February 10, 2012
The Science of Portion Control
Most people already know that diet and exercise are key to losing weight. Some find that controlling how much they to be a challenge, though. Many dietitians say that portion control is one of the most important ways you can consume less calories, but what if you just can stop eating? Health science studies have found numerous physiological tricks that dieters can use to put a halt on pig-outs.
See Red
Changing your dinnerware may be all you need to get slim. Doctoral students of psychology at the University of Basel in Basel, Switzerland have found that the color of your plate may help you eat less. The researchers found that red plates caused their test subjects to eat less and cups with red stickers resulted in the subjects drinking less sugary drinks. The researcher said that their findings would probably most help with snacking, a sometimes mindless grabbing of treats.
Avoid Blue
While red is good, blue could be bad for your waist line. According to the same Basel study, when given food on red, white and blue plates, the test subjects ate more snacks when presented with blue plates.
Plate Size
Dr Wansink believes that the size of your plate is what matters. He told an American Psychological Association that changing from a regular sized plate to a smaller plate, like a salad plate, can help people lose up to 2 pounds per month. The trick also works for bowls and bags of popcorn at the movies. Smaller sized containers are always better for those that need to eat less. If you have to buy large bags of popcorn, chips or other munchies, divide it up into small, portion-sized baggies so that you won’t be tempted to eat from that large sack. For people who hate to diet, that could be good news since changing plate size can be a simple task.
Keep Seconds at Bay
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that food kept out of sight can be a good way to keep your portions singular. Don’t leave your serving dishes on the table where you eat. Leave them on the counter or stove so that you won’t be tempted to get another scoop or slice after you’ve finished off your portion. This theory goes for bread baskets and candy bowls, as well. Take a helping and then put the serving dish out of easy reach.
Know Thy Portion
Before you can dish out a portion and then put away the container, you have to know what a portion looks like. Many people think a portion is much bigger that what is accutally healthy. You can learn more about proper portion size by taking the Portion Distortion Quiz from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
So, what do you need to lose weight? Smaller containers that are red, not blue and your food put out of reach once you get a serving. The science seems simple enough and may help your lose weight without any extra effort.
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