As any diet-conscious girl will tell you, Dubai operates a ‘more is more’ policy when it comes to portions. From starters big enough to feed four, to huge buffets, eating to satisfaction has been replaced by eating until your stomach begs for mercy.

So when super-slim Girls Aloud star NADINE COYLE whipped out a set of mini digital scales from her designer handbag at trendy London eaterie The Ivy last week, and weighed her fish and veg before sending half of it back, it got us panicking. Are we over-eating? How much is too much? Should we be weighing our salmon a la Nadine? We asked Dubai-based dietician Sandra Mikhail from the Al Mousa Medical Centre in Jumeirah to break it down for us...

The fact and the fiction
There are many misconceptions surrounding portion control, admits Sandra, who doesn’t recommend Nadine’s stringent use of scales. “There is a common myth that your stomach is the size of both of your fists clenched, therefore you should not eat more than that amount,” she says. “That’s not true. You should focus instead on striking the right balance between the five food groups – breads and cereals,
fruit, vegetable, dairy, meat and meat alternatives.”

Your daily allowance
4-5 servings of breads and cereals (one slice/half a cup per serving)
1-2 servings of meat and meat alternatives (100g steak/ ½ small chicken breast/ 2 slices of roast meat/ 2 eggs)
2-3 servings of dairy products (300ml milk per serve/ 2 slices of cheese/ 200g low-fat yoghurt)
2-3 servings of fruit (one on average per serving/ 20 small grapes/ 1½ tablespoons sultanas)
4-5 servings of vegetables (one cup salad/ ½ cup cooked veg/ one medium potato per serving)

Tips to avoid over-eating

  • Eat slowly End savour your food.


  • Leave a maximum four-hour gap inbetween meals.


  • Keep serving dishes off the table, so you won’t add more to your plate.


  • Put your fork down between mouthfuls.