Portion Sizes

Too much?

A set of measuring bowls

Like almost al of the developed world, the number of overweight and obese people in Ireland is continuing to increase. This is partly because we have become less active and eat too much of the wrong types of food.

Portion sizes becoming bigger than they used to be. Some examples are obvious, like popcorn at the cinema or the supersize options in fast-food restaurants. But the truth is that even the sandwiches we buy at lunch-time and the meals we cook at home are often larger than they need to be. Here are a few tips to help you eat the right sized portions:

  1. Leave a little room in your stomach when you eat. Filling your stomach means you’re eating too much. Eat slowly, and stop when you start to feel full
  2. Make some little food swaps - small changes really can make a big difference. Here are some ideas to get you started. But have a think about your own diet and what other changes you could make yourself:
  • Switch from a white baguette with cheddar cheese, rashers, lettuce and coleslaw to a brown bread sandwich with ham, lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes
  • Switch from a large Danish pastry to a scone for breakfast
  • Switch from a thin-crust, cheese-loaded pizza to a thicker-based pizza with more veggies and less cheese. Or better still, make your own!
  • Switch from a large, full-fat cappuccino to a small, reduced-fat option
  • Switch from a side portion of chips to a smaller portion of oven chips or homemade wedges

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