It's a New Year: Portion Your Day Accordingly

In the spirit of January and all of the potential that the new year holds for recommitting to health and wellness goals, we thought it would be a fun exercise to think more broadly about portion control, meal and snack types and share some of our favorite recipes.

Let’s start with portion control. 2018 has many Americans way out of whack with an understanding of it. Did you know that 96% of meals served at restaurants exceed recommendations for fat, salt and overall calories (see: https://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Living/Weight-Management/Article-Viewer/Article/348/correct-portion-sizes-how-to-keep-portion-distortion-in-check). As highly visual people, over the years we’ve become accustomed to seeing and being served larger portions (studies cite significant increases in portions from 1980 to modern day). It’s easy to experience portion distortion, as it’s commonly referred to, and become out of sync with what constitutes an appropriate amount of food.

If you’re tackling more healthy eating habits, understanding portion control is key. Now that we’ve established the abundance of restaurant portion size, let’s compare portion size versus serving size (see: https://healthyforgood.heart.org/Eat-smart/Articles/Portion-Size-Versus-Serving-Size). It defines a portion as how much food you choose to eat at one time, whether in a restaurant, from a package or in your own kitchen. A portion is 100 percent under our control. A serving size is the amount of food listed on a product’s nutrition facts label, according to a serving size the manufacturer suggests.

You can retrain your eye to easily assess food and come up with reasonable portion and serving sizes for your healthy diet. An easy suggested way to learn proper portions and keep portions in check is to choose food serving dishes (glasses, plates, bowls) and storage containers that are clearly marked with their size. For example, frego is designed in two and four cup container sizes. As you make, store, container and serve food, measure it and be diligent about visually noting how it appears. Focus on some common items that are typically served way over portion like pasta.

Once you get the hang of reasonable portion and serving sizes, think about ways to cleverly measure them without officially having to measure them. Remember that an eight-ounce juice glass perfectly holds an adequate serving of orange juice (as opposed to a 16-ounce glass). Never eat directly from the bag or bulk item when it comes to snacks – choose a one-cup bowl and portion it out (we love these from Magnolia and Vine at Target as they hold just over one cup).

If you’re taking your meals and snacks to go, your frego offers consistency in serving sizes. Your snacks and breakfast might be more one serving size (or one cup) portions. Your lunch and dinner, depending on its density and your diet, might be a two or four cup portion. Here are a few good frego-friendly recommendations and recipes that will keep your portion control in check!

Breakfast: Steel-Cut Oats with Cinnamon and Apples

Lunch: White Bean and Tuna Salad

Snack: Winter Fruit Salad

Dinner: Brown Rice and Vegetables

At frego, we love fueling your mind with healthy options from meals to snacks to power you through your day. That’s why you’ll see that our social media shares are all about the real, wholesome food you prepare at home and take with you on your busy day.

We enjoy that frego-users love to share how they use their containers. We especially like to see your recipes and hand-scribed messages on the silicone outer sleeves! If you’d like to share, please email us!