The last segment of the lifestyle series, Eating Well, Aging Well, concludes with portion control. In the last 20 years, our portion sizes have increased dramatically. Dishes have become larger and food items consist of more calories. Bagels that were once 140 calories are now 350 calories. Distorted food portions is a contributing factor towards American obesity.
Eating well is about eating the right foods and the right amount of foods. Avoid food manufacturer’s portion distortion trap with these tips:
- Stop eating when you feel full even if there’s food left on your plate.
- Fill up on whole grains, fruits and vegetables before moving on to dessert.
- Stay hydrated. Consuming fluids helps limit food cravings.
- Eat the vegetables on your plate first to fill up on all the good nutrients before moving on to other foods on your plate.
- Pour your snack into a bowl or on a plate to avoid blindly snacking when sitting in front of the television or at a desk.
- Pay attention to the recommended serving size on food labels.
- Enjoy your snack at a slow space. Turn off all devices to focus on the sense of feeling full so you don’t over indulge.
- Mix up your snack choices or have multiple snacks as one dessert. For example, have a half serving of fruit and cake, or ice cream, together.
- Monitor your food intake. It is estimated that you consume about 500-700 more calories than you think when you do not track your meals.
Technology Tools
Technology is your friend and a great tool to help monitor the foods you eat. Whether you have a special diet or just want to avoid portion distortion, there are several great resource for you to use.
- MyFitnessPal – helps to track your diet and exercise via mobile app and website
- Noom – provides resources that track your diet via mobile app and website
- Mindful by Sodexo – a website that monitors calories, fat or sodium and includes recipes, education resources and more
- Bite by Sodexo – provides nutritional information about everything on our standard dinner menu via mobile app and website
- Culinary Institute of America – a partnership that provides Miller’s Grant residents with videos to learn to cook and cook mindful recipes
About the Authors
Tamara Griffin works at Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant as the dining director and Janet Lister is community’s dietician.
References: My Plate, National Institute on Aging and Eat Right.