Tammy’s Tips 6

Portion control is a big problem for many people because we have become a society of excess. In a restaurant, one meal could easily be the equivalent of 3-4 serving sizes. Actual dinner plate sizes are 66% larger than they were several decades ago and we fill ‘em up. Also, many people don’t know how to measure portion sizes properly and generally UNDERESTIMATE how much they eat. Here are some tips to avoid overeating during your meals but also assist your body in its digestive and subsequent absorption of nutrient processes.

1. Follow the 80/20 Rule  (you may know of this as the Pareto principle for business) but it works very well for eating too.

The concept is to eat until you are 80% full. There’s no measuring or weighing of portions and it doesn’t matter how much is left over on your plate – if you LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. This may take a little practice especially if you’re used to wolfing down your meals, but this simple act of eating quickly also leads to overeating.

2. Allow about 20 minutes for the satiety feeling to kick in and get the “full” feeling. It takes about 20 minutes from the start of eating for the hormonal messages to be sent to your brain. These messages relay that A – you’ve begun eating and then B – when you’re satiated. If you generally can consume a plateful of food in 10 minutes – chances are you’ll be back for seconds or even thirds because you’ll think you’re still hungry.

3. Chew your food. Enjoy your meal. Think about how long it took you to prepare your meal vs. how long it takes for you to eat it. I don’t know about you but it really bugs me when I’ve planned and prepped for hours and it’s like a pack of wild animals came in and devoured it all before I’ve barely finished setting the table. By really chewing your forkfuls of food, you are assisting in mechanical digestion which will make the chemical digestion in the gut later, easier. All that work up front in the mouth will increase the effectiveness of the satiety feeling. So, chew slowly and well, savor the flavors and put your utensils down in between bites – think: conscious eating.

4. Drink a large glass of water 20-30 minute before sitting down to eat to help with feelings of fullness, continue to drink water throughout your meal.