Portion Control: Rightsize your plate and save your Waist

With the exponential growth in both serving sizes and waistlines in New Zealand and across the world, there is a lot to be said for portion control.

Our plates have been getting bigger, the amount of processed food is increasing and we are wasting more food than ever, while our waistlines have been getting bigger and our health has been declining.

These simple tips on portion control, how to rightsize your plate and save your waist are not only easy to implement, using just a couple of these will save you many calories over the course of a year and you won’t even notice it!

// Smaller Plates
As the years have gone by the sizes of dinner plates has been increasing exponentially and we inevitably fill them up and polish up everything that we dish onto our plate. Try using a smaller plate when you dish up your meals, it will look as though you have a lot of food and you’ll be able to finish the plate off without all the extra calories. We often do this ourselves and it does make a difference!

// More Vegetables
Add the vegetables (especially leafy greens) to your plate first and make sure they account for the largest portion of your plate, then add your protein source, good fats and carbohydrates. By adding more vegetables to your plate you will be filling up on the good foods with nutrients, vegetables are low in calories and are also full of fibre which helps to keep you full (and regular).

// Buy Single Serving Size
If you are having the urge to purchase something out of a packet, or something which is deemed to be a treat food, purchase the single serving size. For example, an ice block instead of a tub of ice-cream. Same goes for items like nuts, purchasing (or pre-packaging your own – check out the FoodSaver for this!) the smaller individual serving sizes you are more likely to eat an actual serving size as opposed to buying a large packet where you will likely keep going back for more and eat 3-4 serving sizes easily.

// Don’t drink your calories
Having not long been in America I was disgusted at how big the drinks are that seem to be up-sold to everyone, the cup sizes start at about 500ml! Nobody needs that much soda! I’ve also noticed this with ‘sports drinks’ and many other drinks on the market – they are laden with calories and often have more than one serving in a bottle, however we are inclined to drink the whole thing. Try to avoid drinking your calories and you will definitely save your waist line!

// Meal Prep
I’m a huge fan of meal prepping, take a little bit of time each weekend to prepare meals which will keep you going during the week and mean that you don’t have to spend as long in the kitchen when you get home from a long day at work. The Sunbeam FoodSaver is the perfect tool to help you with your meal prep and keeping your portions in check. Simply measure out your protein source, vegetables and carbohydrate and use the Food Saver to keep your meals fresh. Did you know that on average Kiwi’s throw out THREE shopping trolleys of food each year? The FoodSaver is great because it extends the life of your food. Whether you are meal prepping for the week ahead or getting serious and prepping for the month ahead the FoodSaver helps to keep food fresh for up to 5 times longer in the fridge and the meals can also be stored in the freezer! Plus they are portioned out for you which will save you going back for more.

// Read the Label
Check how many people the item you are about to consume is supposed to serve. Often items (I’ve noticed this especially with drinks) are supposed to be 2-3 servings which we often will down in one sitting. Being aware of what a serving size actually consists of and then sticking to eating just the serving size will save you waist in the long run. Another tip here is to weigh your serving size out a few times so you get used to what a serving size of each item of foods actually looks like, you might be very surprised!

// Don’t snack from the packet
If you are going to snack, dish out a serving size into a different container and then eat the snacks. It is very easy to keep putting your hand in the packet and going back for more and more until next thing you know that bag of nuts/chips/biscuits or whatever you were snacking on is completely gone. The FoodSaver would be great here as well as you can portion out single serving sizes from bigger bags – giving you savings by purchasing in bulk and saving calories as you will eat less at a time.

// Downsize
When eating out, go for the small size or separate out the portion of food that you will take home in a doggy bag straight away before you even begin to eat. Generally in restaurants and takeaways stores the serving sizes are way larger than what we would normally consume or what is considered a standard serving size. Opt for the small drink and fries (or forgo both – you don’t HAVE to have a combo!) when having takeaways and don’t be afraid to take a doggy bag home when eating at a restaurant.

//Eat Slowly
Eating slowly will help you to eat less as it gives your body more time to realise that you are full. It can take 10-15 minutes for the body to realise that it is not actually hungry anymore. Put your knife and fork down in between bites and make sure you chew your food as much as you can, most of us do not chew our food as much as we can. Chewing your food more also means that the food is broken down more and is more easily digestible.

~~ WIN ~~ Now Closed, Congratulations Donna!

To be in the draw to win a Sunbeam FoodSaver of your own valued at $369.99, simply comment below and let me know which tip(s) resonated the most with you….

This post was made possible thanks to Sunbeam FoodSaver, as always all opinions and content are my own. Sunbeam are currently running a promotion where you buy a FoodSaver and get bonus accessories FREE! A great time to treat yourself to an early Christmas present!