Portion control is something that many of us struggle with or may not even realize is an issue. Restaurants commonly serve up greater quantities of food than should be consumed in a single sitting, and many of our kitchens are stocked with loose fruit and containers of food. Having an abundance of food at one's disposal creates an environment in which eating can become mindless, and having a clear idea of what a properly portioned meal should look like may be less obvious. This creates a major issue for those looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy one, so in order to keep snacks and meals balanced, becoming observant of portion size is key.
You might be surprised by how easy it is to overeat, but what you may find even more surprising is that the feelings of fullness that come with constraint-free eating can be achieved when eating in proper quantities. In an experiment conducted by Brian Wansink, Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, people in one test group ate soup from normal bowls while people in another group were served from bowls equipped with feeder tubes. The tubes supplied a steady stream of soup as the contents were eaten, thus providing the participants with bottomless bowls. Even though the group with self-refilling bowls ate 73% more, both groups reported to have experienced the same feelings of fullness. In fact, the group that ate more didn't believe that they had eaten any more than the group eating from regular bowls!
As seen in the experiment above, much of the issue with portion control relates to how much food is set before us, and this draws back the size of the plate you're eating off of. When serving food onto a larger dish, you may feel the need to fill it, and thus end up piling on too much. Eating off a smaller plate can easily fix this problem, or as another alternative, you could purchase a Meal Measure Portion Control Plate to ensure a well-rationed meal. These are great for home-cooked meals, but when eating out, you probably won't want to bring it along. In this case, if you choose to order a larger-sized meal, ask the waiter to have half of the food pre-packaged in a to-go container. This way, you won't be tempted to eat the whole thing at once!
Now, what about snacks? Those big bags of chips seem to be where most of the trouble is caused. To avoid carelessly dipping your hand back into the bag after you've had your fill, you could buy individually packaged snacks, or for a more economical solution, you could purchase the regular-size or bulk packages and pre-portion the goods yourself with plastic baggies.
This is easy enough for items like crackers and pre-sliced bread, in which the nuitrition label will likely give you a set number of pieces per serving, but other foods, such as nuts and meat, can be more difficult. With these types of foods, you're typically told the serving size in grams, which can get you into trouble when portioning with self-estimation. Instead of eye balling, I recommend purchasing a digital food scale (you can find these for around $7 - $25 on Amazon). With the scale, you can easily add or subtract food from its surface until you've met the appropriate number. Measuring cups are handy tools as well for foods like cereal and oatmeal, both of which are very easy to go overboard with when pouring directly into the bowl.
For additional tips on how to moderate your eating, check out this link from Cooking Light, as well as this link from Sharecare!
P.S. ~
With my newly increased school work load, I'll be cutting back to two posts per week. I'll now be posting on Tuesday's and Friday's, so be sure to check back in a few days!
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