Size Matters, And So Does Portion Control!

Very often we see and hear people complaining about their strict compliance to eating right, and yet not losing weight. Is only eating the right food enough? Eating nutritious food is of paramount importance your well-being. Food is a source of energy. It is essential for one¡¯s body to carry out various activities. But what¡¯s also equally crucial is the amount of food eaten. It¡¯s easy to let the size of your meals get out of order unless you follow portion control. So, how must you follow that?

Very often we see and hear people complaining about their strict compliance to eating right, and yet not losing weight. Is only eating the right food enough? Eating nutritious food is of paramount importance your well-being. Food is a source of energy. It is essential for one¡¯s body to carry out various activities. But what¡¯s also equally crucial is the amount of food eaten. It¡¯s easy to let the size of your meals get out of order unless you follow portion control. So, how must you follow that?

Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Eaten in excess, even the right and healthy foods can cause health issues. Effective portion control is an excellent strategy if you are trying to lose weight, and also to remain hale and hearty. Portion control means understanding and limiting the amount you eat. It also means being aware of how much food you are eating and how many calories are in each serving size.

It¡¯s easy to let the size of your meals get out of order, unless you follow portion control. So, how must you follow that?

Also read:?Weight loss diet rules

Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Measure your food:?It¡¯s not possible to memorize a food list with its serving sizes or to carry measuring gadgets everywhere, but it¡¯s a wise idea to understand your body and its mechanisms. The easiest way to understand portions is to use estimates, by relating it to your body size. You liver is the size of your clubbed fist. Hence, an easier way to eat a controlled portion would be to eat a fistful. This serving will be the exact amount that you can digest in one digestive cycle. So cereals, grains, pulses and dals can be eaten according to your fist size. A medium fruit is the size of a tennis ball. One portion of meat should be the size of your palm. The number of portions you need will depend on your goal, whether it is weight loss, weight gain, building more lean mass, maintaining your current weight etc.

Also read:?How to choose a weight loss diet

Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Eat for your stomach, not for your taste buds alone. Many a times we keep eating food because it looks appetizing, then before we realise it we are obnoxiously stuffed. If you eat slowly, savour each and every bite and eat without any distractions, like working on your laptop, talking to someone, messaging or watching TV, your internal signals will work more efficiently and guide you to the right portion that you actually need.

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Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Portion sizes have drastically increased over the years. Be wary of packaged foods. Learn to see the difference between serving size and portion size. A serving size is the measured amount of food or drink, such as one roti or one cup of milk. A portion is the amount needed to be eaten. So, a packet of chips can be a jumbo packet, suggesting a particular serving size but the right portion required to be eaten would not necessarily be the same.

Also read:?10 Reasons Why You Should Add Muesli to Your Diet

Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Recently, coffee meetings have had a big impact on one¡¯s portions, causing them to go out of hand. The ¡°small¡± size of coffe is in fact 240 ml, whereas the ideal portion for a cup of coffee is actually only 150 ml. A hamburger is four times one serving size of fat, indicating four portions of fat at one time, and three times the serving of cereal. A filter coffee is less than one serving of milk, whereas a paratha is one serving of cereal and ? serving of fat. This only suggests how eating out more frequently has created havoc and can be pernicious.

Also See:?Coffee Causes Weight Gain or Weight Loss

Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Controlling portion sizes at home is the easiest. Choose a medium size plate for your meals. Imagine a mid section line dividing the plate in two halves. Fill one section with vegetables. The remaining section can be divided further in two divisions, one section for the carbs and the rest for your pulses or meat. Make sure you take care of the portion of oil used for cooking. ?Imagine our thali system and draw seven sections, four small sections and two medium sections. Fill the two medium sections with cereals and pulses. The remaining four are for the dairy group, non starchy vegetables, starchy vegetables and green leafy vegetables. This way you will never miss out on any healthy nutrient, either macro and micro.?

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Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Another productive way of controlling portion size at home would be to serve foods directly from the kitchen itself onto the plates and not from the dining table, as this encourages a second serving unknowingly.

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Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

At restaurants, deliberately ask for half portions, as sometimes their portions can suffice for more than two people. If you are still in doubt, take your portion size by the judgement of your palm size and fist size, set aside the rest and pack it off as a takeaway. Giving this extra food to a poor person will prove more fruitful than giving your stomach what it does not need.

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Size Matters, and So Does Portion Control!

Avoid eating from buffets. Buffets are huge spreads of food. The more we are served, the more we eat, and the effect can be tough on your body. A¡¯ la carte would be easier on the wallet as well as your digestive tract.

Also See:?Top 20 Tips for A Flat Tummy