Face it, food portions all across the country, as well as here in Harlem are huge. Between the value meals at fast food restaurants, soul food and buffet-style restaurants, heaping plates of food are a normal part of eating out. It is no wonder that out-of-control portions are a major reason for the obesity epidemic around the country and in Harlem.

Already supersized?

Did you know that even if you don't super size your meal, the items you eat are likely much larger today than they were 20 years ago? It is not your imagination that a small soda at a fast food restaurant has disappeared or has been replaced by "regular" or "medium." The sizes of various foods such as burgers, bagels and popcorn at the movies have gotten bigger along with their calorie count.

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the smallest size of a bottle of a soda was 6.5 ounces 20 years ago, while the smallest bottle in 2008 is 16 ounces. This is a difference of about 165 calories!

Serving size vs. portion size

A serving size and a portion size are two different things. Serving sizes can be found on the nutrition label, however, portion sizes are what you decide to eat. The serving sizes on the label can serve as a guide to choosing healthier portion sizes.

Tools you can use to help you keep portion sizes in check.

• At a fast food chain restaurant:

Order a kid's meal for yourself or order the smallest sizes off the menu. This keeps your portion size reasonable. Unless you are sharing with someone else, don't order "value meals." They contain much more food than one person needs and many more calories.

• At a buffet restaurant:

"All you can eat" sounds like a deal, but do you really need all that food? Pace yourself. Fill one plate and eat slowly before you go for seconds.

• At a take-out restaurant:

If you buy a big container of food for lunch, eat half of it and save the rest for dinner.

• At home:

If you have a full set of dinner plates, use the medium sized plates. These are about eight to nine inches wide. The bigger plate sizes are about 10 or 11 inches and encourage you to eat more because you can fit more food on them. If you cook a big meal, serve yourself, friends and family members one medium sized plate of food each. Keep plastic containers nearby to pack away leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.