Which Of The Following Items Is A Good Cue For Estimating A Portion Size Equal To One Cup?

Figuring out how much to swallow while achieving or maintaining a good for you weight can be difficult. Getting the proper nutrients and eating the right corporeality for your weight and activeness level tin contribute to healthy crumbling. This article provides suggestions for how older adults tin get the nutrients they need inside a recommended daily number of calories.

A calorie is a unit that describes how much energy is released when your body breaks downwards food. Although calorie count alone does non dictate whether a food is nutritious, thinking nigh how many calories you demand tin guide healthy eating habits. If you are over age 60 and you want to maintain your electric current weight, how many calories do you lot need to swallow each day? The Dietary Guidelines suggest:

Unsure which activity category you're in? Consult the Dietary Guidelines for definitions of each level. You can increment your physical activity level by adding walking, jogging, dancing, recreational sports, and other similar approaches to your day.

Serving and portion sizes

A "serving size" is a standard amount of a food, such every bit a cup or an ounce. Serving sizes tin assist you when choosing foods and when comparing similar items while shopping, just they are not recommendations for how much of a certain food to eat. colorful measuring cups

The term "portion" ways how much of a food you are served or how much you swallow. A portion size tin vary from meal to repast. For instance, at abode you may serve yourself two small pancakes in ane portion, merely at a restaurant, you may get a stack of four pancakes equally one portion. A portion size may besides be bigger than a serving size. For example, the serving size on the nutrition label for your favorite cereal may be 1 loving cup, but you lot may actually cascade yourself 1½ cups in a basin.

Portion size tin can be a problem when eating out. To proceed your portion sizes under control, endeavor ordering smaller appetizers instead of an entrée as your meal, or share an entrée with a friend. Or eat merely one-half of an entrée and take the rest home to enjoy as a meal the next day.

Good for you food shifts

Eating the right amount is important, but so is making sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. Older adults often need fewer calories, simply more nutrients, which makes it essential to swallow food-dense foods. To swallow nutrient-dense foods across all the food groups, you may demand to brand some changes in your food and beverage choices. Y'all can move toward a healthier eating pattern by making shifts in nutrient choices over time. Hither are some ideas:

graphic with examples of healthy food shifts

Check out these tips for planning healthy meals as you lot go older.

Salubrious potable shifts

It'southward easy to forget about calories you consume from beverages. If you drink sodas, creamy and sugariness coffee drinks, or booze, swapping them out for healthier options can brand a huge departure. There are plenty of drinkable options that are low in added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium. Hither are some options:

graphic with examples of healthy beverage shifts

100-calorie snacks

Image of Make Smart Food Choices for Healthy Aging infographic. — Read and share this infographic to learn about making smart food choices for healthy crumbling.

Another way to think well-nigh the idea of food-dense and calorie-dense foods is to wait at a variety of foods that all provide the same calories. Allow's say that you wanted to have a pocket-sized snack. You might choose:

A seven- or 8-inch assistant
twenty peanuts
3 cups low-fat popcorn
Two regular chocolate-sandwich cookies
1/2 loving cup low-fat ice cream
1 scrambled big egg cooked with oil
ii ounces baked craven breast with no skin

These choices all take about 100 calories only provide unlike amounts of nutrients. The correct option for y'all may depend on what else you're eating throughout the day.

Eating salubrious is not simply about how much you swallow, it's also virtually what you swallow. Older adults should attempt to swallow foods that are packed with nutrients while limiting foods that are high in calories just provide few nutrients. Swapping out snacks and beverages with nutrient-dense alternatives tin aid you get the nutrients you need while staying within your recommended number of calories.

Read virtually this topic in Castilian. Lea sobre este tema en español.

This content is provided past the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure information technology is accurate and upwardly to date.