From matchbox-sized cheese to meat no bigger than a deck of cards – what the portions you eat should really look like

Laurence Forrest,

BEATING the bulge isn’t just about watching what you eat – but how much you are scoffing too.

In the past 50 years, the size of an average dinner plate has grown six centimetres — it is now 28cm (11in) compared to 22cm (8.6in) in the Seventies.

Meals have really got out of proportion since the 1970s - wine glasses are much bigger now than they were then

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Meals have really got out of proportion since the 1970s – wine glasses are much bigger now than they were thenCredit: GettyA dinner plate was six centimetres smaller on average fifty years ago

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A dinner plate was six centimetres smaller on average fifty years agoCredit: And our appetites have expanded to fill the plates, too

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And our appetites have expanded to fill the plates, tooCredit:

And our appetites have expanded to fill it, with the average size of many of our meals, from fast to restaurant and supermarket choices, increasing by 138 per cent in the same period.

Similarly, back then a standard wine glass held 200ml.

Today some glasses hold 250ml — a third of a bottle — and the bigger glass makes us gulp it down faster.

Health experts believe many of us now have “portion distortion” and our waistlines are paying the price for our regular overeating.

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Researchers at found we can cut around 279 calories a day, roughly 12 to 16 per cent of the fat we get from , if we avoid overfilling our plates.

But how do you stop supersizing your meals?

Here is our handy guide to what proper portion sizes should look like by comparing them to everyday objects . . .

You should have one piece of baguette that's the length of your hand

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You should have one piece of baguette that’s the length of your handCredit: SuppliedYou should have 5g of butter or spread - the size of one dice

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You should have 5g of butter or spread – the size of one diceCredit: SuppliedYour cereal should be as big as three poker chips

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Your cereal should be as big as three poker chipsCredit: SuppliedAnd you should only have 20g of chocolate - the size of four postage stamp-sized squares

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And you should only have 20g of chocolate – the size of four postage stamp-sized squaresCredit: SuppliedYour cooked meat should be as big as one deck of cards

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Your cooked meat should be as big as one deck of cardsCredit: SuppliedAnd have one piece of fruit that's the size of a baseball

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And have one piece of fruit that’s the size of a baseballCredit: SuppliedYou should have only 30g of hard cheese, as big as a small matchbox

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You should have only 30g of hard , as big as a small Credit: SuppliedYou should have only two tablespoons of peanut butter - as big as one ping pong ball

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You should have only two…..

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