KITLIVING
comes in three free resources: a fridge
poster which provides an overview of the
advice; a booklet which expands on how
to put the portion guidelines into practice;
and a longer digital resource, which is
downloadable, with advice on portion
sizes for a wide variety of foods.
A helping hand
Bridget Benelam, Nutrition
Communications Manager at the British
Nutrition Foundation, says of the new
resources, "More often than not, portion
size is not something people give much
thought to. The amount we put on our
plate typically depends on the portion
sizes we are used to consuming, how
hungry we feel and how much is offered
as a helping at a restaurant table or in a
packet/ready meal. Nonetheless, in order
to maintain a healthy weight we should
ensure that our diets contain the right
balance of foods, in sensible amounts.
This isn't just about eating less; it's also
about eating differently."
When researching the portion size
guidelines, the BNF looked at data from
the National Diet and Nutrition Survey
(NDNS) on food consumption, and found
that there was a lot of variation in the
portion sizes people reported eating. Says
Benelam, "Our suggested portion size for
cooked pasta is 180 grams (254kcal) but,
for example, when we looked at portion
sizes for spaghetti, the most commonly
consumed size was 230 grams (324kcal)
and about 10% of the sample we looked
at were consuming 350 grams as a
portion, which would provide nearly 500
calories from the pasta alone, before
sauces and sides were added to the
meal."
Within its portion size guide, the BNF
has advised how often the suggested
portions of foods from different food
groups should be eaten during the day,
and demonstrates how to put this into
practice with an example meal plan. The
food groups include:
• Fruit and vegetables - 5+ portions/day
• Starchy carbohydrates - 3-4 portions/day
• Protein foods - 2-3 portions/day
• Dairy and alternatives - 2-3 portions/day
• Unsaturated oils and spreads - small
amounts
continued over
To download a copy of the
British Nutrition Society's
portion guide, click the image.