and Fruit) while limiting the amount of sodium, saturated and trans fats, and refined grains. The Paleo Diet aligns with the recommendations of reducing refined grains and sodium (of which processed foods are a major source), and consuming lean meats. The Paleo Diet excludes whole grains, dairy, and legumes, which are rich sources of essential nutrients.

Many diets create weight loss by eliminating entire food groups and the Paleo Diet fits into this category. Many of them also work, at least in the short term, because dieters usually consume fewer calories when they exclude entire groups of food from their meals. These diets are also usually hard to stick to over time for the same reason. People like the idea of prescribed diets because it seems like it would be simple to find a plan and then carry it out. As if eating better is like a road trip from point A to point B, guaranteed to be without incident, via a single freeway. The truth is that our eating habits are constantly changing and being influenced by our environments. That is why, over time, we tend to slip away from these kinds of diets.

I hesitate to make broad diet recommendations because every individual circumstance is different. However, there are certain ideas that I like to use because they are simple, align with recommendations, and make sense. I love Michael Pollan’s philosophy of “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” This phrase means to eat real food, not highly processed, in moderate amounts, making sure you eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. Although Mr. Pollan’s formal education is also not in nutrition (he’s a professor of journalism at Berkeley) his philosophy conveys a common-sense wisdom and allows for personal flexibility. I also think that it’s crucial to listen to your body above all else. Awareness is becoming a focus area in obesity research. We often eat for reasons other than hunger, and we may ignore hunger cues or subtle adverse reactions to certain foods. Be a scientist in your own eating. Be willing to learn and make changes to what you eat based on what you notice. How do you feel after eating certain foods? How little food can you eat and still be satisfied? Take time to notice your food before and while you are eating it.

If you want to try the Paleo Diet, in the spirit of being a scientist in your own eating, go ahead and try it! You will likely discover something new that will be useful to you. I would caution that there is not enough research on the long term effects of the diet and the positive outcomes it promises can be achieved by following the Dietary Guidelines. Be aware of potentially low intakes of Calcium and Vitamin D. (It may make sense to take a multi-vitamin.)

Related Links and Readings

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans PDF download:

http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

My Plate Recommendations, you can get a personalized eating plan and see what your recommendations are:

http://www.choosemyplate.gov

Michael Pollan’s ‘In Defense of Food’, an informative and pleasant read:

http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/

WebMD review of the Paleo Diet:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-review-the-caveman-paleo-diet

HBO Weight of the Nation

HBO partnered with the Institute of Medicine to produce a documentary about obesity in American. The link below is to one of the 4 main films. You have the option to select chapters; chapter 3 is titled “Why Diets Don’t Work Over the Long Term.”

http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/watch/main-films/Choices

Welcome! And Hello!

“I heard that white cheese is better than yellow cheese.”

“Isn’t coffee bad for you?”

“Ugh. They are always changing that food pyramid!”

 “It’s so expensive to eat healthy!”

These are all things I’ve heard from clients or people I meet when they find out that I’m a “nutrition person.” For some people, eating has become a major source of confusion, frustration, and anxiety. And no wonder! There is more scientific information than ever before about the molecular components in foods; the polyphenols in grape juice, the lycopene in tomatoes, the resveratrol in wine, to name a few. Because science is always coming out with new information, eating has become much more confusing than it needs to be.

Don’t get me wrong, the science is useful and I will surely refer to it on this blog. But ultimately, eating is much more than the intake of molecules for cellular fuel. How healthy we are is the result of a complex equation, which includes food choices, eating habits, genetics, lifestyle, and a nearly infinite list of factors; and they are different for every individual. Even ‘healthy’ has a different meaning for everyone.

My hope is that this blog will inform and inspire those of you that want to be healthier, whatever that means to you. You may want to feel better, lose weight, or ‘WOW’ your doctor on your next cholesterol test. I will share information, stories, recipes, and ideas that you might want to use in your own daily routine. I look forward to your questions, comments, and suggestions and providing you with the information you most want to know.

Thanks for visiting and I look forward to seeing you soon!