Why having smaller, balanced meals can be difficult. And what to do about it.
‘Portion Control’ is a term that I really dislike.
Anything that requires so much of our control can’t really be a form of self-care, self-development or that the incredible feeling of feeling in flow with your mind and body (in relation to your food intake and movement). This is important because it may be why you may be struggling to stick to portion sizes that are adequate for your body and your health goals (including fitness goals).
Why is it important to have smaller, balanced meals?
Because with larger portions of food, the more we are served, the more we eat. Eating more food translates into more calories, and for many who are not training at higher intensities and/or longer durations, this leads to an increase in body weight and an increase in health issues such as metabolic disease.
An extensive review from Bond University of 88 extensive studies that focused on eating behaviour and being served larger portion…and the findings were significant. When people are given a portion twice as big, they will eat around a third more food.
Now imagine what these extra calories can equate to over the course of a month or even a year?
Steven Holden, one of the Bond University authors, wrote on his blog " Larger portions lead to greater consumption even across conditions of bad food, where the portion size is not visible, and among people who should know better." Here, Holden is referring to ‘bad’ food as in poor tasting and/or poor-quality food (perhaps not made well, lacking taste, stale/off etc), where diners cannot see the actual portion on their plate (e.g. in dimly lit restaurants).
Why it can be difficult to manage your portion sizes
Many restaurant serving sizes are huge, and we tend to order a lot from the menu.
Takeaway ‘upsizing’ is a thing. It has become even more prevalent as different takeaways open up, particularly in areas that are low socio-economic and already vulnerable to the effects of takeaway food. Fast food is relatively inexpensive, and the promotion of upsizing a meal or a sugary drink at a lower cost is enticing.
Food delivery services like Uber Eats make it easy to overorder and overindulge at home.
Batch cooking is great if you can divide the meal into smaller portions and have it throughout the week. However, many people cook large amounts, and plate up these large amounts (I’m a culprit here!).
Social media encourages images and recipes that are higher in fats than we would have had 20 years ago. There is also a lot of misinformation in social media about food, portion sizes, how to divide your macronutrients (for those looking to increase lean muscle and decrease weight) and demonizing macronutrients (i.e. carbs).
Emotional eating due to work or personal situations and physiological stress
Skipping meals either because you’re dieting, fasting or not prioritizing meals (perhaps due to workload), ad then find yourself overeating in the evening.
Do any of the above problems resonate?
What the solutions may be
Mindful Eating. Mindful Eating or intuitive eating is an ancient mindfulness practice with it’s main concept being reconnecting with our eating experience, which is naturally a healthy and enjoyable one. Some key features of mindful eating include:
Be present (10 mins distraction free at snack times, 20 mins distraction free at mealtime)
Take a moment to smell and really taste your food.
Chew your food 10 times per bite! This is the minimum requirement I set for clients who eat too fast.
Ask yourself how you are feeling as you eat.
Choose smaller servings or sizes (takeaway, delivery)
Drink more water during the day. Often our dehydration can be mistaken for hunger.
Lots of fibre and protein. These increase the secretion of hormones that make you feel full and satisfied.
Train children to listen their internal cues of hunger and fullness. Children self-regulate around 18 months, and as parents it’s our responsibility to allow them to leave plate on their food so that they can be the judge of how full they are when they finish eating.
Choose smaller plates to eat from. There is enough research to prove that eating on bigger plates encourages us to fill these bigger plates with food.
Choose smaller serving sizes. For example, appetizers/entrees at restaurants and smaller takeaway sizes.
The easier way to manage your food portions
There are two methods I use with clients:
2. Hand Visualisation
With both methods, it takes the overthinking off having to measure, weight and calculate your food intake and essentially recognises that the bulk of your meal should really be vegetables. Vegetables are full of great nutrients, protein, carbs, fibre and are essentially better for your cells and longevity.
So, it seems that for those who are looking to meet certain health goals, the better way to reduce the concern around how to adequately portion your food intake is to understand why larger portions are a concern to for our health longer term, understand what initial barriers you may face when you are looking to manage portion sizes, and look at solutions to mitigate this effect using the above examples.
If you need support or want to know more about how to reach your health goals in a way that is more effective (and efficient), book a 20 minute call today and let’s chat.
