It’s likely that serving sizes are smaller than you think they are. Quick: what counts as one serving of pasta, if you said one cup… you’re wrong. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) one serving of pasta is a half a cup. Fortunately we can all enjoy more than one serving of pasta as part of a balanced plate, but not as much as you think. 

Research has shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25%. Meaning that we’re taking in more calories than we need, and it’s showing up on our waistlines: 34 percent of Americans are obese, and close to 33 percent are overweight. One of the simplest ways to trim calories is to control portions sizes, or the amount of food you eat at a snack or meal. Controlling portion sizes allows you to still eat the foods you enjoy but in a smaller quantities. 

Start by reading labels. What you find may shock you. Instead of opening that box of crackers and eating right out of box, read the label and portion out the number of crackers the manufacturer describes as a serving. At first, eating like this may be difficult, but over time and with enough practice it will become your new normal.