Monday, February 4, 2013

First Monday Health Tip

I can't believe it's the first Monday again. Where did January go? But it's time to think about your health again. It's very easy to get into some bad habits and there are lots of things that encourage us to indulge those habits. The list is too long for one post but I'm going to concentrate on one that I was reminded of when we were helping my mom clean out her apartment. She had some old china stored away. It was beautiful and fragile. And small.

Most of you have heard this before. The size of our dinner plates have increased over the years and we tend to fill them up from edge to edge. The china dinner plates my mother gave to my daughter had plates that were only about 2/3rds the size of a modern plate. In controlling weight, portion size is a very important part. It's very tempting to fill our plates, never thinking of the capacity of the plate or the actual ounces of food we're piling on.

Prepackaged items are equally deceptive. Read the nutritional information on the back of that health drink or whole grain snack and very often there is more than one serving contained therein. Eat the entire bag or drink the entire bottle and you need to double the number of calories listed on that little chart.

So check out that portion size. Eating less is as important or more important than trying to avoid certain foods.

Are you careful with your portion sizes? Do you read the back of packages and make sure you eat only one serving? Do you use big dinner plates? Did you see January flying by at supersonic speed?

21 comments:

Joss said...

Portion sizes is something I have been thinking about a lot lately, as I am trying to cut back on how much I eat. I actually went out and brought special plates for me that are smaller than the ones we had. Hubby still prefers the bigger plates but the smaller ones mean I am piling less on, every little helps. So although I have already done this, I think it is great that you are sharing with others, so others can consider portion sizes a bit more. love and hugs Joss xx

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Limiting portion sizes is one of the easiest ways to begin controlling calorie intake.

Maria Zannini said...

I always read package information. I try to buy only whole foods but if I need packaged food, I want ones with the least amount of ingredients with names I can't pronounce.

Anonymous said...

If one stopped eating when one felt full......no matter what is left on the plate that helps lose a few pounds and calories, also really chew each mouthful is a good tip I have learned along the way,

Yvonne.

Lynn Proctor said...

yep---portion size--can do a lot---a few years ago, i lost quite a bit of weight, by eating half of everything--esp. helped when eating out!

Mark Means said...

I think portion control is a key element to staying fit. My wife and I were talking, just the other day, about getting smaller plates, thinking that would help us, too.

Great post :)

Anonymous said...

Timely post and inspirational as I get ready to head into the shape up for summer mode!

Ermie said...

I have the opposite issue in that I need to put on weight, but I reckon the plate size thing could work for that too. :-)

momto8 said...

yes...portion size works! and so does eating slowly..and paying attention to what you are eating..
just in time for Spring!!

Jay Noel said...

I saw that people who were blindfolded while eating ate 50% less. They felt full, and were able to be keenly aware of feeling satisfied so much sooner. Amazing.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Most people would be shocked if they saw how small a serving size really was. Most will eat ten to twelve cookies not realizing that's probably four to six servings.

Elsie Amata said...

Gosh, I always forget just how small the plates were back when I was younger. You made me want to dig out my mom's china and take a look. Wow! Thanks for the reminder!

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I'm definitely trying to eat less. I remind myself every day that perhaps I should not eat the Crispy Creme doughnut for breakfast.

That fight doesn't end well most of the time.

Unknown said...

I've started doing this, and I've used a smaller plate where possible. It's amazing how full the plate looks so I don't get so much.

Jamie

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

We've gotten into the Paleo diet, losing the wheat and having lots of protein. I don't think the plate size matters so much in this case.

Monti
Mary Montague Sikes

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I'm so glad most people understand about the portions thing. Now if only I could always follow my intentions.

LD Masterson said...

My husband and I have switched to using the salad/dessert plates for most of our meals. Smaller plate, smaller portion.

The Happy Whisk said...

I read EVERYTHING, as there are many ingredients that I won't touch.

Ick.

Muscle Pain said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi blogger thanks for providing me health tips. Hotel in Manali

Life is Beautiful said...

Today many people suffer from hip pain. If you suffer from hip pain that is severe and keeps you awake at night or affects your normal day to day activities, you can consider undergoing a hip replacement surgery.
get more