How Portion Sizes Affect Your Health

Portion sizes play a huge role in your overall health, even more than the type of food you eat at times. Eating too much, even of healthy foods, can lead to weight gain and digestive discomfort, while too little may leave you low on energy and nutrients.

Many packaged foods and restaurant meals contain portions much larger than what your body actually needs. Learning to recognize proper serving sizes—like a fist-sized portion of protein or a cupped hand of carbs—can help you eat the right amount without strict dieting.

Controlling portion sizes also promotes mindful eating. Paying attention to hunger and fullness cues helps prevent overeating, supports weight management, and encourages a healthier relationship with food. Small adjustments to how much you eat at each meal can have a big impact over time.