The Correct Portion Size for These 5 Foods Will Blow Your Mind
We all love a good guilty pleasure and while there is no shame in indulging in these types of snacks from time to time, knowing the correct serving size of our favorite treats is important, especially since it isn't always common knowledge.
Limiting your intake of these "empty-calorie" foods is ideal for sustaining optimal health and energy levels, which is why seeing how much one serving actually looks like is key so you don't overeat something that doesn't offer as much nutritional value as other, whole foods do. Poundtoy did a round-up of a few snacks that kids, in particular, are drawn to and illustrated what the portion size looks like for each and we couldn't help but to share!
Potato Chips
Adults and children alike love a good salty snack and what better option than potato chips or a stack of Pringles? Let's say you reach for the Pringles. Instead of devouring the whole sleeve, why not opt for just 15% of the package or about 13 chips? That way you only consume 154 calories at snack time instead of over 1,000. (Related: What Happens to Your Body When You Eat a Bag of Potato Chips).
Jelly Beans
Jelly beans are the whole package—they're colorful, sweet, and chewy. However, that doesn't mean you should eat the whole package. In fact, the recommended serving size is only 10 beans, which is about 92 calories. Everything is alright to have in moderation, and eating 10 jelly beans every few days shouldn't be of any concern.
Cereal
Nestle Cheerios Multigrain cereal is sweet, crunchy, and bite-size, which makes them the perfect snack to enjoy while on the go or in a park. However, how much is one serving, exactly? According to Poundtoy's research, 30 grams or about 8% of the entire bag is about one serving, and one serving of this cereal is only 115 calories. (Related: The Most Popular Kids' Cereal the Year You Were Born).
Chocolate
Cadbury dairy milk chocolate is creamy, smooth, and overall irresistible, which is why it's even more important to know exactly how big one serving is because it's very tempting to demolish the whole bar in one sitting! Try sticking to jsut five chunks at a time, or one-eighth of the bar, as that alone is 133 calories.
Coca-Cola
Last but not least is one of the most beloved soft drinks of all time: Coca-Cola. This one is pretty easy to calculate—you just need to limit yourself to half.
For more, check out 15 Classic American Desserts That Deserve a Comeback.
