HAMILTON, Ont. — Healthy eating starts with portion control. It’s no secret that fast-food joints have been upping their sizes during the past 20 years — but even healthy grocery store options are bulking up.
It’s easy to consult Canada’s Food Guide to find out how many servings of each food group you’re supposed to eat in a day — but what does a “serving” actually look like?
McMaster University dietitian Glenda Pauw suggests measuring your food for a day or two to get a feel for how much you’re actually eating.
“Measure your juice glass,” she said. “They’re notoriously big. The serving size for juice is four ounces (125 millilitres), but most of our glasses are at least 10 ounces (300 ml). That’s 2 1/2 servings!”
Most nutrition guides and the Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods are based on a 2,000-calories-a-day diet. This is a typical, healthy diet for a middle-aged woman with no health concerns.
For an average male around this age, she says 2,500 calories is acceptable.
Even for those looking to lose weight, Pauw insists it’s important to eat three full meals a day.
“It’s important to keep a balance. Not eliminating a specific food group or meal, but shaving a bit here and there. Go for skim milk instead of two per cent. Watch how much dip you eat with your veggies.”
The biggest food group to be conscious of is fruits and vegetables. We don’t eat enough. Pauw’s rule of thumb is to eat half a plate of veggies at each meal, whenever possible.
Canada’s Food Guide has different recommendations for different ages.
For women and men 51 years or older, the daily recommendation is seven servings of vegetables and fruit; six of grain products for women and seven for men; three servings of milk and alternatives and two servings of meat and alternatives (three for men).
The following menu is based on the caloric needs of a healthy woman, 51 years or older.
It contains seven servings of vegetables and fruit, six servings of grain products, three servings of milk products and two servings of meat and alternatives.
Breakfast
250 ml (1 cup) cold cereal (1 grain)
250 ml (1 cup) milk (1 dairy)
125 ml (1/2 cup) berries (1 veg/fruit)
Coffee with 50 ml (1/4 cup) milk (1/4 dairy)
Morning Snack
English muffin (2 grains)
15 ml (1 tbsp) nut butter (1/2 meat and alternatives)
Coffee with 50 ml (1/4 cup) milk (1/4 dairy)
Lunch
2 slices whole-grain bread (2 grain)
1 hard-boiled egg (1/2 meat and alternative)
15 ml (1 tbsp) low-fat mayo (oils and fats)
Sliced tomato (not really enough to count)
250 ml (1 cup) baby spinach (1 veg/fruit)
125 ml (1/2 cup) milk (1/2 dairy)
Afternoon snack
250 ml (1 cup) veggies (2 veg/fruit)
15 ml (1 tbsp) dip (oils and fats)
Dinner
75 g (2 1/2 oz) salmon fillet (1 meat and alternative) cooked with 15 ml (1 tsp) olive oil (oils and fats)
125 ml (1/2 cup) sweet potatoes (1 veg/fruit)
10 ml (2 tsp) margarine (oils and fats)
125 ml (1/2 cup) Swiss chard (1 veg/fruit)
125 ml (1/2 cup) canned peaches (1 veg/fruit)
Evening snack
175 ml (3/4 cup) yogurt (1 dairy)
250 ml (1 cup) cold cereal (1 grain)
2 small cookies (1 treat!)
Alternate Menu
Breakfast: 2 slices whole-grain toast with 15 ml (1 tbsp) peanut butter and 1 banana, 125 ml (1/2 cup) orange juice
Lunch: 250 ml (1 cup) green salad tossed with 125 ml (1/2 cup) tuna in a whole-grain pita, 250 ml (1 cup) milk
Afternoon Snack: 175 ml (3/4 cup) yogurt with 125 ml (1/2 cup) berries
Dinner: 250 ml (1 cup) whole-grain rice, stir-fried with 75 g (2 1/2 oz) tofu and 250 ml (1 cup) cooked veggies
Evening snack: 1 apple, 45 g (1 1/2 oz) cheese
Alternate Menu 2
Breakfast: 175 ml (3/4 cup) oatmeal with 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk, 1 peach
Morning Snack: 3 graham crackers, 30 ml (2 tbsp) nuts
Lunch: Pasta salad (250 ml/1 cup whole-wheat pasta, 125 ml/1/2 cup roasted red pepper and corn, 125 ml/1/2 cup broccoli florets and parsley, 1 hard-boiled egg tossed with vinaigrette), 1 orange, 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
Afternoon Snack: 175 ml (3/4 cup) yogurt, 125 ml (1/2 cup) berries