A little about portion control.
There is no one-size-fits-all dietary solution for living with diabetes, but moderation and controlling the portion size of the foods you eat are great first steps toward responsible nutrition. This will help you monitor carb counts, manage blood glucose levels and match food intake to medication or insulin dosages.
It’s especially important to be diligent about weighing and measuring your portions when you’re first diagnosed with diabetes. As you become accurate and comfortable with your portion control, it’s okay to take a break. But recheck your accuracy from time to time to be sure that you’re still eating responsibly.
One easy way to start keeping track of your food portions is to note the serving size — and its nutritional values — listed on a food package’s nutritional label. Pre-packaged foods often contain multiple servings. Even those that barely look like a snack.
Learning to recognize appropriate portions of fresh, home-cooked and restaurant dishes and other foods without labeling is also important. Carb counts and other nutritional values can vary wildly based on portion size. Just because it’s available in your local grocery store or on the restaurant menu doesn’t mean you should eat the whole thing!
Here are some portion sizes you can learn to recognize without labels:
- 1 small potato = a computer mouse.
- ½ cup of pasta, fruit or ice cream = ½ a baseball.
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter = a ping pong ball.
- 3 ounces of meat or chicken = deck of cards.
Ask your doctor, registered dietitian or diabetes educator for more help with portion control.
