"Hello everyone! I’m Faith Aguilar, Registered Nurse and certified nutrition coach for the Virtual Care team at Oscar.
Today we are going to talk about portion control. This is a simple, but tough, change to apply to your everyday life and it can make a great difference in helping you become your best self.
Determining portion sizes
First, let’s take a look at portion size.
We can use our hand to help us estimate the correct size.
Your fist is about the size of a cup. This will be used for vegetables.
The palm of your hand is close to a 3oz. This will be the size used for meat, fish, or poultry.
Your thumb is about the size of a solid ounce. This will be used to determine your fat portion.
Now let’s look at your plate size. Your plate size should be 9 inches. This is important because if your plate is too large and you are trying so hard to be mindful of portion size a larger plate can make your portions look like little samples. A 12 inch plate adds roughly 250 calories to all three meals every day that means you consume on average an extra 750 calories each day, or 5,250 calories a week. This may translate to a weight gain of 1.5 pounds per week.
So, help yourself out and make sure you have the correct plate size.
I’m using a 9 inch plate here to demonstrate. We want two cups (or fists) of vegetables on our plate. Try your best to use fresh vegetables and steam or roast. We’ll talk more about healthy cooking tips on our next video.
For starch, we’re only going to use one cup or fist.
For protein (chicken, fish or meat) we will use 3 oz or the size of the palm of your hand.
For healthy oils, we will use one ounce or your thumb size.
We can also use a clock plate if that helps you get a better picture. So, from 12 to 3 we have our protein and from 3 to 6 we have our starches. Then 6 to 12 we have our 2 cups of vegetables.
While this looks delicious, it may take some time getting used to, for both our minds and stomachs.
Additional tips to consider
Some other tips that may help include:
Take your time when eating
Take small bites and chew your food longer, pausing before your next bite to join the conversation if you are not eating alone. This will help with digestion too.
Be present while eating
Sit at a table if possible, and try to minimize distractions such as television. Take a few deep breaths before eating to inhale the pleasant aromas of your food.
Be aware of beverage choice with meal.
Alcohol tends to impair your judgement and make your willpower diminish when it comes to trying to stick to your portion sizes. Soda or beverages high in sugar or fructose have tons of calories that we want to avoid. So, try sticking to water and jazz it up with fresh lemon or lime.
I hope this information helps join us next time, we will be discussing cooking strategies to stay on track while preparing meals."
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding COVID-19 or your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
*Virtual Providers are employed by Oscar Medical Group and are not employed by Oscar Insurance.
![A Guide to Portion Control [Video]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fjnbz686p%2Fhioscar_production%2Fdd4f13ef2e1cb0f1a8b26fc2c3adc12a5cf62776-3840x2160.png%3Fw%3D3840%26fit%3Dmax%26fm%3Dwebp&w=3840&q=75)