It’s mid-October and the holiday season is fast approaching with all the food that goes along with it. It’s a great time of year to enjoy the holiday foods but we should be mindful of how much food we’re enjoying. Controlling the amount of food we eat in our day is very hard to do especially with office parties, family parties and other pop up holiday events.
Here's some tips on how to eat healthy and control our food portions (American Council on Exercise, ACE).
1. Never wait more than four to five hours between eating a small snack or a meal. I hear many people say they didn't each lunch and they're starving for dinner. If you let yourself get that hungry, it will be hard to keep your portions under control when you do eat. Don't skip a meal.
2. Make sure your meals are a combination of protein and fiber. Both of these keep blood sugar levels stable and help to make you feel full reducing your potential to overeat.
3. Drink water throughout the day. My favorite tip. It's easy to confuse feelings of thirst for hunger. Staying hydrated is very important. Try infusing your water with fruit to give it flavor if you don't like plain water.
4. Fill up on fiber. When you feel full, you're less likely to overeat. Vegetables have lots of fiber and are low in calories.
5. Cut your food into very small, bite-size pieces. Researchers theorize that doing this makes it look like more food and you will feel fuller.
6. Eat off salad plates. If you’re used to overfilling your plate, try using a smaller plate.
7. Try eating off blue plates. Researchers found that people eat less when they use blue plates.
8. Slow down. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to receive the signal that the body has received food. It’s easy to overeat before you even get close to the 20 minute mark.
9. Plan in advance what you will eat and will not eat. If you go to a meal knowing that you'll only be eating a salad and half of the main course, you'll have a plan as to when you'll stop eating.
Enjoy your family, friends and your food this holiday season. Make a commitment to control your portions and eat healthy. Here's to your good health.
Jonathan Souder is the Fitness Director at Manor House, an Acts Retirement-Life Community in Seaford, Delaware. This column appeared in the October 10, 2019 edition of the Seaford Star.
