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Explore nutrition tips, kids’ meal plans, kids’ activities, recipes and more from pediatric nutritionist, Melissa Halas, MA, RDN, CDE.

How Can Teens Control Portion Sizes of Foods?

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How Can Teens Control Portion Sizes of Foods?

The only way around this big issue of growing portions is to begin to educate and train children and teens at an early age on what represents correct portions of foods. Teenagers typically don’t have measuring tools while they are out, so here are some quick and easy tips to help them manage portions when eating out or not at home:

  • 3 ounces of cooked poultry or meat looks like a deck of cards
  • A ping pong ball is the size of 1 ounce or 2 Tablespoons
  • The average woman’s fist is approximately the size of 1 cup
  • The average man’s fist is approximately the size of 1.5 cups
  • A tennis ball is about equivalent to a medium size piece of fruit
  • 1 ounce of cheese is about the size of 4 dice

An easy way to cut your portions when eating out is to always take half of the meal home; sometimes it may be hard to stop eating once you start, so just ask the waiter in the beginning to wrap up half for you!

 

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About the Author

Picture of Lauren Dorman, MS, RD, CDE, CPT

Lauren Dorman, MS, RD, CDE, CPT

Lauren is a registered dietitian certified in pediatric and adolescent weight management through the Commission on Dietetic Registration. She earned a Masters Degree in Nutrition from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from The Pennsylvania State University. She provides nutrition counseling and education for children and adolescents with diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. She also teaches an adult diabetes self-management course, and is a nutrition counselor for adult patients with types 1, 2, or gestational diabetes. As founder and owner of Control Type 1, she provides professional diabetes workshops to school nurses. Lauren is a frequently requested nutrition speaker for a variety of meetings, conferences, and annual symposiums.

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