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Home » Dessert, nutrition education, what's for dinner

Portion size matters

Submitted by Judy on October 13, 2009 – 10:58 pm4 Comments
If you use a large serving bowl for dessert
you will probably fill it. Does this mean the
portion size is right? No. It probably
means that the portion is going to be, on
average according to our experiments,
about three times LARGER than it should
be. Over time excess calories can really
add up.
It’s time to line up smaller options. Explore
your cabinet or nearest dish outlet store.
Look for small sauce dishes that can
become petit dessert plates. Pictured here are sushi sauce dishes that doubled

DSC_8447

If you use a large serving bowl for dessert you will probably fill it. Does this mean the portion size is right? No. It probably means that the portion is going to be, on average according to our experiments, about three times LARGER than it should be. Over time, excess calories from over-sized portions can really add up.

For dessert dishes, it’s time to line up smaller options. Explore your cabinet or nearest dish outlet store. Look for small sauce dishes that can become petit dessert plates. Pictured here are sushi sauce dishes that doubled as dessert plates. We had fun mixing and matching with the dishes, berries, and sorbet flavors.

Members can receive a 2 page handout on this recipe and more – click here for more info

Here are the dishes:

DSC_8440

Raspberry sorbet with fresh berries

DSC_8431

Cabernet Sauvignon sorbet with fresh berries and shaved milk chocolate

DSC_8434

Passion fruit sorbet and fresh raspberries

DSC_8445

By serving the petite dishes on a small tray you allow the guests to pick and choose the flavors they like and it becomes a fun, gourmet style treat. This grand finale can help any home-cooked meal have a spectacular low-calorie finish that does not cost a lot. The portion control for the small container of sorbet helps us get many servings rather than a few big bowls.

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Here are a variety of sauce dishes from our Crate and Barrel Outlet – from the bargain area – I decided to mix and match to make it fun.

DSC_8449

And here is our #30 scoop that is one ounce. If you get used to using this scoop for fat-free ice cream and sorbet you will learn to use less and to judge portion sizes better. It also makes a gorgeous round ball. Our scoop was a little large so the serving size we used is about 1.5 ounces (volume). The package calls for 1/2 cup which is about 4 ounces (volume). We like to use a variety of fruits and we feel this was a fun and attractive way to manage portion control for dessert!

Members can receive a 2 page handout on this recipe and more – click here for more info

4 Comments »

  • [...] Food and Health Communications Food Blog » Portion size matters [...]

  • Great site with lots of useful information. Thanks for sharing.

  • Madalyn Friedberg RD CDN says:

    The restaurant chain “Seasons 52″ has small plates and small desserts, with calorie counts. Wish there was one near me. Seasons 52 is a wonderful concept. We always leave feeling satisfied and taken care of and certainly not hungry or uncomfortably full.
    Madalyn Friedberg RD CDN
    New York and Lenox MA

  • You “plate size” selection goes along with what some restaurants are now
    offering called “shooters”. The glasses hold about 3-4 ounces. You can
    have the most decadent of desserts and feel satisfied you got to have
    dessert without as many calories. For many, it’s a very important part of
    the meal. In fact, many people who aren’t really doing mindful eating are
    already thinking about dessert before they’ve even finished the entrée.

    I once got my husband a t-shirt that said “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert
    first.” For some, they eat dinner just to get to dessert.

    Regards,
    Roberta
    Roberta Schwartz Wennik, M.S., R.D.
    Nutrition Consultant, Culinary Nutritionist, Author, Freelance writer,
    Speaker, Spokesperson, MBTI specialist
    http://www.spinarecipe.com
    http://www.advantagediets.com