By: Nadine Hughes
Rejoice, rejoice the new year is here!
A new start to the year can bring a much needed new way
of eating; mind you anything would be a new way to eat after
how I munched and sipped my way through the last few weeks
of 2010! My promise to myself in 2011 is not to necessarily
change what I eat but how much of it I eat. It’s all
about the portion power! Portion control is a great way
to keep your weight down but still maintain the foods you
love. Just like the old saying, “everything in moderation”,
taking control of what you put on your plate will help to
keep your eating habits in check. Here are a few tips to
help keep your perspective on portion control in perspective!
1. Find yourself with leftovers? Congratulations first of
all that you didn’t eat the whole thing on the first
go around! Second, try portioning the leftovers into individual
serving sizes instead of one larger container. That way
when you chose to either reheat or defrost and reheat, you
will more likely only eat the one portion.
2. Portion out the wicked! Whatever your wicked food is;
mine are salty snacks like potato chips, take the time to
portion our small servings in zippered bags or containers.
When you feel like a snack, you’ll be more likely
to only eat the single serving rather than the whole bag!
3. Teeny tiny tummy! Have smaller mini meals during the
day but more frequently instead of 3 large meals. We can
sometimes find ourselves with 8 hours between lunch and
dinner which causes overeating when you do finally sit down
to eat. Better to eat 5 mini healthy meals per day to help
curb hunger and cut down on overzealous eating!
4. Out of sight, out of mind. After you have portioned your
serving, don’t keep the remaining leftovers on the
table or within sight. Often I find myself reaching for
the serving dish after my first helping, just because; just
because I can see it, just because it’s there and
just because I can. Don’t tempt yourself and keep
it out of sight or immediately portion out the leftovers
and place in individual serving containers in the freezer.
5. A trick of the mind! Put away the grande dinner plates
and use smaller ones. You’re more likely to fill a
large plate without thinking about the portion size but
use a smaller plate and your portion size will automatically
reduce.
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Nadine Hughes is a mother of two and a Home Entertainer
with a vibrant personality and memorable cooking style.
As the owner of The Cook’s Companion, Nadine
offers lifestyle cooking and entertaining classes
for adults, teens and private at home classes. She
is also a food writer, guest speaker and television
presenter. For more information on these services
or The Menu Companion – dinner party menu planners,
visit www.thecookscompanion.ca
and www.themenucompanion.com.
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