How many servings are on your plate?

Try this experiment for a week - or even just a day: Fix your plate as you normally would, but before you eat, take the time to determine how many servings of food you are taking in. You may be surprised to find out that you are ingesting 3-4x the recommended servings.

Most Americans don't know what an actual serving looks like because we're so used to receiving and eating such large portions. If you find that you're "supersizing" at every meal, you should gradually reduce your serving sizes and chances are that you will be satisfied with less food.

There are many resources on the Internet to give you guidance on proper serving sizes, but here's a simple guide to get you started: Chopped Vegetables: 1/2 cup Raw Leafy Vegetables (such as lettuce): 1 cup Fresh Fruit: 1 medium piece, 1/2 cup chopped Dried Fruit: 1/4 cup Pasta, Rice, Cooked Cereal: 1/2 cup Ready-to-Eat Cereal: 1 oz. (which varies from 1/2 cup to 1 1/4 cup - check label) Meat, Poultry, Seafood: 3 oz. (cooked); About the size of a deck of cards Dried Beans: 1/2 cup Nuts: 1/3 cup Cheese: 1 1/2 oz. (2 oz. if processed cheese)

Becoming more conscious of the quantity of food that you ingest at each meal will allow you stay within recommended daily calorie intake ranges and will help prevent the gradual weight gain that often occurs with age and a sedentary lifestyle.

Brought to you by Amber O’Neal, Certified Personal Trainer and Owner of Café Physique, a fitness and nutrition company specializing in studio and in-home personal training, yoga & pilates and nutrition & wellness counseling in Metro Atlanta. For more information, please visit www.CafePhysique.com.