If you’d like to see the
kilos drop off, start by
watching the amount of
food you put on your plate
Overeating is one of the prime causes of Australia’s obesity epidemic, yet most of us don’t even realise that we overeat – or just how crucial serving size is. There is good evidence that over the past 50 years, portions in many restaurants and shops have “super-sized”, growing with our expanding waistlines. Many people have now become accustomed to eating larger portions.
How kilojoules add up
Most fast food is very dense in kilojoules, so you need to eat only a little for a huge energy intake. These energydense foods can fool us into taking in more kilojoules than we need. Similar foods, cooked at home, are far less energy-dense.
Some people also think that eating certain types of food while avoiding others is more central to their weightcontrol efforts than eating less food. They’re wrong – for weight control, it’s
total kilojoules that count.
Most of us eat whatever is put in front of us, having been taught as children to eat everything on our plate. When the portions we were told to finish were small, there was no problem. However, according to the World Cancer Research Fund, British hamburgers are now 112% larger than in 1982, pasta servings are 480% greater and chocolate chip cookies – wait for it – are 700% bigger.Yikes.
Worse still is that similar trends have occurred in Australia and New Zealand – our “normal” serve sizes have grown.
Is more food better value?
Getting more for your money isn’t good for your waistline or your health. People think they are getting a bargain when they get extra food for a few cents more – but thinking like this may lead to obesity. The extra kilojoules and fat that come with these “added value” meals undercut the bargain. According to the World Cancer Research Fund, the food and drink industry is contributing to obesity by offering consumers ever larger portion sizes. Think of those giant soft drinks at the movies, for starters.
Correct labelling
As a result, there has been a call for the industry to make it easier to make healthy choices by not promoting super-sized portions. The new joint Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code has user guides that were developed in consultation with government and industry representatives. They help retailers, manufacturers and food officers label products correctly, listing how much sugar, salt and fat are in foods, thus allowing the consumer to make an informed – and healthy – choice.
Most weight-loss success stories are the result of cutting portion sizes. It’s a simple fact: if you eat less, you’ll lose excess weight.
Cutting portions down to size
Here are ways to reduce your portions:
WAIT TEN MINUTES
Your stomach needs about that long to signal to the brain that it’s full, so wait before helping yourself to more mash or lasagne. Keep the conversation going or, if you’re dining alone, read the newspaper or do a crossword. If you’re still truly hungry after the delay, have a second helping of the vegetables or salad.
LEAVE THE “CLEAN PLATE” CLUB
Most of us eat everything we’re served, no matter how big the portion. A better strategy is to eat a healthy portion (see the Perfect Portion Size Guide below), then stop. It’s better to waste a little food (or save it for tomorrow) than to overload your body.
NEVER EAT STRAIGHT FROM A BAG, BOX OR CARTON
If you’re eating takeaway food, put the right portion on a plate and put the package away, then sit down and enjoy your meal, taking your time over it.
IF YOU LIKE BIG, GO BIG ON THE HEALTHY STUFF
If you like large portions, overload your plate with vegetables and salad, or have a big, steaming bowl of stock-based soup. These water-rich, low-fat foods are low in kilojoules, so a big portion isn’t a problem. And use a smaller plate for your meals. Less space on the plate means automatic portion control. When ordering food or buying packaged food at the supermarket, teach yourself to choose the smallest size of any high-kilojoule items. (The exceptions are salads and vegetables without added fat.) Get the small latte, the halfsized filled baguette instead of the big one, the small muffin instead of the big choc chip version. Kilojoules you haven’t bought can’t end up around your waist.
CHOOSE SINGLE SERVE
Buy or make high-kilojoule foods in individual serving sizes. Instead of family-sized tubs of ice-cream, buy single-serve tubs; make cupcakes instead of a large cake; and buy snack-sized rather than party-sized bags of chips. But read the label first. Many packaged foods and drinks may look as if they provide one serving but are in fact meant to serve two or more people, and the kilojoules and other nutrition information on the label are just for one serving. So read the number of servings per container first, then be sure to eat or drink just one serving.
PUT AWAY LEFTOVERS BEFORE EATING
It’s easy to sit down to a healthy plate of food. The trouble starts when your plate is empty and you have more food sitting in front of you. The solution is to pack away and store leftovers before you sit down to eat. That way, having a second helping takes more of a conscious effort and feels more inappropriate.
ROUND OFF THE MEAL WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
As you consume more modest portion sizes, you may start craving extra food with your meal.The answer is to have a large, crunchy serving of celery, carrots or capsicums, or a sliced tomato with your meal. Add some volume with an apple, an orange or a big helping of watermelon or rockmelon right at the end of your meal. :
From 30 Minutes a Day to a Healthy Heart, RRP $59.97.
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