The ‘good life’ is hidden in the portion size

People want the “good life” and often think it’s found in nice cars, soft chairs, fast computers, and plenty of food and snacks. But this kind of life doesn’t last forever — because it leads to obesity.

Some doctors, including those at Columbia University, think the good life is hidden in the portion size of your dinner dish, lunch plate, or snack bowl. We are loading our dishes with far more food than we need.

What is the correct portion size? Think of your plate. Half the plate should be covered with vegetables. A quarter of the food would be meat, and the last quarter would be starch.

Translated, that means 1-1/2 cups of steamed vegetables (about the size of 1-1/2 fists, 3 ounces of fish or meat (about the size of a deck of cards), and 1 to 2 servings of pasta (about the size of a small computer mouse). If this doesn’t fill your plate, doctors say, get a smaller plate!

Fat has the highest caloric content. Whether it is butter, lard, or olive oil, it has the same number of calories. Olive oil is the less saturated and the healthiest fat, but it still has plenty of calories.
Always measure fat before you use it. A teaspoon of butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.

If we follow the good advice about healthy eating (more vegetables and whole grains, less fat and smaller portions) we really will have a good, healthy life.