It’s hard to manage your weight when eating more kilojoules than you use up. So being aware of the energy content of different types of foods can help.

Just as important is watching the size of the portions you eat.

Bigger portions tend to encourage us to eat more whether we really need to or not, so it stands to reason that if you have less food in front of you, the less you’ll eat and the fewer kilojoules you’ll consume.

Here are a few tips you can use to cut down on portion size and still satisfy your appetite:

• At home, serve food on individual plates instead of a serving dish on the table
• Avoid second helpings
• Put chips, nuts and other snacks in bowls or on plates rather than eating them straight from the pack
• When you’re eating out, order two starters or skip a course. If the menu allows it, order a small portion whenever you can
• At parties, avoid standing at the buffet table. Fill your plate with what you want and move elsewhere to eat
• Measure food with weighing scales or in a measuring cup to give you an accurate idea of what a portion should be
• Look on food packaging to find guidance on what constitutes an ‘average’ portion/serve

Controlling portions properly may mean you need to buy less food each week and could save you money.

One serve is equivalent to:

• 2 slices of bread
• 1 cup of cooked rice, pasta, noodles
• 1⅓ cups of breakfast cereal flakes or ½ cup of muesli
• 75g or ½ cup of cooked vegetables
• 1 cup of salad vegetables
• 1 potato

• 1 medium piece of fruit
• 1 cup of diced pieces of fruit
• ½ cup or 125ml of fruit juice
• 1 cup or 250ml of milk
• 40g of cheese
• 200g of yoghurt
   
• 65-100g of cooked meat
• ½ cup of cooked beans, lentils etc
• 80-120g of cooked fish
• ⅓ cup unsalted nuts
   
• 1 tablespoon of margarine
• 1½ scoops or 50g of ice cream