Trying to lose weight?
Donna Simon, a registered dietician with HonorHealth for more than 30 years, says it's about portion control, and restaurants are the worst offenders.
"Those portions are two to three times the size of what one person should eat," said Simon.
Simon gives her patients these tips:
• Take the little bread plate and use that as your dinner plate.
• Order off the appetizer list.
• Share with someone you are eating with.
• Automatically ask for a to-go box and take half your meal home.
Simon said we are in the habit of eating over-sized portions at home too. So what can you do to curb that? Simon has a unique tip.
"I instruct my patients that want to lose weight, use the toddler utensils. You can't fit as much food on those."
So what are the right portion sizes?
Simon said a good rule-of-thumb is any type of meat protein, such as chicken, should be about the size of a deck of playing cards.
"Or the size of the palm of your hand. That's a portion," said Simon.
If it's raw, the portion size is a cup. If you want a better way of picturing it, cup your hands together, that's a cup of raw vegetables.
Another tip: Around three cups of raw vegetables have the same amount of carbohydrates as one slice of bread.