Portion Sizes

We can reduce calorie intake by eating less, but for that we should not starve ourselves and feel miserable.

We all love to dine in restaurants, most of the time. But they provide us with more food and in fact more calories than we require. The attitude of finishing everything in front of you (thinking food will go waste) is wrong. Sadly we have started including more portions at home front also.

To avoid this we should take smaller portions into our plate. And if you are at a restaurant, never indulge eating more than half of what is in front of you. The vacated portion of your plate should be filled in with some fruits and vegetables and that should be eaten first. Because they will help in filling your stomach till you are completely satisfied.

The other alternate method is maximize eating time, as this will minimize portion size. It takes time for the brain to realize that the stomach is full. And if you eat fast, you end up overeating than what is required. By eating slowly, the stomach will have a full, contended feeling and at the same time, the brain is in receipt of the message. The signs of eating too fast is represented by a feeling of sickness and stomach is already full by the time you want to go in for a second serving. Speedy eating produces a lot of energy and excess of it gets stored in the form of fat.

When you slow down your eating pace, you have a full feeling at the right time (when the stomach and the brain communicate with each other) and not when your stomach is overfull. Chew your food at a slow pace and even when you feel like swallowing, chew a few more times. Spend more time between bites by drinking water, by talking to somebody or spend time in savoring the food (enjoy the aroma, the texture and the taste of the food). Surprisingly even though the intake of food is less people will start enjoying it and will feel satisfied.