October 26, 2016 · Written by Foodtolive Team
Portion Control: The Importance and Benefits for a Healthy Life
Overeating is a common tendency today. There are a number of reasons why we may eat more then we need. However, doing it regularly may cause serious health issues, from weight gain to diabetes. Thus, portion control should be of top priority when you are looking to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The Benefits of Portion Control
Money Saving
It’s obvious that you spend less money when eating smaller portions. In a small serving you will try to include both nutrition and taste, saving money on your grocery shopping. Not to mention how much you’ll save cooking your meals yourself!
Reduction in Binge Eating
Binge eating leads to overeating in most cases. By following portion control you make your stomach smaller, which helps you reduce the need for food. This will gradually eliminate your habit of binge eating, if you have it.
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Digestion Improvement
Serving control can help you improve your digestive system by not overloading it with lots of food every meal. You will eliminate stomach pain and cramps and decrease weight gain, not only because the portions will become less, but also because your digestive system will function better.
Glucose Level Balance
Regular overeating may cause a serious misbalance in your blood sugar level. The more you eat, the more glucose your body gets. This leads to unhealthy level jumps and eventually, diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc.
Increasing Your Satiety
Strangely enough, eating less makes you feel full faster. When your stomach shrinks and you make portion control a habit, the feeling of satiety comes quickly after you start eating. Thus, you prevent overheating, keeping your level of calories within the norm.
Weight Loss
When you decide to lose weight, making your portions smaller has to become the first thing you do. A proper amount of healthy food will supply your body with all the essential elements without exceeding your daily requirement of calories. You will not feel hungry and crave junk food if your body is used to a healthy diet and gets enough protein, fats, and carbohydrates.
Tips to Successful Portion Control
Reducing portions may become quite an undertaking, but it’s achievable if you keep some tips in mind.
- Measure your food.
Try measuring every product you include into your cooking to clearly realize how much you eat. This will give you full control over your portions so you will not overeat. - Use smaller dishware.
Try putting your food in your regular plate and in a smaller one. If you use the latter, the amount of food you eat seems larger, so you get full faster. This is a small but effective trick for your stomach. - Serve meals separately.
Even if you have a family dinner, try to serve food separately for everyone. This will reduce your wish to take more food from a family-style plate and will keep your portion under control. - Make single portion packages.
When cooking meals, make sure to divide them into strict portions before putting them into your fridge. Then you will know for sure how much you eat in one sitting and will be able to control your diet. - Measure oil before putting it in a dish.
Fats are essential for your healthy diet, but eating too much of them may cause weight gain. Measuring the oil before putting it in any dish will prevent you from consuming too much fat. - Add more vegetables.
Eating a bit of fresh salad before the main meal will make you eat less, improving your portion control. Likewise, putting vegetables in your sandwiches will make you feel full faster without consuming too many calories. - Mind your portion when eating out.
Portions at restaurants may be way too big to fit into your healthy diet. Ask for a half portion wherever possible or share food with your companion to reduce your servings.
Try controlling your servings and you will see how much food appears to be redundant in your diet. Portion control will help you prevent diseases and improve your body shape.
