Time to Downsize Food Portions

Monday, August 04, 2003

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The size of food portions — and the number of overweight Americans — keeps growing. Studies have shown that food portion sizes in restaurants, and at home, have grown substantially over the past 20 years. And more than half of Americans are overweight or obese, increasing the risk of weight-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and others.

Right-sizing your portions can bring food intake in line with recommended servings. The August issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers these examples to help estimate appropriate serving sizes.

* A medium apple or orange is the size of a tennis ball.

* A medium potato is the size of a computer mouse.

* An average bagel is the size of a hockey puck.

* A cup of fruit is the size of a baseball.

* Three ounces of meat is the size of a deck of cards.

* Three ounces of grilled fish is the size of your checkbook.

* One ounce of cheese is the size of four dice.

* One teaspoon of peanut butter equals the tip of your thumb.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Carol Lammers
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511(evenings)
email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
Erik Kaldor
904-953-2299

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale
Anne Tewksbury
480-301-4368

Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource is published monthly to help women enjoy healthier, more productive lives. Revenue from subscriptions is used to support medical research at Mayo Clinic. To subscribe, please call 800-876-8633, extension 9PK1.

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