Portion Size Health Tips

Recently my husband gave me a handout that came with his prescription from the pharmacy. It didn't have anything to do with his prescription. It was health tips about managing portion sizes of food.

All the tips in the handout were common sense, but also based on research into the ways to prevent taking in too many calories. You may have heard them before, but here it is again to reinforce some healthy habits.

Portion control when eating out is a real problem for me and many people. There's often more on the plate at a restaurant than we need to eat. Try splitting a meal with someone else. Some of the higher-end restaurants will charge a splitting fee, but many are happy to do it at no extra cost. If you are splurging calories on dessert, sharing is especially important. I've been known to ask for three or four extra forks to split a decadent piece of chocolate cake. If eating alone, ask for a to-go box when ordering and put half of your meal in it as soon as it comes.

Portion control when eating in is also a problem, maybe bigger. Try putting the food directly onto individual plates instead of in serving dishes at the table. Avoid big bowls of popcorn or other snacks in front of the TV. Put the amount you plan to eat in a bowl or other container, like a sandwich-size plastic bag. If you are focused on something else besides what you are eating, it's easy to overeat.

The handout said it's OK to ignore what your momma always said and to go ahead and spoil your dinner. Basically, if you feel hungry between meals, eat a healthy snack like a piece of fruit or bite-size veggies. You can keep a bowl of grapes handy, zip-lock bags of broccoli or carrots or containers of low-fat or fat-free yoghurt. Avoid bowls of candy or other fat-producing snacks in easy reach. In our house we keep a bowl of cherry tomatoes on the counter top for snack attacks and fat-free flavored yoghurt in the frig.

Research shows that the larger the package the more people tend to consume from it without realizing it. Try dividing up the contents of a large package into several smaller containers and serve the food in a small bowl or container. I was very impressed when I saw my husband take a small zip-lock bag of one of his favorite cheese cracker treats to his chair in front of the TV the other night. Broccoli may have been better, but it was an improvement from sitting down with the whole box.