Obesity is becoming more and more common these days. It seems like a lot of people are having trouble maintaining a healthy weight and one factor that could be contributing to this is the size of our portions. In fact, the majority of adults and 1 in 3 children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. And it makes sense! if you’ve watched the film “Super Size Me”, you already know that the portion sizes in American are significantly larger than those around the world. That’s also not to forget mentioning the vast array of unhealthy food options we have readily available to us on every street corner. But portions could play a much larger role than you may think. In fact, studies found that we tend to eat almost everything we put on our plates, so controlling the amount of food we serve ourselves can really help prevent overeating and boost weight loss. So, next time you’re dishing out a meal, consider taking a smaller portion to start with! In this article, we cover everything there is to know using portion control and how it can be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Contents
What is Portion Control?
Despite the name, portion control isn’t about eating tiny amounts of foods and leaving yourself feeling like a Starving Marvin after each meal. Instead, it is a simple and effective way to manage your food intake and reach your health and weight loss goals. It involves limiting the amount of food and calories you consume, without having to give up on your favorite meals altogether. It also helps combat that gross feeling of overeating too, but the main benefits are definitely for your overall health and wellness.
Portion Size vs. Serving Size
But first, let’s start by clearing up a common misconception about portion control versus serving size. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. A serving size is the amount of food you should be eating, as set by a food’s nutrition label, while a portion size is the amount you actually eat, which can vary.
Serving sizes are typically measured in cups or ounces, but it’s important to remember that they may not be the same as a standard portion. For example, the serving size of baked potato is the size of your fist, whereas a serving of peanut butter is the size of a golf ball. A serving of cooked vegetables is around the size of a baseball and a serving of cheese is four dices. Needless to say, not all serving sizes are the same.
Now, it’s important to mention that the number of servings you should have from each food group highly depends on your age, sex, level of physical activity, and overall health. It’s best to speak with your healthcare provider to get specific food and calorie recommendations for you. However, the general guidelines are:
- Grains: 6-8 daily servings
- Meats, poultry and fish: 6 or less daily servings
- Vegetables: 4 to 5 daily servings
- Fruit: 4 to 5 daily servings
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products: 2 to 3 daily servings
- Fats and oils: 2 to 3 daily servings
- Sodium: 2300 mg daily servings
- Nuts, seeds, beans and peas: 4 to 5 weekly servings
- Sweets: 5 or less weekly servings
And chances are, like most people, you consume far more than what is listed here and that’s where portion control will come in to help.
Benefits of Portion Control
As the saying goes, less is more and that’s certainly the case when it comes to portion control. However, making a change to the way you eat usually comes with its own set of challenges but knowing why you’re committing to smaller portions can be an excellent source of motivation to stay on track. So, let’s explore the benefits you can expect to receive from choosing a little less:
- Save money: You spend less money when eating smaller portions and you’ll also save more money from cooking at home.
- Improve digestion: By not overloading your digestive system with food, you can improve your digestive functioning and eradicate those uncomfortable symptoms of indigestion, such as stomach aches and cramps.
- Balance blood sugar levels: Overeating can result in your body getting more glucose than it should and overtime, this can lead to serious health concerns, such as diabetes and hypoglycemia. By eating less, you can tackle this issue by maintaining healthier glucose levels.
- Weight loss: This one goes without saying – the smaller your portions, the fewer calories you consume and the more likely you are to have a calorie deficit which is the most important step to losing weight.
- Boost satiety: When you portion control, you focus on higher quality foods that offer better satiety so you can actually end up feeling more satisfied after each meal.
How to Portion Control
Portion control is as simple as following the guidelines for servings as listed above. As mentioned, most people consume far more than what is recommended. For some people, this may be in every category and for others, they may consume the proper amount of meats but an overload of sweets and not enough vegetables. So, it’s important to look at the guidelines, track your servings and make adjustments as needed to reduce the amount of food you are consuming.
Tips for Portion Control
Reducing your food consumption is often easier said than done and retraining your brain and body to appreciate smaller portions can be a challenge, but it’s doable. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Know Your Plate, Bowl and Cup Sizes
Measure the size of your typical serving dishes, such as your plates, bowls and cups. For instance, pour your morning granola or cereal into your usual bowl and then transfer it into a measuring cup to see how much you get from that particular bowl. This will also give you an idea of how much you are consuming so you can easily make adjustments to your portion sizes to meet your health goals.
Start Sectioning Your Plates
One easy way to practice portion control is by sectioning your plate. A balanced meal should consist of the following portions:
- 1/2 plate of fruits and vegetables,
- 1/4 plate of proteins
- 1/4 plate of grains
So, the next time you plate your food, aim for half of it to be veggies and the other half to be filled with proteins and grains.
Order Your Restaurant Meals With a To-Go Box
Making healthy choices while dining out can be challenging, especially when restaurant portions tend to be much larger than a standard serving size. A helpful trick to avoid overeating is to ask for a to-go box at the beginning of your meal. Once your food arrives, immediately put half of it in the box and set it aside for later. This way, you can enjoy your meal without the pressure of finishing the entire plate in one sitting. Plus, you’ll have a tasty leftover meal to enjoy later.
Keep Servings Off The Table
A helpful tip for controlling your portions when eating at home is to prepare your plate in the kitchen and to avoid keeping any of the serving bowls on the table. This can reduce the temptation to eat more than you need because the food isn’t right in front of your face.
Downsize Your Dinner Ware
Using smaller plates for your meals is a helpful trick for portion control. Just think about it for a second: when you put a normal serving of food on a large plate, it may appear small, leaving you feeling unsatisfied. By using a smaller plate, you can make the same portion of food look like more, which helps you avoid overeating while also helping you feel fuller and more satisfied with your meal.
Make Your Plates Contrast The Food
Who knew that the color of your plate could affect your eating habits? Studies found that using plates that offer a color contrast to the food you’re eating can help you eat less. For example, if you’re having pasta with red sauce, try using a white plate.
You can also use this trick to eat more of something by doing the opposite; use a dish of the same color of the food you want to eat.
Eat Slower
Taking your time to eat can help you enjoy your food more and decrease the amount you eat. To achieve this, you can chew more slowly, put down your fork between bites or take a sip of water in between each bite. You’ll also want to eliminate any distractions to avoid eating aimlessly without noticing.
Portion control isn’t about eating less, per se. It’s about eating properly and finding a balance that works for you. So, embrace the journey of portion control, have fun with it, and savor every delicious bite while harnessing the benefits that follow.
