Nutritionists:

Your Portions Are Out of Control

So, you watch what you eat -- but do you really pay attention?

Nutrition experts say it's time to measure the serving sizes of your favorite foods. Making time to "eyeball" individual serving amounts over the course of a day, they say, will show a widening gap between the servings listed on food labels and helpings most Americans actually consume.

"Portion sizes are getting bigger, and Americans are getting fatter," says Melanie Polk, R.D., director of nutrition education for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). "The two trends are related. Over the past few decades the amount of food we consume has steadily increased."

According to clinical studies, people underestimate calories they ingest each day by 25 percent. Experts say this "unconscious eating" helps to explain why more Americans than ever -- more than half -- are now considered overweight. This means most Americans are now at increased risk for obesity-related diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease and osteoarthritis.

'Eyeball' your portions

For a single day, AICR urges consumers to follow these quick, simple steps at each meal. First, check the serving size listed on the "Nutrition Facts" food label, and fill a measuring spoon or cup with that amount. Next, empty the food onto a clean plate.

At this point, consumers should make a mental snapshot of what they see, paying particular attention to how much of the plate is covered. By repeating this procedure at each meal prepared that day, consumers will quickly learn what a single serving of many different foods really looks like.

Experts say that an important weight management skill is developed in these few extra minutes. The mental snapshots taken while "eyeballing" a single serving of many different foods prove an invaluable reference tool for gauging portion size in the future.

"More people are reading food labels today; that's encouraging," says Ms. Polk. "But without knowing how big a serving size really is, the nutritional information listed on labels can't be put into context, and is not particularly useful."

"For example, a typical serving of low-fat granola contains around 220 calories and 3 grams of fat. What most people don't notice, however, is that the serving size listed is usually only 2/3 of a cup. So if they pour themselves a typical bowl of cereal, they could be getting two, three, even four times more calories and fat than they realize."

Even so, nutritionists stress that the serving size amounts on food labels are not to be considered suggested servings. They are simply the units of measure used by food manufacturers to derive nutritional information like calories, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals. As such, the concept of serving size is central to discussions of balanced diet and weight management.

"Of course, different people have different caloric needs, and it may well be that they require more than one 'serving' of a given food at a meal," says Ms. Polk. "They may even continue to load up on favorite foods once in a while. After using the 'eyeball method,' however, they'll be fully aware that they are doing so."

Portion sizes continue to grow

AICR believes that changes in the American marketplace have spurred the growth in portion size. Fast-food chains have competed for consumer dollars by inflating their serving sizes. Modestly sized bagels and muffins have disappeared from American cafes, replaced by creations three or four times their size. Even reputable restaurants are using larger plates laden with more food to assure customers they're getting their money's worth.

"These are some of the factors that have contributed to the problem," says Ms. Polk. "But what's really happening here is that, as a nation, we've forgotten when to say when. The serving size is a fundamental concept of everyday nutrition, and we've slowly let ourselves lose sight of it. AICR hopes that spending a few moments with a measuring cup will help Americans keep their portions in proportion."