My healthy eating goals

It is tricky in this modern world of large portion meals to control our weight. Who doesn’t want that extra piece of chocolate cake or large bowl of delicious pasta? Understanding portion sizes allows us to enjoy our food in a healthier way

Size does matter!

• Fats such as salad dressing, olive oil, nuts and seeds, hard cheese should be thumb length.
• Thumb nail size of butter, oils
• Fruits - the volume of a clenched fist
• Protein – the size of the palm of your hand and around the same thickness
• Grains and starchy vegetables – the amount of your clenched fist.
• Vegetables – of all colours and can be placed in your 2 hands.

Top tips for portion control

• For weight loss, use a smaller plate
• Serve your meal on the plate, rather than having shared plates or eating buffet style
• Practice mindful eating, chew well and avoid distractions (e.g. TV, computer, mobile phone)
• Slow eating by placing your knife and fork on the plate between mouthfuls.
• Waiting 20 minutes before having a second helping gives the brain time to register you are full
• Eat only until you feel satisfied
• Avoid eating when you are stressed or bored. Check - “Am I really hungry?”
• Do not eat “on the run”, such as in the car or walking down the street
• Avoid skipping meals to prevent overeating.
• Create a shopping list and only buy those items. Avoid shopping hungry

If weight loss is your goal, eating habits are not always the problem. If you would like to understand this a little more, our friendly Pharmacist or Naturopath are available to answer all your questions.