Rejoice, rejoice the new year is here! A new start to the year can bring a much needed new way of eating; mind you anything would be a new way to eat after how I munched and sipped my way through the last few weeks of 2010! My promise to myself in 2011 is not to necessarily change what I eat but how much of it I eat. It’s all about the portion power! Portion control is a great way to keep your weight down but still maintain the foods you love. Just like the old saying, “everything in moderation”, taking control of what you put on your plate will help to keep your eating habits in check. Here are a few tips to help keep your perspective on portion control in perspective!
1. Find yourself with leftovers? Congratulations first of all that you didn’t eat the whole thing on the first go around! Second, try portioning the leftovers into individual serving sizes instead of one larger container. That way when you chose to either reheat or defrost and reheat, you will more likely only eat the one portion.
2. Portion out the wicked! Whatever your wicked food is; mine are salty snacks like potato chips, take the time to portion our small servings in zippered bags or containers. When you feel like a snack, you’ll be more likely to only eat the single serving rather than the whole bag!
3. Teeny tiny tummy! Have smaller mini meals during the day but more frequently instead of 3 large meals. We can sometimes find ourselves with 8 hours between lunch and dinner which causes overeating when you do finally sit down to eat. Better to eat 5 mini healthy meals per day to help curb hunger and cut down on overzealous eating!
4. Out of sight, out of mind. After you have portioned your serving, don’t keep the remaining leftovers on the table or within sight. Often I find myself reaching for the serving dish after my first helping, just because; just because I can see it, just because it’s there and just because I can. Don’t tempt yourself and keep it out of sight or immediately portion out the leftovers and place in individual serving containers in the freezer.
5. A trick of the mind! Put away the grande dinner plates and use smaller ones. You’re more likely to fill a large plate without thinking about the portion size but use a smaller plate and your portion size will automatically reduce.
Nadine Hughes is the creator and owner of, The Cook’s Companion and The Menu Companion, through which she offers kitchen consultations, menu planning services as well as private cooking classes for adults and teens throughout Southern Ontario. She is also an award winning author. Pick up a copy of her latest cookbook “The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet – Easy Ways To Put The Fun Back Into Entertaining” (awarded Best Canadian Entertaining Cookbook at the 2009 Gourmand Cookbook Awards) for $7.98 at www.groovemamma.com.
©Nadine Hughes 2010