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How Can Teens Control Portion Sizes of Foods?
The only way around this big issue of growing portions is to begin to educate and train children and teens at an early age on what represents correct portions of foods. Teenagers typically don't have measuring tools while they are out, so here are some quick and easy tips to help them manage portions when eating out or not at home:
- 3 ounces of cooked poultry or meat looks like a deck of cards
- A ping pong ball is the size of 1 ounce or 2 Tablespoons
- The average woman's fist is approximately the size of 1 cup
- The average man's fist is approximately the size of 1.5 cups
- A tennis ball is about equivalent to a medium size piece of fruit
- 1 ounce of cheese is about the size of 4 dice
An easy way to cut your portions when eating out is to always take half of the meal home; sometimes it may be hard to stop eating once you start, so just ask the waiter in the beginning to wrap up half for you!
Lauren Dorman, RD is a Registered Dietitian who works in Monmouth Medical Center, New Jersey. She is working on her masters in clinical nutrition and plans to specialize in children's diabetes management.
