Get your portions under control

You want to lose weight, but you end up overeating every time you’re at the dining table? Our simple tips on portion control come to your rescue.

Easy tips to help in portion control

Eat slowly: Did you know it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full? Therefore, the chances of overeating are higher when you eat fast. So chew your food properly and eat slowly, as it will help you realise when you’re full and limit portions.

Make healthy food tasty: Who said healthy food can’t be tasty? Sprinkle some chaat powder or oregano on fruits, or dress your salad with some olive oil. You can make many such simple additions to make healthy food tasty. When you fill yourself up with such foods, you’ll easily limit portions of high-fat foods.

Eat a small bowl of salad before dinner: Before digging into that yummy food on the table, serve yourself a helping of salad, the size of a small chapathi. Salads can help satiate hunger, therefore, aiding portion control when it comes to all the other ghee-loaded kahana on your table.

Drink water: Many times, thirst is mistaken for hunger, leading to overeating. Weight-loss experts suggest drinking a glass of water before meals, as it makes you feel fuller and will help you eat less the table.

Choose small bowls: There is a natural tendency to serve and eat more when you’re eating from a large bowl. Serve a portion onto a small bowl or plate and eat from it instead. Stop when it’s over. This can go a long way in aiding weight loss, especially by limiting portions of ice-cream and other such high-sugar, high-fat desserts.

Include foods that are rich in fibre and proteins: Food that has high roughage content, keeps you full for a longer duration. Make sure you consume adequate fibre at breakfast lunch and dinner.

Supplement your meals with healthy snacks: Take a snack break twice every day, and choose healthy snacks at that. Choose from fruits, boiled channa, dry roasted peanuts, yoghurt and such. These will help exercise portion control at lunch and dinner time. Our next tip will tell you how to ensure you snack healthy!

Keep healthy snacks handy: A study in the Environment and Behaviour Journal has found that keeping fruits and vegetables at arm’s length is likely to increase one’s chances of eating them. So, keep fruits, salads and other healthy snacks at easy reach.