Have you ever noticed antique dishware and the like at flea markets? And how tiny they are compared to today's dishware? Those itty bitty juice glasses represent portions of the past.Our cultural perception of what a "portion" is has become a, um, big problem. A study of 52 famous paintings of the Last Supper shows that plate size--and portion size--has gradually grown over the last 1000 years. They measured how big the plates were compared to the average head size in the painting. Here's the article.
On-line I found (but didn't buy) a portion control plate
designed by the "Portion Doctor." It's cute: half the plate is mapped out for veggies, a quarter (a serving about the size of a deck of cards) is designated for meat, beans, tofu, cheese, or other protein source, and the other quarter is for carbs. But grandma's plates, which were closer to the size of what's now a dessert plate, work fine.Reality check: I'm talking about my grandma's plates. I'm a grandma myself now, but my plates are *way* bigger than my head. OK, that's disturbing.
--Judith Allee
Parent Support Coordinator
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