May 22, 2003

Prairie Fare: No Dessert, Just a To-Go Box

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

The other day I ordered a taco salad at a restaurant. When the server placed the heaping platter in front of me, I asked her if it was meant to feed my entire family.

She laughed and said they use at least a head of lettuce in each of their salads. Needless to say, I couldn’t make it through a head of lettuce plus a very generous portion of meat, tomatoes, peppers and cheese in one sitting.

If you ask someone about a new restaurant, portion size is often one of the first things mentioned. Large portions equate to "good value" to most people. Research has shown that the more people are served, the more they eat.

If you have no "expansion plans" for your waist or hips, remember you don’t have to eat all of it at the restaurant. Order your "to go" box up front, and don’t be tempted to overeat simply because the food is there. It’s much easier to curb overeating than to burn excess calories later.

I brought half of my salad home for my next day’s lunch. The rest of my ample portion tasted just as good the second day.

What’s the difference between a "portion" and a "serving" anyway? A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat. There’s no standard for portion size. A serving is a standard amount of food, such as an ounce or a cup.

Nutrition advice is generally given in serving sizes. For example, Nutrition Facts labels on foods and the Food Guide Pyramid include serving sizes.

The Food Guide Pyramid has been the standard for nutrition recommendations for many years. The serving sizes are probably a little smaller than you may think. Try this quiz:

1. What counts as a Pyramid serving in the grain group?

1. One slice bread
2. 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta
3. 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal flakes
4. Any of these.

2. What counts as a Pyramid serving of vegetables?

1. 1 cup raw leafy vegetables
2. 1/2 cup cooked or raw vegetables
3. 3/4 cup vegetable juice
4. Any of these

3. The Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings for a total of 5 to 7 ounces of protein-rich meat or meat-alternates (such as cooked dry beans, eggs, nuts). In addition to meat, poultry, or fish, which of these count(s) as 1 ounce from the meat group?

1. 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
2. 1 egg
3. 1/3 cup nuts
4. Any of these

The answer to each of these questions is "d. Any of these."

Here’s an easy-to-prepare main dish salad that combines foods from the fruit, meat and vegetable group with a little bit of the tip of the Pyramid.

Aloha Chicken Salad

1 (15-oz) can mandarin oranges
1 c. pineapple chunks
3 c. diced cooked chicken without skin
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. toasted slivered almonds (optional)

Dressing
1 c. reduced fat mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. orange juice

Drain fruit. In large bowl, mix all ingredients with the dressing. Chill.

Makes 6 servings. Each serving (with almonds) contains 400 calories, 25 grams fat and 20 grams carbohydrate. Each serving (without almonds) contains 315 calories, 18 grams fat and 18 grams carbohydrate.

###

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

[Editors: We’ve updated the illustrated column identifier for Julie Garden-Robinson’s Prairie Fare column. If you’re using an older version or if you would like to use the identifier, please download this printable EPS file. Prairie Fare (142 Kb eps file)]