Four Invaluable Tips for Better Portion Control
Obesity is becoming increasingly problematic. According to statistics, 63 percent of adults in the UK were overweight or obese in 2018.
Besides the rapid increase in consumption of processed foods, portion size is also to blame.
The good news is, researchers suggest that many factors can influence how much we eat. More importantly, we can use different tactics to control our portions better and fight the ever-growing obesity epidemic.
In this post, we’ll go over four actionable tips for better portion control. Let’s dive in.
1. Use Smaller Plates and Bowls
One of the easiest ways to reduce your food intake is to use smaller plates and bowls. The reason is simple.
Using smaller plates and bowls makes the amount of food you’ve served yourself appear to be more. This neat psychological trick can help you feel more satiated from a meal, even if you eat fewer calories.
In contrast, using larger plates will make even relatively big servings appear small or medium-sized. This is because the brain registers all of the space on the plate. That often makes people serve more food, increase their caloric intake, and gain unwanted weight.
2. Use Taller And More Slender Glasses
Similar to the previous tactic, we can use another psychological trick to feel like we are consuming more than we are. By pouring our drinks of choice in taller and more slender glasses, we create the illusion of drinking more than we are.
This, in turn, can help us drink less and save ourselves calories from sodas, juices, and alcohol.
3. Pick Your Colours Wisely
According to research, the size of our plates and bowls isn’t the only thing that matters. It appears that the colour is also important.
Specifically, researchers have found that when the plate colour closely matches the food’s colour, people tend to serve themselves nearly thirty percent more. This is because the food blends with the plate and people underestimate the amount of food.
On the other hand, when the food and plate colours contrast, people are more likely to better estimate the amount of food and serve themselves less.
For instance, serve light foods like rice and pasta on dark plates - dark red, green, and blue. On the other hand, serve darker meals on light-coloured plates like white and yellow.
4. Eat More Slowly
We often go about eating in a frantic matter:
We eat quickly, don’t chew our food nearly as much as we should, and usually distract ourselves with entertainment like watching TV. This is problematic because it takes our focus away from what we should be doing instead:
Being mindful of our meal and focusing on our satiety. The truth is, eating more slowly is one of the best tactics we can use to control our food intake. It allows us to gain a better understanding of our hunger and fullness and prevents us from overeating.
Chew each bite thoroughly, avoid distractions while eating, and remain mindful. Ask yourself, “Am I still hungry, and should I keep eating?” often.