Portion Sizes

Did You Know:

The amount of food we eat is as important as what we eat. Many of us feel the need to finish what is in front of us even if we are not hungry! Over the years there has been a steady increase in portion sizes. This means that finishing an order of French fries twenty years ago was very different from polishing off a plate of fries today. Consider the following….

20 Years ago…

A bagel was 3 inches across, 140 calories
A soda pop was 195 ml, 85 calories
A blueberry muffin had 210 calories
A serving of fries was 70 grams, 210 calories
A cookie was 1 ½ inches, 55 calories.

NOW……

A bagel is 6 inches, 340 calories
A soda pop is 600 ml, 250 calories
A blueberry muffin has 500 calories
A serving of fries is 200 grams, 610 calories
A cookie is 3 ½ inches, 275 calories

Easy way to remember portion sizes
1 serving of meat should be the size of a deck of cards.
Two servings of pasta is the size of a tennis ball
Cheese should be about the size of four dice
A muffin should be no larger than a light bulb

To determine how many servings you should eat from each good use the Canada Foods Guide.

Visit www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide

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