Be Aware of These 7 Portion-Size Blunders

When it comes to losing weight, you inevitably will need to start eating more high-quality whole foods.

You're going to have to learn how to cook, you're going to have to shop for groceries, and you're going to get healthier. Portion size, or how much you eat, is equally important and is easy to get wrong.

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A lot of foods we eat that are supposed to be healthy we overdo it on. An acai bowl is healthy, but when you think of the full nutrient profile, there are added sugars, sodium, and more. They call this the health halo effect. Once you start understanding portion sizes and logging your food, you're going to get a better understanding of your intake and you can start reaching your goals faster.

Below are seven portion size blunders you could be making. While you can have more than a "portion" of something, it's important to know that many foods on this list full of nutrition, but also full of calories. If you don't measure these foods, you may have a calorie surprise that swings the scale the other way.

Seven Position Blunders

#1 - Avocado

• Portion Size: 1/3 to 1/5 of a medium-sized avocado
• Portion Mistake: 1/2 to a full avocado.

Avocados are a great choice because you can add them to anything. You can make brownies, toast, or top your favorite fish or potato dish. While avocados are a healthy fruit, the calories add up pretty quickly.

There are 235 calories in one medium avocado. Those extra calories could be the reason your scale isn't budging.

The Fix

There are two ways to essentially fix this — log your food to show the appropriate amount of avocado or simply cut the avocado into quarters and only eat one quarter. This helps keep your calories in check and keeps any surprises at bay.

#2 - Granola

• Portion Size: 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup
• Portion Mistake: Fill up your cereal bowl

Granola is one of those foods that taste great and make for a great breakfast, snack on the go, or midnight snack. Many store-bought varieties add a lot of sugar, which can cost you 400-500 calories per cup with more than 20 grams of sugar. It's tasty, it's easy, but being heavy handed with granola could slowly blow your diet and hard work.

The Fix

Instead of buying store-bought granola, try making your own granola with natural sweeteners from fruit, use it as a topping for your yogurt (yum) or put some in a veggie-packed smoothie.

#3 - Fruit Smoothies

• Portion Size: About 10-12 ounces
• Portion Mistake: A tall 20-ounce cup from your local smoothie shop

Nothing is more refreshing than a nice smoothie full of your favorite fruits. Smoothies are full of nutrition, but many are also full of lots of calories and sugar. In order to get the most out of your smoothie, consider splitting it with a friend or saving half for later. This can help you control how much you consume.

The Fix

Try adding vegetables or a source of protein like a nut butter to create a more well-rounded meal or snack. There's nothing wrong with a smoothie, you just need to account for the calories or split your servings up.

#4 - Bagel and Cream Cheese

• Portion Size: A bagel the size of an English muffin or Lender's bagel — around two ounces instead of four, 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
• Portion Mistake: A whole over-sized bagel with four to five tablespoons of cream cheese.

My mouth is watering as I write this, but getting portion sizes right on this is important. Diabetes and pre-diabetes are conditions where your body does not properly process food into energy. This can be brought on by consuming excess added sugars — and bagels can be full of them.

Overeating cream cheese adds to the equation because now you're getting more calories than you bargained for and it is full of saturated fat.

The Fix

While there's nothing wrong with a bagel and cream cheese, making sure to go easy on the cream cheese and trying to choose a smaller bagel size could help. For example, eating half of a bagel with cream cheese could help. Try other toppings like a protein-rich hummus for a new flavor.

#5 - Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream

• Portion Size: 1/2 cup
• Portion Mistake: 1-2 cups

Ice cream and frozen yogurt make for some of the best tasty treats. But not all frozen yogurts are healthier than their ice cream counterpart. Overestimating serving sizes can add more saturated fats to your diet, while some frozen yogurts have more calories than traditional ice cream.

The Fix

Try creating a healthier version such as banana "nice" cream, creating some homemade frozen yogurt, or start using a measuring cup to get a more accurate portion.

#6 - Pasta

• Portion Size: About 10-12 ounces
• Portion Mistake: A tall 20-ounce cup from your local smoothie shop

Nothing is more refreshing than a nice smoothie full of your favorite fruits. Smoothies are full of nutrition, but many are also full of lots of calories and sugar. In order to get the most out of your smoothie, consider splitting it with a friend or saving half for later. This can help you control how much you consume.

The Fix

Try adding vegetables or a source of protein like a nut butter to create a more well-rounded meal or snack. There's nothing wrong with a smoothie, you just need to account for the calories or split your servings up.

#7 - Olive Oil

• Portion Size: One tablespoon
• Portion Mistake: Drizzling over your salad or into your wok, easily reaching up to three tablespoons

I almost exclusively use olive oil when I cook and I know I have issues with the portion size of olive oil. Olive oil is rich in healthy fats and helps your body absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, while promoting cell growth. But with one tablespoon being a whopping 120 calories, it can add up quickly.

The Fix

Use your measuring spoon so you know exactly how much you are using. There's nothing wrong with using more than one tablespoon as long as you don't log you've eaten one tablespoon but you used three in your dish.