The Ultimate Guide To Portion Sizes And Your Grocery Budget

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

The Secret To Portion Sizes And Savings Is In Your Hands

Revolutionize your eating habits by mastering portion sizes. Find out how they can enhance your health and savings.

You eat more, you spend more, there’s no round about way to cover this up.

Before we start I just want to say that this is not about a diet it’s about a way of life and how eating healthy and with-in the limits of our body is very important to our well-being and our wallet.

A PORTIONED DIET ISN’T A DIET AT ALL; It’s a way of life.

It’s so easy to over-eat especially when we don’t take portion size into consideration.

Many of you would probably admit to never reading nutrition labels and have no idea what a portion sizes of cereal is.

I bet you’d be shocked to find out you probably eat enough cereal in one sitting for two to three people.

I know, I’ve pretty much come to realize that portion size is my best friend when learning how to control the amount of nutrition that goes into my body.

Since our son was born I haven’t been running as much as I used to and working out has went from every day to a few times a week or when I can fit it in.

Most parents can understand how hard it is to balance work, parenting and personal life all in one day but with time management it is possible.

It’s procrastination that gets the best of us and the same goes for our eating habits.

Food portions have always been a big topic in our family because we love to eat and we know we eat too much which also turns into, you guessed it….higher grocery expenses.

Portion Sizes Guide

Courtesy of National Heart, lung and Blood

Proper portion sizes depends on a few factors such as age, weight, health status, activity level and perhaps consulting with your doctor or health practitioner.

Eating  food portions doesn’t mean that you restrict the foods you it but rather it’s what some might consider food mindfulness.

Over the years portion sizes have increased in both Canada and the USA to fulfill the need of customers who want more for their money followed by competition.

The problem with that is too much food means overeating because it’s too hard to eat just a portion of food when eating out.

I’m one of the worst eaters when it comes to portion sizes which is why I decided to do my homework to learn more about portion sizes.

My biggest downfall is always the pasta portion and I’m sure many of you will agree that with me that it’s easy to eat too much pasta.

To combat overeating pasta I now use a smaller plate such as a dessert plate or small bowl for my pasta portion until I get a grip on serving size for my activity level.

Use Your Hands To Control Portion Sizes

I’ve always been told that a portion of protein begins with the size of your palm and to load up on vegetables the size of your fist although I likely double that as I’m a veggie guy.

Everyone’s hands will differ in size but use them as a measuring tool when you aren’t quite sure how much food you should be serving yourself.

What I wasn’t aware of is that a serving of carbs is one cupped hand and a serving of fat is the size of your thumb until Mrs. CBB told me about it.

I guess she learned this in her home-economics class and it was something that stuck in her mind.

I always like to learn about hacks when it comes to portion sizes because we don’t always have measuring utensils or nutrition labels at our disposal.

Ex: You’re at a party and there is a bowl of butter that does not come in portion sizes so you have to figure it out on a whim.

Knowing that your thumb is the approximate size for a serving of fat is a great way to take stress off your dining experience.

Portion Control Plates

You really don’t need to buy any fancy plates to control portion sizes as most people tend to use dessert plates, salad plates or smaller dinner plates in general.

Gone are the days where bigger is better at the dinner table however if you still use larger plates it’s important to make sure the food on your plate stands out.

The reason for this is because you will feel deprived.

When you go to a fancy restaurant you might notice your meal comes out in stages where the plate is far bigger than the meal.

Most of us laugh when we see celebrities eating or celebrity chefs plating meals stating that we’d be in starvation mode if we ate like that.

The problem is they are right and we are wrong.

Knowing When To Stop Eating

We tend to eat too much because we aren’t being mindful of portion sizes or fullness cues.

For example, you may feel pressure in your stomach or ache when you try to move but continue to eat.

What you see on television or in these expensive restaurants are portion controlled meals.

You only have to read the nutrition labels on any frozen dinner whether it be lean cuisine or any other portioned meal to realize you are probably eating too much.

We used to laugh at how little food you get in a lean cuisine meal but you really don’t need any more food unless your body needs the fuel because you’re burning it off.

One of our plates is portion controlled but it’s a Tupperware that has sections which helps not only to store and transfer food but to keep portion sizes in check.

We found them at Value Village for around two dollars plus taxes and I use them to bring my lunch to work.

You can also find containers on Amazon that will help you with meal prep and portion sizes if you want to plan in advance.

What I love about these containers is that they are already sized for the food portions which means no thinking is needed.

When you are just too tired to worry about portion sizes when packing a lunch, dinner or snacks these containers have you covered!

Kids Lunch Boxes And Portion Sizes

Another popular portion control type container that parents love to send their kids to school with is the Bento Box.

It’s great for the kids and adults who want to pack a lunch that is free of wrappers and controls portion sizes.

Actually, it was suggested by our son’s school during orientation that we invest in a Bento box as they have been popular with other parents and work well in the classroom.

Teaching your children about portion sizes from a young age will allow them to understand how much food they should be eating and help combat overeating as they grow older.

Meal planning always saves money and time so having the right containers portioned or not is essential to the success of your meal planning program.

I write about portion sizes as if it is a program  because it really is since it keeps you aware of how much food you are putting into your body. We should all be aware diet or no diet.

Reading Nutrition Labels

What is it that you want from a nutrition label? Knowing what you are looking for is half the battle.

Next is understanding what you are reading but these days it’s fairly easy to understand the metrics behind product labels and nutrition.

I’m NOT a nutritionist but what we do now is read nutrition labels a bit closer just so we know what we are buying.

