Portion control plays a very important role in weight management. The first step to understanding portion control is getting a handle on what a nutritionally complete plate looks like- half a plate of non starchy veg (basically all veg except corn, potato, turnips/parsnips), one quarter of the plate smart carbohydrates (wholegrains including brown rice, brown pasta’s ect) and one quarter of the plate lean protein.
Become familiar with the Australian Healthy Eating Guidelines, and learn to visualise what one serve is of each core food groups. Your hands can be a good measurement tool (see picture above). Correct serving sizes, especially of your smart carbohydrates, will prove pivotal to weight loss/maintenance. You can try serving your smart carbs last when dishing up, this can help avoid serving a larger serve as there should not be too much space left on your plate.
Mindful eating strategies are also helpful with portion control. Do you know it takes around 20 minutes for the food in your mouth to reach your stomach? Serve your food on a smaller plate and eat your meals in a non distracted environment. If cooking in bulk, serve your meal plus your left overs, and put your left overs away. Another good strategy is to serve up your vegetables first, followed by your protein and then by your smart carbohydrate, this method means there is less room on the plate to over serve the carbohydrate portion, which are usually the hardest to control. It’s important to spend time trying to get in touch with your hunger and satiety cues to avoid over eating.
You can never eat too many non starchy vegetables! Full of fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer and low GI for slow releasing energy. If you do feel you need some more food after waiting 20 mins and using a smaller plate, reach for these.
Portion control is so important. If you would like to discuss other methods of portion control, or find a tailored approach that suits you, please book in with me at Robina Town Centre medical. Weight management is a passion of mine, so I would love to see you in clinic to assist you in reaching your health and weight management goals!