Controlling Portions Doesn't Have to Control You
By Molly Lysaght, RDN, LD
Dietitian with The Little Clinic inside Kroger
Is there such a thing as portion-paranoia? Do I really need to be eye-level with a measuring cup when pouring my apple juice? How many tenths of an ounce do I aim for when cutting the perfectly sized filet of salmon at dinner time?
We all know that it isn?t only what we eat, but also how much we eat, that is important in helping maintain a healthy and balanced diet, as well as a healthy weight. But, portioning our meals and snacks doesn?t have to be taken from a page of a science-lab workbook, with scales and exact measurements, and the paranoia of being ?accurately portioned.?
Policing your plate and your portions can be counter-intuitive when we think in terms of real-world application and creating a relaxing and balanced approach to healthy eating habits. Portion control does not have to be so rigid, and neither should meal time!
Divide and Conquer
Prior to meal time, visualize a plate divided. Don?t worry, your foods won?t take it personally! Take one-half of the plate and reserve this space for your fruits and vegetables. With the remaining half of your plate, reserve one quarter of the plate for your lean protein and the remaining quarter for your grains/starch. Apply this concept at every meal and voil?- your plate is portioned and complete, sans scale.
Skip the hanger, not meals
You skipped breakfast and by 10 a.m. you?re ready to eat your own arm, you?re that hungry! With that level of hungriness, all hopes and desires of a well-balanced and portioned meal go out the window. Your impulses take over and you are simply looking for anything to satisfy your body crying out for nourishment!
When we don?t eat regular meals, we are more likely to overeat when we finally do. But eating regular meals, every 3-5 hours, can aid with improving portion control and decrease your likelihood of impulsive choices at meal times.
Bigger isn?t always better
In one study on the impact of package-size and consumption, it was noted that the larger the packaging, the more you?re likely to eat. Twice as much in fact! So how do you tackle the extra-large bag of potato-chips or package of girl-scout cookies hanging out in your pantry? Pre-portion tempting treats or snacks into smaller, snack-sized bags before putting them away. Also do this with healthy snack options, ahead of time, so that you have more options that are readily available and already portioned for you. You are less likely to eat more than you wanted and still enjoy the occasional ?treat? in moderation.
It?s all in the presentation
Consider the size of your plates, bowls, cups and glasses. 54% of Americans ?eat until their plates are clean?, regardless of the size of their plates. Studies have shown that time and time again, the larger the dish, the more we will serve ourselves. In one study, researchers gave participants either a 34 or 17-ounce bowl, and encouraged them to help themselves to ice cream. Those with the larger bowls dished out 31% more ice cream than their counterparts with the smaller bowls. Why? We perceive actual portion sizes of foods to be smaller when the serving vessel is larger. A regular-sized plate (8-9?) appears ?full? with your portioned spaghetti dinner on it. But upsize that dish to the typical 10-12? plate, and now our perfect portion looks a little puny. Downsizing those dishes may actually help you keep to actual portions versus perceived portions 