To continue an earlier topic, I want to share an article about Portion Distortion. I was originally drawn to this article by a teaser tip: “Don’t eat food straight out of a bag, packet, or box. It’s easy to eat more food if you have a large container. Put whatever food you’re going to eat into a small bowl or plate. Then don’t eat more than that serving. Put the rest away before you start eating.” This, and several others in the article are tips I share with patients (and my kids!) all the time.
Aside from use of the word “diet” and a few typos, I liked this article. I learned a new tip, too (the one about filling individual baggies with a serving and putting the baggies back in the box)!
The last tip, enjoy the company of friends and/or family when you are eating, is an important one. I am in Chicago for a meeting, so I ate dinner alone tonight. It’s not always possible to eat with others, but it does help us slow down and perhaps not overeat. If you live alone, maybe you could have a Skype dinner date with a friend or family member?
What other creative portion tips do you have to share?
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Master of Science in Diabetes Education and Management
Ther was an interesting programme on the television in the UK recently about food that watched people snacking in an office after being provided with sweets. It’s not a portion tip exactly but the “study” showed that if a bowl of sweets was in reach, people would eat far more than if it was placed only around 12 feet away. Another result was that people would eat far more if the bowl containing the snacks was opaque than if transparent.
So the tip would be, put your snack just out of reach in a transparent bowl.
Richard,
I think these studies are fascinating. There are so many simple tricks to help us change our habits.