Taken from: http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/SpecialFeatures/diabetes/
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Full title: "Controlling Blood Glucose Through Correct Portion Sizes"


We live in a giant, economy-size world where we have all been conditioned from an early age to think that more is better. While this is good for your pocketbook, it is a disaster for those of us who are trying to watch what we eat. We have succumbed to the Big Gulp mentality, and we let our portion-size selection be determined by advertisers rather than by common sense and good health.

The evolution of the large-size packaging parallels the obesity epidemic. And it is not just packaging. The glasses, cups, plates, and bowls we use every day are larger than they used to be. In 1947, "everyday" glassware came in three sizes: 4 ounce, 8 ounce, and 12 ounce. A current catalogue describing sets of casual glassware listed thirteen different sizes of glasses ranging from 10 to 21 ounces.

No matter how conscientiously you try to eat the right size portion, it is difficult to accurately judge amounts when using different size glasses, plates, cups, and bowls unless you take the time to measure. Health smart consumers try to purchase the right quantity as well as a good quality of food. If you intend to take control of your diabetes and your overall health, it is important to control what you eat. Portion size is just as important as basic food choices if you want to be healthy and maintain good glucose control.

If you are really serious about blood glucose and/or weight control you should purchase and use a kitchen scale. Kitchen scales come in a wide variety of styles and price ranges. If you like gadgets and want to spend the money, you can get digital scales that will accurately weigh to a fraction of an ounce or to grams. But you do not need a scale with all these features. You can find good portion scales that are much more economical.

Remember to weigh and measure foods in the ready-to-eat state. Some foods, like meat, fish, and poultry, shrink when they are cooked, so if you weigh your portion in the raw state you will actually be eating less than you thought. On the other hand, some foods like rice, pasta, and hot cereals expand when you cook them. One cup of raw rice will produce three cups or six servings of cooked rice. Knowing how cooking affects the volume of food can help you determine the amount to cook in the first place. If you cook and serve the appropriate amount of food you will be much less likely to overeat.

There are a lot of common household items that you can use to estimate serving size, and learning how to do this would be especially useful when eating away from home. A deck of cards is a time-honoured comparison for three ounces of cooked meat. A serving of grapes (about seventeen) will fit nicely into the palm of your hand. A medium-size piece of fresh fruit is the same size as a tennis ball and a tablespoon of mayonnaise is about the size of a quarter.

You will find that it is much easier to control your portions if you prepare the appropriate quantity of food for each meal. Freeze foods in meal-size amounts, so you will have only the predetermined amount you want to eat for a meal. This is an efficient way to handle any food, especially if you prepare meals for one or two people.