Healthy_Food_Guide_UK_-_January_2020

Limitred

andprocessed

meattoa maximum

of500gcooked

meata week(that

worksoutasabout

700g when raw).

MAIN MEALS

Eat to keep

hunger

at bay

Takesmallerbites

A studythatlookedatthedifferencebetweentotal

foodintakewhensmallandlargemouthfulsoffood

wereconsumedfoundadultsate119glessfoodin

onesittingwheneachmouthfulwasjust5gcompared

with15g.Thisis evidencethatweshouldallbetaking

smallermouthfulsforthesakeofourwaistlines.To

helpyoudothis,usea knifeaswellasa fork.Cutting

food upwillmeansmallermouthfulsaswellasslowing

downyoureating.Putyourcutlerydown

betweenbites,too– thatwayyou’llbe

lessprimedtoquickly shovel in the

next mouthful.

Eatingout?

Followthese tips to keep portions

sensible:

Lunchesanddinnersshouldprovide

around600 calories each as a general rule

L

EARNTORECOGNISEHUNGERANDFULLNESS.

Today’ssuper-sizeservingsmeana lotofuseatuntil

wefeelstuffed.Atthesametime,easyaccesstoan

endlesssupplyoffoodmeanswemayrarelyfeeltruly

hungry.Ourscale,below,willhelpyouidentifyyour

levelofhungerduringtheday.Ideally, you’d stay

above three and below seven.

STARVINGYou

needfoodand you

need it now!

UNCOMFORTABLY

HUNGRYYourstomach

physicallyhurtsandyou

can’t concentrate.

VERYHUNGRYYou’re

startingtogetphysical

signsofhungerand have

a rumbling tum.

A LITTLEHUNGRY

Youcouldhappilyeat

if food was offered.

NEITHERHUNGRY

NOR FULL You could

goeitherwayif food

was offered.

SATISFIEDYoucould

carry on eating.

FULLYouknowif you

carryoneatingyou’ll

feel uncomfortable.

VERYFULLYou’ve

eaten too much.

UNCOMFORTABLY

FULLYou’vehadtolet

out a notch on your belt.

STUFFEDYou’re

headingfor a

food coma.

Eatmoreslowly

It takes 15 to 20 minutesaftereatingforourbrainto

registerourstomachis full,soslowingdownatmealtimes

helpsuseatsmalleramountsandrecognisewhenwe

feelsatisfied.Oneoftheeasiestwaystodothisis to

cheweachmouthfulforlonger– fornineseconds

ratherthanthree,say.Choosefoodsthatneedmore

chewing– a steakratherthanmince,anappleinstead

ofberries.Onlyswallowwhena mouthfulis lumpfree

and finish every mouthful before starting the next one.

lPLAN

AHEADby

cuttingback

duringtherestofthe

day,havingsmaller

portionsatlunch

andswappingmore

substantialsnacksfor

fruit.It’seasierto

downsizeportions

beforeyougooutfor

dinnerratherthanthe

nextday.Makesureyou’re

notstarving,though,

otherwiseyou’llbemore

likelytoover-order.

lAVOIDthe bread

basket.

lORDERFIRSTsoyou

won’tbeswayedbythe

choices of others.

lHAVEASTARTEROR

ADESSERT, ratherthan

both.Don’tbeafraidto

ordera starterasyour

mainif portionslookbig.

lSKIPEXTRASIDES

includingonionrings,

extrafries,doughballs,

garlicbread,sweetpotato

wedgesandcoleslaw.

lSHAREDISHES

suchaschips,new

potatoes,mash,rice

andnaanbread.

lIFTHEMAINCOURSE

lookstoobig,askforhalf

tobeputintoa doggy

bagbeforeyoustart

eating.If youdon’t,you’re

likelytoendupeating

most of it there and then.

28 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDEJANUARY 2020