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What you eat matters. But how much you eat of different foods is important, too. Try keeping a close eye on how much you put on your plate of each food. Not only can you avoid overeating, you may also find that you can eat more than you thought. If you eat the right amounts of different types of foods, you can feel full and have a variety of foods without blowing your goal to eat healthy.
Since not all foods are equal, the amount you eat of different foods makes a big difference. How much is the right amount? It depends on the food.
There are some foods you can eat in plentiful portions. There are others you can eat in moderate portions. Then there are the tasty, often unhealthy, foods you should skip or eat as little of as possible.
The first step to choosing the right portions is learning what a serving size is for different foods.
Recommended sizes are much smaller than you might think. A serving of:
It’s also important to figure out the worst food choices you’re making. Fast food, sugary desserts and sweet drinks might be some of them. There are other foods that aren’t unhealthy, but can easily add up to too many calories if you aren’t careful.
Just two “problem” foods — solid fats and added sugars — can make up hundreds of your daily calories. Try to replace your problem foods with healthier choices. Instead of butter and other solid fats, try olive, canola, and other oils that are better for your waistline.
Check food labels and restaurant menus for hidden calories. Learn to "eyeball" your portion size to see what’s too much.
You can eat bigger portions of filling, nutritious foods like raw, steamed, grilled or baked vegetables. That includes tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, celery, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchinis, radishes, mushrooms and more. Try adding spices for flavor instead of fat or salt.
Fruit is full of vitamins. Eat as many lower-sugar fruits like grapefruit, kiwi, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries as you want. But trim your portions of higher sugar fruits like apples, mangos, pineapple, oranges, cantaloupe and bananas. And eat the whole fruit, not just the juice. The sugar and carbohydrates in juices and higher-sugar fruits can wreck your diet if you aren’t careful.
Eat foods that are higher in carbohydrates in smaller portions, and less often. That includes potatoes, grains, rice, white and wheat flour-based pasta, breads, and tortillas chips.
Legumes are filling, healthy and full of protein, but they’re also high in carbs. They include black beans, fava beans, lima beans, lentils and peas.
Eat fat-free and low-fat milk, yogurt, cottage cheese and cream cheese in moderate portion sizes.
Eat fish and lean meats like white meat chicken and turkey, pork tenderloin, and beef tenderloin in moderation. Prepare it broiled, grilled, baked or pan sautéed, not fried.
Try some portion-control tricks. It’s a secret of healthy eating, says WebMD. These tips can help you avoid some common portion-size problems:
Pay attention to what you eat — and how much. Make slow changes. Before long, your healthier eating will become a habit. Those new habits can be the path to better health.
Originally Published October 28, 2016