Portion plate

We eat with our eyes and the size of our plate influences how hungry or satisfied we feel after eating a meal. Over the past few decades portion sizes served in restaurants and cafes have increased. In the USA, the average restaurant meal today is over 4 times larger than in the 1950’s, with Ireland following a similar trend. This can lead to over-eating, which in the short term can lead to an uncomfortable fullness after eating, and in the long term can lead to weight gain due to an excess calorie intake.

But how do we know how much to eat? Ideally, we would listen to our internal hunger and fullness signals. However, for many different reasons, a lot of us are out of touch with these signals. Sometimes we don’t sense hunger until it is quite intense. Other times we may not notice we are full until we are quite uncomfortable. Neither of these are pleasant experiences.

Therefore, we have designed a portion plate to help guide you. The plate is split to guide you to eat balanced meals and healthy portion sizes. A good rule of thumb is to aim for half a plate of vegetables/salad, ¼ plate of lean protein and ¼ plate of wholegrain carbohydrates. Portion size guides are included on the back of the plate.