Top Nutritional Tips, for a Stronger, Healthier, and Happier You Series
Portion Control
Have you ever heard the saying, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach?”
It’s easy to overestimate how much food you really need to consume in order to feel full and satisfied, which is why it’s important to go out of your way to monitor your portion sizes.
Before you grab a plate, remember that quality is more important than quantity.
Pay attention to what you’re about to consume, not how much. Just because you’re eating a salad, doesn’t mean its necessarily good for you. Dressings can contain simple sugars, chemicals, and heavy fat content.
In reality, eating too much of anything is bound to make you feel bad, regardless of how good it tastes. Just think about the last time you ate a few too many slices of pizza! Here are some tips for you when you’re creating your meals.
Portion Size of Meat: A grilled or broiled chicken breast, lightly seasoned, is a great source of lean protein. But it should be about the size of your palm, roughly 6-8 ounces.
You can also purchase a food scale to weigh your food before or after cooking for a more precise measurement. If it’s too big, trim some off and save it for your next meal!
Ease Up on The Pasta: Most people would probably agree that pasta is delicious, but a serving is actually about the size of your fist. That doesn’t seem like much.
Remember that pasta tends to fill you up very quickly. Have you ever felt bloated after eating too much spaghetti? Then you probably ate more than a fistful!
Invest in Smaller Dinnerware: You know those small plates that come with dinnerware sets, the ones that are supposed to be used for snacks?
Well, they can actually make great dinner plates!
Depending upon how small yours are, try using one of those for your next meal and take note of your level of satisfaction compared to eating off the larger plate.
Mentally, your brain sees a full plate, and though it isn’t as much food as the other plate, you are getting your fill and then stopping. With the larger plate, you would have continued until you had eaten too much.
Just remember that size matters when it comes to what you’re eating. Even if something is good for you, such as grilled chicken or a lean burger, you can still have too much of it!