Portions come in many shapes and sizes. They can be your Achille’s heel when it comes to health and fitness if you’re not watching your portion sizes with a keen and sharp eye. The temptations to supersize and upgrade your food portions can be overwhelming with all of the enticing ads and images constantly in your face. In this reading below, we will share a few easy methods to discern food portion sizes unique to your body physique.
Keeping your portion sizes under control is a big advantage for your health and fitness results. It takes a bit of discipline and consistency to stay on top of this – but with a little practice and knowledge you can do it with no issue.
1. 50% 25% 25%
Take a look at your typical plate, how much of it is protein, veggies, or carbs? The best rule of thumb to stick to is to have 25% of your plate be protein, 25% is carbs, and 50% of your plate is vegetables. Compared to other food groups, vegetables are high in nutrients and vitamins and low in calories. That’s a caloric bang for your buck.
2. Go Half Eating Out
Eating out can present you with monstrous plates and portion sizes that will have you going over your normal limits. A great idea is to split your plate with a friend, that way you have no left overs to take home, you save money, and you don’t overeat.
3. Mindful Eating
Eating can seem like an automatic action to some that requires very little thought and attention. This can lead to danger because when you aren’t being mindful you can easily go over your portion sizes without a second thought. When you sit down to eat, think of how grateful you are to have this food and pay attention to how it is making you feel. When you are mindful when you eat, you are aware of how much you are consuming.
QUICK TIPS TO STAY IN CONTROL:
- Get smaller plates and kitchenware, bigger eating utensils can equal higher food consumption
- Drink enough water: are you starving or are you actually just dehydrated?
- Drink a glass of water before you start your meal
- Take it slow, savor and chew your food try not to gobble it up like a Thanksgiving turkey
