Portion size

Portion size often has a bigger impact on a meal's calories than the dish itself. A portion of pasta can be 80 grams or 250 grams dry – the difference between about 280 and 880 kilocalories, before the sauce is even added. Once you get a feel for amounts, you don't need to weigh or count anything.

You always have the simplest tool with you: your hand. It grows with you and so automatically adapts to your age and body size. Germany's Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE) recommends the hand measure: one fist for fruit or sides such as rice and potatoes, two handfuls for raw vegetables and salad, one palm for meat, fish or tofu, one thumb for fats such as oil, butter or nuts. For children, the same rule applies using a child's hand – which is why children's portions are naturally smaller.

Studies show that we eat more from bigger plates, bowls and packages without noticing. A plate 24 instead of 28 centimetres in diameter looks fuller and is just as filling. Second helpings count too: if the pot sits on the table, people help themselves more often than when it stays in the kitchen.

The order on your plate matters: fill up on vegetables and protein first, then add the side. That keeps satiety high and energy density (calories per gram of food) low. A second plate of vegetables is always allowed.

Children shouldn't have to watch their portions: they usually regulate how much they eat well on their own if the right food is on offer. Parents decide what comes to the table – children decide how much of it they eat. Being made to “clean your plate” throws the natural feeling of fullness off balance.