The Role of Portion Control in Healthy Eating Habits
Portion control is a simple, effective strategy for managing the amount of food you consume daily and preventing overeating.
Portion control comes with consuming a specific amount of food that is enough for an individual's nutritional needs without having to munch on extra food.
Healthy eating habits will help you to maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of any chronic diseases, and promote overall well-being.
Read about the role of portion control and how it can help you with your healthy eating habits.
Know Portion Control
Knowing more about portion control is important, especially if you are aiming for a balanced diet and healthy weight.
It involves a specific amount of food that is consumed by the individual that meets one’s nutritional needs without overeating.
It is important to know that portion control is not about limiting certain types of food or following a specific diet but rather about moderately consuming various foods.
Firstly, measure portions for your portion control. Follow several methods that involve the measuring parts. This can include weighing food, measuring cups and spoons, and visual estimation.
Top 5 Benefits of Portion Control
Read about the key benefits of healthy eating:
1. Managing The Weight
Portion control is important for following the weight loss journey. By controlling the amount of food you eat, you can create a calorie deficit that can help you shed unwanted pounds.
Portion control saves you from overeating and eating up extra calories for no reason.
2. Balancing The Nutrition:
Completing a well-rounded diet is important for your overall health. Portion control will ensure that meals include various food groups, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and essential nutrients.
If you manage portion sizes, you can strike the right balance and avoid the pitfalls of eating an excessive amount of any one component.
3. Controlling The Blood Sugar
Portion control is important for people who are trying their best to manage blood sugar levels, especially people who have diabetes or insulin resistance.
Small portion sizes of carbohydrates, which directly impact blood sugar, can help people maintain stable glucose levels and better manage their condition.
4. Helping With The Digestive Health
Overeating can be worse for our digestive system, leading to discomfort, bloating, and indigestion.
Portion control helps you with digestion by giving your body a manageable portion of food to consume.
It allows our digestive system to work optimally and ensures that we don’t become overwhelmed by eating extra amounts of food.
5. Balancing Your Energy
Balancing the calories we consume and the calories we burn is important for overall energy balance. We must maintain it to lead better lives.
Portion control assists in aligning calorie intake with energy expenditure, whether we are aiming for weight loss, maintaining it, or even gaining muscle.
If you control the portion sizes, then you can ensure that your body receives enough energy.
6 Key Tips To Follow For Portion Control
If you know more about what you’re eating and using portion control, then it can be a healthier way of accomplishing your goals because you won't feel deprived after it.
Follow these tips to achieve good, healthy eating habits:
1. Focus On Eating Slowly
This might seem like a small step, but it can have a bigger impact. Slowing down while you are munching can help you focus on how your body is feeling, and you will notice when you feel full.
It takes approximately 20 minutes for your body to recognise that it’s been fed. If you eat very quickly through your meal, you’re more likely to overeat.
Slow down by practising putting down your eating utensil between bites, and always take regular sips of water.
2. Turn Down Any Distractions
Are you that person who eats in the living room while the TV is on? If your whole attention is on the screen of your TV or your phone, then you aren’t paying as much attention to what you’re eating.
This clearly means you won't be fully enjoying the flavours of your food or recognise that you are full. Eat your meals at a table with very few distractions.
3. A Small Plate Is Ideal For You
Going for a new way of eating seems like getting a new set of plates. Don't eat your meals on a standard dinner plate; go for a smaller plate.
A smaller plate is one good way to trick your mind into thinking that you’re actually eating more, since the portion size of food looks bigger on the plate.
A smaller amount of food will fit on the plate, and your body and brain will feel that you are satisfied whenever you’re finished with the meal.
4. Take Stock of Serving Sizes
Are you wondering what a portion is? An appropriate portion varies by food. Some techniques will help you control portion sizes.
If you want to understand portions, you’ll also want to understand serving size. Traditionally, serving size was identified on a nutrition label that was different from what people actually ate.
The recent changes to the nutrition label demanded that the serving size should accurately depict what someone would eat at one time.
Always look at food labels in your pantry or the grocery store. Near the top of the label, you’ll find the serving size that aligns with the nutritional information. This can help you moderate what you’re eating.
If you look at the labels, you can also see things that you should avoid or limit in your diet, such as added sugar.
5. Measuring It Out
Cooking for yourself when you’re trying to lose weight can be challenging. When you’re first starting healthy eating habits, it can be difficult to check the food and estimate a serving. Some kitchen tools can assist.
The recommended portion size changes based on several factors, including age, gender, and activity level. It’s important to always read up on how much you should eat.
6. Make It Half
If you think the tips above still seem a little too complicated for you, you can simplify things on your own. When you’re eating at home, you can have only half as much food as you think you want.
If you’re out at a restaurant, you can ask the restaurant for a to-go container so you can easily portion your food in half.
You can portion half of your meal on another plate, then start eating what remains on your plate.
When you’ve eaten what’s on your plate, stop and sit for a few minutes and take a few sips of water.
Final Thoughts:
Are you ready to implement portion control for better, healthier eating habits? Well, this will help you in many ways.
Whenever you are ready to follow portion control, consider the tips for better results. We are pretty sure that you will achieve your goals! The best part? You can always go for healthy, ready-made meals. Check our menu for that.