Practicing Portion Control
Sometimes knowing how much food you should be eating is a difficult task. From mom telling you to eat everything on your plate to restaurants giving three to four times a serving or more, it’s easy to unintentionally overeat. Even if you are following a low GI diet, it is easy to overindulge (accidently of course). To control your portion sizes, both at home and when you eat out, follow these simple tips.
- Store your leftovers in separate containers instead of one big casserole dish. It’ll be easier to monitor your portions and keep from overeating. It’s also a time saver, you’re lunch is already ready to go in the morning.
- Eat smaller meals throughout the day. If you break up your main meals into smaller meals throughout the day, you’ll stay satisfied throughout the day, so come dinner time, you won’t be ravenous.
- Instead of serving meals in serving dishes, portion out everyone’s plate. This way the temptation to overeat certain items won’t be there and you’ll be less likely to reach for seconds.
- Eat a small salad or cup of soup before your meal. This will start filling you up before your meal arrives. Choose a salad or soup with lots of veggies that are fiber dense to keep you fuller longer.
- Buy snack food in single serving sizes or breakup a regular size into snack sizes. It’ll be easier to keep from overeating throughout the day. You’ll also be less likely to mindlessly eat snack food if it is perfectly portioned into individual sizes.
- Learn how to eyeball a standard serving so you don’t overindulge. Follow these quick and easy food comparisons to keep your portions in check.
1 tablespoon of salad dressing, butter, margarine, mayonnaise = 1 die or 1 poker chip
3 ounces meat, fish, or poultry = deck of cards
1 ounce bread = CD case
1 ounce hard cheese = 4 dice or a matchbox
1/4 cup nuts = golf ball
1 potato (white or sweet) = computer mouse
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