Even if you follow a healthy
eating plan, if you eat more
than you need to, it will be difficult to
manage your weight. Yet the increasing
portion sizes of packaged foods, fast
foods and restaurant meals, alongside
bigger bowls, plates and glasses, makes
it easy to eat more than we need.
Research has shown if we are
served larger portions we will eat
them without feeling any fuller or
reducing our subsequent food intake.
In fact, a 2016 review, combining the
findings of 56 studies on the effect
of smaller plates on food consumption,
found halving our plate size leads toBe a
mindful
eater
Getting portion sizes right comes
back to eating mindfully. This means
being able to distinguish true physical
hunger from the desire to eat, and
learning to eat according to appetite
rather than for other reasons such as
habit or emotional eating. Studies
show that eating while involved in
other activities, such as watching
TV or driving, can lead to overeating,
without satisfying your appetite as
well as when you are focused only on
your meal. Putting all food (including
snacks) on a plate or in a bowl, rather
than eating out of packets or while
on the run, is also important.Your action plan: Consider
your appetite before and during meals.
Don’t wait until you are starving to eat,
or you are likely to eat too much, but
you should be hungry when you sit
down for a meal. It’s time to stop when
you feel satisfied, but not full. Take time
to sit at the table and enjoy meals,
preferably in the company of others. ➤a commercially available portion
control plate and bowl to use, lost
significantly more weight after six
months. And a study of 42 overweight
Korean women with type 2 found that
providing a small rice bowl led to a
greater reduction in energy intake and
weight compared with women given
a larger bowl, although both groups
were given the same guidelines for
reducing their food intake.Your action plan: Use smaller
plates, bowls and cups. For packaged
foods, choose smaller serving sizes.
And, when eating out, choose
entree-size meals or stop eating when
you are satisfied, rather than feeling
the need to clear your plate.1
2
weight loss
an average 30 per cent reduction in
the amount we eat, particularly if we
are serving ourselves. On the other
hand, if we double our plate size, the
amount we serve and eat increases
by about 40 per cent.
Consistent with these findings,
a study of 130 overweight people
with type 2 found that compared
with those who only received dietary
education, those who were also givenPerfect your
portion sizesdiabetic living NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 93