Eating With Benefits: Portions

When it comes to eating with benefits it like insurance--you only get so much coverage.  When you are eating that so-called "healthy" cookie does that mean you eat 5 more?  This term is another laughing matter for me.  Just search "healthy cookie" on Pinterest.  Either it's nasty or it's a cookie...with benefits.  I just can't say a cookies is ever really healthy or it's just not a cookie.  Stop kidding yourself people! I'm confident in saying that any benefits from that cookie probably stopped coverage at about 2 cookies.  It's still a cookie.  Or that olive oil "since it's better for you"  I can add two more tablespoons...benefits ended around the first tablespoon. It's still fat. 

Make sense?

Portions is about the intake.  This is sometimes the hardest part.  Believe me, I KNOW.  I have an amazingly, close relationship with food and sometimes it's hard to let go and move on.  I get it.  Remember, I'm teaching what I've learned not what I'm living perfectly.  I'm right there with you on this one and most of the United States.  Scrap the gibberish of food industries are making me fat.  That would be ourselves and our portions of beneficial food and low beneficial food.

It's not about what you eat but how much you eat.

 

Look at your food intake as short term and long term:

• Short term would be HOW MUCH you eat in your everyday meals
• I had two slices of pizza with salad vs I had four slices of pizza with no salad  OR I had a sandwich, bag of chips and four cookies for lunch vs sandwich, handful of chips and one cookie OR I had two bowls of cereal vs one bowl of cereal
• Long term would be more about HOW OFTEN you eat certain foods
• I eat a hot dog almost every other day;  I drink a soft drink, coffee or fruit drink every day or multiple times a day; I eat dessert every night
• I have nothing against any of these things (okay well I don't agree with coffee ever put that's for religious purposes)--as long as it's not everyday.  Maybe once every other week or once a month.  I'll confess I have pizza every Friday.  It's a weakness and I try to switch it up constantly to make sure I have different variety.  Like I said, I'm not perfect, I too have things to work on.
• Some of the other food items that lack in benefits and that would fall under "long term" would be boxed items like mac&cheese, rice or noodle mixtures, or Cream of "something."

 

Ask yourself, what are the benefits of having more?  Always ask yourself or post it somewhere CONTROL YOUR DIET DON'T LET YOUR DIET CONTROL YOU.  When we eat too much the food is doing the talking at that point.

 

I would highly recommend using that nutritional label on the side of all our foods.  When I had gestational diabetes, that little tidbit of information was my life guide for controlling my sugars.  Right now, you don't have to know everything about it but at least check what is the actual serving size.  This is a good first step with knowing what your portion should be.  You probably won't be surprised that you rarely actually eat the serving size but often double or more.  For example, many people just pour a bowl of cereal and then pour milk to enough to cover the cereal.  Most cereals, the actual serving is about 1/2 -3/4 a cup of cereal with 1 cup of milk.  Most people are triple that by just filling their bowl and then sometimes eat a second bowl.  Yikes!  

At first, an actual serving size on many things seems like starvation, but don't let that discourage you.  Remember that variety thing.   Reduce your portions in baby steps.  For that bowl of cereal, add a banana or a piece of toast or both.  Maybe even a hard boiled egg.  Enjoy a single serving of many things. One helping of potatoes, one helping of meat, one helping of fruit, and even two helpings of steamed veggies.  You won't be so hungry after all.  You will feel better.

 

If you want to ignore serving sizes/portions on occasion...you know, skip that short term mentality, and eat that big piece of cheesecake.  Go ahead.  Just don't do that EVERY DAY!  We want to always enjoy eating.

 

Let's review:

1. It's not about what you eat but how much you eat.
2. Think in short term (how much do I eat everyday) and long term (how often do I eat/drink of a certain food every day)
3. What are the benefits of having more outside of it's deliciousness. :)
4. Control check.  Are you controlling your food or is it controlling you?