A few days ago I was with my sister in Madrid, Spain, doing window shopping (nowadays, with the fall of the dollar against the euro, it is difficult to do any other kind of shopping in Europe). After wandering for a while, we took a break and went to a cafeteria.

I ordered a bottle of water and my sister asked for a coke. As I watched the waiter placing the 12-ounce glass of soda on our table, I waited for my sister to say something like: can you bring me a larger soda? This is too small. But I waited in vain because she didn't say a word. She seemed to be pretty satisfied with the size she was served and during the two hours we spent at the cafeteria, she didn't order anything else.

As I was conversing with my sister, a bothersome thought kept coming back to my mind: what do Americans think when traveling in Mediterranean countries and presented with such small sizes of soda? In the United States we are used to be served "supersizes" and we feel we are not getting our money's worth when presented with anything shorter of that.

The Mediterranean diet: the portion factor

Much has been written lately about the benefits of following a Mediterranean diet to prevent the so called "prosperity diseases", especially heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and overweight. And many of us know, the virtues of the Mediterranean cuisine reside in the selection of its basic elements: fruits and vegetables, grains, fish and seafood, olive oil and red wine in moderation. But are we aware that a very important element of this diet is the portion factor?

Looking at how much and how often you eat, counts

If you have made the decision of eating healthy and according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet, no matter how close you follow this diet, all the potential health benefits will be lost if your portions are double of what they should be. Why?

Because portions such as the ones we are used to in the United States lead to obesity. And obesity leads to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, the same chronic diseases Mediterraneans have avoided for centuries thanks in part to the adequate portions they eat or drink.

So, how do you know what is considered a "normal" portion? Health authorities have already established food guidelines to help you in this area so you can do the following: