Is portion distortion making you pile on the pounds?
According to the results of a recent food survey by the Food Standards Agency supermarket ready meals have ballooned over the past 15 years with products such as curry, cottage pies, pasta dishes and casseroles now weighing in at twice the size they were in the 1990s.
The same appears to be true for a wide range of takeaway meals with items such as burgers, fries, sandwiches and soft drinks being sold in serving sizes that are up to 100% bigger than they were two decades ago. Add this to the fact that during the same time period activity levels have either stayed the same or decreased and that eating just 200 extra calories a day over a year can equate to a weight gain of over a stone and it's not hard to see why obesity levels have reached an all time high. That's why I've put together my top five tips to avoid overeating.
1. Take your serving sizes in hand
Below is an indication of how much an individual serving really should be according to the Department of Health's healthy eating guidelines. Note that a serving of pasta, rice and cereals is equal to just one cupped handful — not the piled high bowlful that many of us have become accustomed to tucking in to.
2 cupped handfuls = a serving of milk, yogurt, lettuce or green leafy veg.
1 cupped handful = a serving of cooked pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, couscous, bulgur wheat, beans, pulses, fruit or vegetables
The size of your hand = a serving of bread
The size of your palm = a serving of meat, chicken, fish, poultry or cottage cheese
The size of a clenched fist = a serving of potatoes, bread
The size of 2 fingers (index and middle) = nuts and seeds, hard cheese
The size of the tip of your thumb = margarine.
2. Freeze!
Don't be tempted to eat it all just because you've made too much. Simply pop leftovers of soups, sauces, casseroles and pasta dishes in foil trays and freeze them for another day.
3. Downsize your dinner service
It's true, we really do eat with our eyes so trick yourself into feeling fuller by simply eating off a smaller plate.
4. Understand the label lingo
Look out for the small print on the label telling you how many servings there are in a pack or how many people it's meant to be for and stick to it. If hunger is getting the better of you bulk meals and snacks out with extra fruit and veg. That way you'll boost your nutrient and fibre intake for very little extra calories.
5. Turn off the TV
It's so easy to over consume when we eat on the run or in front of the TV. Instead, allow yourself that valuable time to actually sit down and enjoy your meals. That way you're far more likely to notice when you've had enough - and when you have — stop eating! Cancel your membership to the 'Eat everything on your plate club' and remind yourself that if you are not hungry putting excess food in your mouth won't make it any less of a waste than putting it in the bin — it'll just stick around for longer.
