Did you know? A Serving Shocker

Even when we are trying to be careful, there are things waiting to sabotage our best efforts.  Without  steely resolve, supportive friend power and sometimes a handy calculator, every dining choice is loaded with treachery. Yikes!

Let’s say we want to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.  That means we need to reduce the amount of food  we eat each day by 500 to 1,000 calories.  (500 calories less x7 days = 3500 calories less to have lost 1 pound.)  Or, let’s say we’re happy at the current weight and of medium build, eating about 1600 calories a day, is approximate.  Either plan is do-able, provided we keep a close watch on portion sizes, nutrition labels and calories.  Otherwise, the number of servings we’re getting in, even seemingly healthy food like grilled chicken and orange juice, might shock us. 

PASTA: 

• What we get

Order a bowl of spaghetti at a restaurant and you’ll likely get 4 cups of noodles, which exceeds the entire day’s recommended amount of grains by 2 servings.

• What we Lose

We have already consumed half of the 1600 calorie diet for the day. Ease-up on grain until the next day.

Bagel:  

• What we get

There are 4 servings of grains in the average 4-ounce store-bought or bakery bagel.  One serving of pasta fits in the palm of your hand.

• What we Lose

Polishing off 1 full bagel practically maxes us out for the 5 ounces of grains a day the USDA recommends.  Half a mini bagel is a true single serving.  Nutrition Fact:  Nutritional information found on  food labels is based upon a diet of 2,000 calories a day.

Steak:  

• What we get

Plenty; actual more than enough.  A 5-ounce steak might be the smallest we find at the grocery store.  That will give you 250 calories and 8 grams of fat.

• What we Lose

The USDA recommends 3-4 ounces of lean meat each day.  An egg at breakfast and a sandwich for lunch leaves about an ounce of meat for dinner, or about 1 bite.  A typical restaurant steak is 10 servings of meat.

Chicken Breast 

• What we get

Chicken breast at the grocery store weight about 7 ounces, and contain 22 calories and 2.5 grams of fat.

• What we Lose

If we enjoy chicken plumped with water and salt, we’ll be on the fast track to exceeding the daily 2400 milligrams of sodium(about a teaspoon) the USDA recommends.  A raw chicken breast can contain 1,000 mg of sodium.

 

Orange Juice  

• What we get

A delicious drink with zero fat, but 100 calories for every 8 ounce cup.

• What we Lose

The USDA says on service of fruit juice is a 1/2 cup. Most of us pour one or two cups into a glass, giving us 2 to 4 serving of fruit, according to Melinda Johnson, MS, RD a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association(ADA).  There are 4 serving of fruit in the USDA’s 1600 calorie diet.  A glass of orange juice can contain 40 g of sugar.

Source: Your Health