Although we don’t often get into too much boxed foods or canned goods we do buy them and it’s important to us to know portion sizes, fat, carbs, calories, sugar and salt.

Those seem to be the most important parts of the nutrition label that we focus on as well how many servings are in the product.

You might be shocked to know that a large bag of chips has enough servings for 10 people.

That’s just a wild guess but my point is you don’t want to find out after you’ve wolfed down the bag.

Reach For Healthier Food Options

If eating out is your only option be aware of portion sizes because what you get doesn’t always mean you should eat it all.

Sometimes bringing a portion home to warm up later or splitting a meal on the road is better than buying two meals that perhaps would feed four people instead of two.

The classic burger and fries is a great example.

Photo credit at bottom of photo.

Grocery shopping can be tricky especially when you are teaching yourself a new way to eat healthy and controlling portion sizes.

The main suggestion I would give you is to stick to the perimeter of the store and only go down an aisle if you  must purchase an item on your grocery list.

This brings me to the grocery list which is essential to your success at the grocery store.

If portion control, budget control and healthy eating tick all the boxes on your list then be prepared in advance so you aren’t reaching for foods that are better left on the shelves.

Stop Eating When You’re fFull

Obviously portion sizes for adults will be far different from portion sizes for children but keep in mind that when you are full, you’re full.

The last thing you want to do is to pressure yourself or your child to finish food left on a plate.

This not only leads to guilt even into adulthood about not finishing up but potentially to overeating, just because.

Talk To The Professionals First

If you’re concerned about how much you should be eating and are not sure where to look for answers sometimes your best bet is your family doctor.

Getting a referral to a nutritionist or dietician in your area might help you to understand your body and the types of foods and portion sizes you should be eating.

Discussion: How do you portion the foods you eat?

Leave me a comment below and any other suggestions you’d like to add to my blog post.

What the fans are already saying about portion sizes on Facebook.

When the kids were small I used smaller plates for them. We do it for the grandson now. I expect everyone to take a little bit of everything but hubby is bad for not eating his veggies. Christine W.

Portion sizes…measure it or weigh it depending on what it is. I even measure my liquids because I am on fluid restriction. Mary C.

Smaller plate or bowl, no meatballs or meat in my pasta. Laurie L.

My dinner plates are square and so large we rarely use them and find our side dishes are big enough. Mary D.

As my partner is trying to diet, I portion smaller and more filling with healthier sides, filling enough that there are no late evening cravings. But my portions are 1/3 of what I give my partner, I’m smaller and try not to over indulge. Tara L.

 I use a luncheon plate instead of a dinner plate….and depending on the meal is how much goes on it. Colleen K.

I meal prep so it all gets portioned in containers. We don’t count fat or calories. I can have as many veggies as I want and I do. About 3/4 of our meal is veggies and 1/4 meat. I don’t eat much fruit as no grains at all. Cynthia B.

I use small luncheon plates for all my big meals, load up on veggies, then meat, and small amount of a carb aka potatoes rice etc. if I feel I want more, then i reach for veggies first. Dawn H.

Funny I was thinking of portion size today too . I plan to use smaller bowls here starting tomorrow. Donna P.

June Grocery Game Challenge

Join the 2018 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC) but before you do you must read The Grocery Game Challenge Rules and Print the 2018 Schedule which includes new prizes!

• Last shop May- How to successfully return food to the grocery store
• 10 Best Foods To Bulk Bulk When On Sale – June GGC #1

CBB Grocery Budget

Yearly grocery budget for two + 1 Toddler 2018: $3600 or $300/month (The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $300/year or $25/month.

Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings or that you would like to track on your own)

• Total Grocery Budget for this Month: $300
• Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $300-$13.63=$286.37
• Total Gift Cards used to date: $0
• Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
• Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
• PC Optimum Points to Spend: 3,200,000
• Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0

Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)

• Zweet -$0
• Checkout51- $1.50

Our Grocery Shop This Week

Food Basics

• Select Vinegar $1.99
• Kraft Peanut Butter $4.99
• Chicken Breast Halves $8.53
• Radishes $2.49
• Chopped Kale $2.99
• Romain Hearts $2.88
• Bananas $1.13
• Red onion $0.83
• Red Cabbage $2.38
• Fresh Ginger $0.73
• Red Tomato Clusters $1.75
• Radicchio $2.24
• Garlic $0.88
• Avocados 5 pck $2.88

Total Our-of-Pocket $33.81

Note: All totals below already have tax factored into them.

• Total to spend this month : $286.37
• Stockpile budget 2018 : $25.00/month
• Stockpile budget used this month: $25.00
• Christmas Reserve Fund : $35/month $210 Saved
• Total coupons used this week: $0
• Total coupons used to date: $1
• Total in-store discounts this week: $0
• Total in-store discounts to date: $116.54
• Total spent this week: $33.81
• Total spent so far this month: $183.29
• Total over/Under spend this shop:
• Total left to spend for the month: $103.08
• Total Spent To Date 2018: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $323.04+Feb $169.42+March $228.70 + April $337.84+ May $275.79 + June $+July $+August $+September $+ October $+ November $ + December $

Weekly Grocery Budget Overview

As expected this week we stocked up on fruits and vegetables to make salads which is our summer meal every day.

It seems easy enough to make salads in the kitchen and grilling protein on the BBQ.

I tend not to take a lunch to work apart from fruits and coffee because I work staggered hours where I can come home and eat without missing meals.

Lunch at home most often is leftovers.

Overall, a great week but we look forward to going to the market on the weekend where we can pick up some great Ontario produce deals.

Thanks for reading,

MR.CBB