How a Senior Can Avoid Portion Mistakes and Mishaps to Better Manage Your Weigh
In this day and age, people across the United States are facing what seem to be ever-growing portion sizes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. This includes women and men in the Golden Years of their lives. For example,
When dining in a great many restaurants, it is evident that portion sizes have grown larger in the last few years. The trend has also expanded into other settings as well. For example, grocery stores and vending machines oftentimes are purveying food items in larger sizes than historically has been the case.
Research demonstrates that many seniors unintentionally consume more calories when faced with these larger portions. This can result in significant excess calorie intake. This particular is the case when a high-calorie food item is selected. Here are some tips to help you avoid some common portion-size pitfalls.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a number of strategies designed to assist in better controlling portion size. We present these CDC strategies here for your consideration.
Portion Control When Dining Out
An ever-growing number of restaurants serve more food than one person needs during a particular meal. You can take control over the amount of food that ends up on your plate when eating in a restaurant.
One strategy you can consider is to split an entrée with a dining companion. In the alternative, you can request the wait person for a to-go box at the time you order your meal. By taking this course, you can place half of your meal into the to-go box as soon as your meal is brought to the table.
Portion Control When Dining at Home
When eating at home, you face a very real temptation of having second and third helpings. You can avoid this temptation by serving food on individual plates as opposed to putting serving dishes on the table. By keeping excess food out of reach, overeating very well may be discouraged.
You can also do weekly meal planning. This can include meal prep in which you divide your foods into reasonable portions over the course of a number of days or even a week.
Portion Control When Eating in Front of the Television
Many, many people eat in front of the television. When eating a meal or even when snacking in front of the TV, you should put the amount that you plan to eat onto a plate or into a bowl or container rather than eating straight from the package.
Keep in mind that eating in front of the television is not necessarily advisable when you are interested in controlling portions let alone losing weight. The reality is that it is easy to overeat when your attention is focused on something else, including watching television. Many dieticians and nutritionists do recommend that you not eat meals at the same time you are watching television.
Spoil Your Meal With Snacking
Growing up, we were told not to snack before a meal. We were told that we should not spoil our appetites. Many dieticians and nutritionists are arguing today that it is time time to forget that old rule.
In today’s world, many dieticians and nutritionists argue that if you feel hungry between meals, eat a healthy snack. Examples of healthy food items for a snack include a piece of fruit or a small salad.
By having healthy snacks at different points during the course of the day, you are put in a better position if being able to avoid overeating during the next meal.
Beware of Large Packages
Research reveals that for some reason, the larger the package, the more people will consume from it. They are likely not even realize what they are doing at the time it actually is going on. There are some ways in which you can minimize this effect or type of activity:
- Divide up the contents of one large package into several smaller containers to help avoid over-consumption.
- Don’t eat straight from the package. Instead, serve the food in a small bowl or container.
Keep Foods Out of Site
People tend to eat more – sometimes much more – when they have ready access to food. You can control this type of activity by taking specific steps that include:
- Replace the candy dish with a fruit bowl.
- Store especially tempting foods, like cookies, chips, or ice cream, out of immediate eyesight, like on a high shelf or at the back of the freezer. Move the healthier food to the front at eye level.
- When buying in bulk, store the excess in a place that’s not convenient to get to, such as a high cabinet or at the back of the pantry.
Final Thoughts on Portion Mistakes and Mishaps
In the final analysis, it absolutely is imperative to keep portions and caloric intake in proper ranges. Your health depends upon this.
You need to keep very much in mind another key factor. Just as important is making sure those calories are nutrient-dense. In fact, many experts maintain that paying attention to caloric density is even more important.
Eating 1800 calories of pizza, ice cream, and soda per day is extremely different than eating 1800 calories of green veggies, eggs, fish, low-sugar fruits, and nuts per day. The fact is that choosing foods low in nutrients is very dangerous. Taking this approach very well may lead to vitamin, mineral, and nutrient deficiency. This type of situation is linked to a host of health problems that include fatigue, osteoporosis, and even cancer.
In addition, when one eats a regular diet of empty calories and junk food, the body will have constant cravings. This occurs because a body keeps searching for the nutrients it needs.
If you are a person who prefers to track your calories and macros to ensure accuracy, that is perfectly fine. With that said, you are not beholden to it if you stick to high-quality calories and consciously listen to your body when feeling satiated.