When it comes to eating out at restaurants, don't expect to be able to exercise portion control.
That's because — due to relatively low food costs and high customer demand — restaurant portions are closer to out of control, says writer Tom Sietsema in a recent column in The Washington Post.
Food writer Corby Kummer told Boston Public Radio that there are usually a few helpful assumptions to keep in mind when you go out to eat. Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.
"If you're going to get an entrée, assume it's twice the size that you should be having, and that you're going to take home half of it," Kummer explained.
In his column, Sietsema poses a simple, common-sense solution: for restaurants to use smaller plates. Kummer agreed.
"Let's have a dinner plate that's just smaller, like a bigger salad plate," Kummer said. "Then you'll have just as much food as you want, you won't feel cheated, and [a smaller portion] will look like it's filling the plate."
