I grew up living next door to a long-married couple, still vibrant, and lean, even in their later years. They had active lives, and were always fashionably dressed.

These elders were important role models for youngsters who paid attention to the life lessons they taught by the way these two lived their lives.

I have never forgotten that while they did enjoy eating in restaurants, or neighborhood diners, the couple went to eateries with a disciplined strategy. They ordered only one meal, and split it between them, knowing they would be healthier longer if they ate just until they were satisfied, and then stopped.

Today, restaurant meals are even larger than they were in my youth…as are beverages served with those meals. We now have a new, and inaccurate, perception of what an appropriate serving size should be, for satisfaction, and weight management. Getting accustomed to these giant size meals may have an impact on the portion sizes served at home.

Research has shown that subjects in studies do tend to clean their plates, eating every morsel, even if they have been served unnecessarily large portions. Eating more than we need leads to weight gain, discomfort from over filling the stomach, and health issues.

The visual memory of certain objects, and the serving sizes they represent, can help us avoid weighing and measuring foods to determine if they are appropriate in size, and within your caloric budget. The following are good examples of these useful visual memories.

A baseball [or a fist] = 1 cup, a golf ball [or large egg] = 1/4 cup serving, a deck of cards = 3 ounces, a thumbnail [or 1 quarter] = 1 teaspoon, 3 dice = a 1 ounce serving. From my own experience, I know that 1 slice of packaged American cheese is about 3/4 of an ounce, and that is a visual memory I find myself using to keep portions under control.

Here’s to our health.

Dateline: Town of Colonie, Albany County, New York’s Capital Region