- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- moms today articles
- moms today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Going to Extremes
The Dangers of Diets and the Real Key to Long-Term Weight Loss
By Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.
According to the brochure, plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans should cover at least two-thirds of the plate. Fish, poultry, low-fat dairy and other animal-based foods should cover only one-third of the plate. Proportions like these help prevent cancer and other chronic diseases, researchers report.
The second emphasis is on portion. Skip super-sized meals, jumbo bagels, the second chicken breast and that third slice of pizza. To lose weight, you'll have to eat less.
The "New American Plate" brochure teaches you to eyeball your portions in accordance to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standard serving sizes. A meat serving (3 ounces) is the size of a deck of cards, dried fruit (one-quarter cup) is similar in size to a golf ball and pasta (one-half cup) is equal to a half of a baseball.
"If I want something, I just have to watch the amount," Plymale says. She recently bought several boxes of 
chocolate-covered peanuts because they were on sale. All went immediately into the freezer. "Now when I want them, I count out 15 at a time," she says. "That's enough of a sugar fix to last a few days. It isn't until you've been practicing portion control that you can resist the temptation of eating them just because they're there."
