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Using Smart Portion Sizing to Cut Calories
By now, it probably comes as no surprise
that many, if not most people in North America and the UK eat way too much.
A plate of food at a restaurant is on average 4 to 6 times larger than a
recommended portion size. At the market, labels tell us about the calories
contained in one serving, but even an “individually sized” bottle or package
often has three or four servings in it.
We are also generally accustomed to finishing whatever is put in front of us
at the table. This is defined as “completion compulsion” by researchers, and
it causes us to see food as units that need to be ingested in full in order
for us to feel full.
In fact, studies have shown that people given a small plate of food will
feel just as satisfied after a meal compared to people given larger plates
of food. Unfortunately, we are psychologically hung up on equating meal
satisfaction with eating all the food placed in front of us.
And so we are in the grips of an obesity epidemic. However, the solution
lies not in trying to live off grapefruits and cabbage soup, but in eating
smaller portions of the foods we enjoy. In this way, we can significantly
decrease our daily caloric intake without depriving ourselves of the things
that add so much color and flavor to life.
Knowing Portions
The average portion size is much smaller
than most people think. Portions are usually averaged out to contain between
90 and 160 calories. Foods that are calorie-dense come in very small portion
sizes. For example, one half (40 grams) of a small slice of cheesecake
contains 130 calories. On the other hand, 40 grams of a food like lettuce or
spinach barely contains 10 calories and fills a salad bowl.
The above examples make a good point that can generally be applied to what
we eat, which is that calorie-dense foods tend to be unhealthy. This means
that the calories you take from these foods are coming from bad fats and
simple carbohydrates. On the other hand, naturally low calorie foods tend to
be more nutritious, and much less fatty.
The key to cutting calories then is to know the calorie content of the foods
you are eating, and to eat small portion sizes of calorie-dense foods, and
moderate portion sizes of lower calorie foods.
Reducing Portion Sizes
There are a few relatively simple ways in
which portion sizes can be painlessly decreased in order to cut calories.
To begin, always start a meal with a large salad or bowl of broth-based
soup. Filling up on low calorie foods will help you avoid binging on the
fats and carbs to follow.
Using small plates will help to regulate portions. Serve great big bowls of
salad, and small plates of meat and potatoes. You can also try serving food
in the kitchen, instead of at the table, so that there are not a lot of
extras lying around to help yourself to seconds from.
Better yet, you can avoid the problem of second helpings altogether by not
making too much food. We all have that little voice in our heads telling us
that we’re not making enough: “add another cup of dried pasta,” it whispers,
“and don’t be so stingy with that creamy sauce.”
Just remind yourself that no one is going to keel over if they don’t have
seconds and leftovers for weeks. In fact, although you might get some
complaints at first, everybody will be better off without leftovers to
snack
on all night.
Of course, even if you have your home life locked down, there are still all
those meals out at restaurants and friends’ homes. At restaurants, a good
policy is to eat half of whatever is on your plate, and take the other half
home. In this way, you make one meal into two. The calorie savings are huge!
It can be difficult to eat moderately as a guest at someone’s house where
overeating is often considered the polite thing to do. A good strategy is to
try everything in very small amounts. This way, you show your appreciation
for your host’s efforts without gorging yourself.
Portion Sizing to Lose Weight
To shed a pound, we need to
burn 3500
calories. This means that if you can cut 500 excess calories out of your
diet every day, you can safely lose one pound each week. For example, have
one egg instead of two at breakfast; have one tablespoon of dressing instead
of three or four on your salad at lunch, and have one cup of
pasta instead
of two for dinner. There’s 500 calories gone just like that thanks to
reducing portion sizes.
Smaller portions allow us to enjoy a greater variety of foods more often
throughout the day and throughout our lives. If we consume fewer calories
now, we can continue to enjoy delicious foods in the years to come. But if
we pig out, our health will continue to go downhill, and someday we’ll find
ourselves in a hospital bed eating nothing but grapefruits and cabbage soup
whether we like it or not.
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