Left: This portion represents a heavy serving of this meal. This is too much. Right: This is what one serving of this meal should look like. - photos by Yahneake Sterling

Yahneake Sterling, Staff Reporter

"What is this for my money? Dis ya food too little bit," I overheard a customer proclaiming quite loudly at a popular food joint recently.

"That is what one serving of each dish is like," the bewildered waitress replied.

This utterance is often heard and when eating out. It is not unusual to see a number of different serving sizes. Some big, some small and some just right.

People view getting value for their money (when it concerns food), as being equal to a packed plate of food and not the nutritional value of the serving portions they ought to have.

Eating larger portions of food than we should, means that we are consuming more calories than the body needs.

It therefore begs the question, are bigger food portions adding to the expanding waistlines we see in society today?

Research shows that an extra 10 calories per day could add up to a pound of weight gain per year.

Nutrition consultant, Dr. Heather Little-White, concurs that extra calories and larger portions of food do contribute to expanding waistlines.

Calorie intake

She reminds us that the calorie intake for women is 1,600 - 1,800 per day and for men, it's at least 2200 calories.

"You have to give and take the levels of activity as exercise relates to the calorie consumption of food. So if you are active then you will, of course, have to increase your intake of calories," Dr. Little-White explained.

Portion control she says is of importance. But just how much is the right portion?

"The portion that you need for one person is about three ounces of meat. Picture three domino blocks together, that should be your portion for three ounces," she said.

However, the depth (thickness) of the meat shouldn't be thicker than a paperback book.

When it comes to fish, it should be about half pound in size and be able to fit on a 10" plate.

For starches, one should have half cup of cooked rice or pasta etc. And each serving of vegetable should be a little bigger than the size of your fist (having more is even better).

Also, you should try to eat slower to ensure that you can enjoy the food more.