Angie's World

Cut Serving Sizes to Improve Diet, Experts Advise

02:07 PM PST on Monday, January 21, 2008

By SUSAN GILL
The Press-Enterprise

Quiz: You are what you eat

Revamping your diet is an essential part of any weight-loss effort. It's always important to eat healthy foods, but your diet will only work if you exercise restraint in your portions.

Matt Goulding, food and nutrition editor at Men's Health magazine, said recent research in "portion distortion" has shown that people are eating more than they should because the size of dinner plates has increased, as have the serving yields of recipes.

Photo Illustration/The Press-Enterprise

Goulding said the "psychological warfare is amazing because we essentially consume what is in front of us, and we have a hard time saying no."

Having larger plates and recipes that yield more food, then, tempt us to eat more and to not think about how much we are actually consuming.

How can you make sure you're not gorging yourself and derailing your weight-loss regimen? Riverside nutritionist and personal trainer Angie Lustrick offers some simple tips to help you eat less.

"Include more fiber in your diet by eating oatmeal, adding more veggies, eating low-carb tortillas (these guys have 10 grams of fiber per tortilla), and/or taking a fiber supplement," Lustrick said via e-mail.

Fiber is useful because it stays in your stomach longer, helping to keep you full. You'll be less likely to grab a bag of chips for a snack a couple of hours after your meal if you have a lot of fiber.

Lustrick also recommends drinking a lot of water to keep you hydrated and help your body burn fat.

"Sixty-five percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated," she said. "Being dehydrated decreases your metabolism/ by 3 percent." Your body's metabolism is important for burning fat even while you're inactive.

When cooking for yourself, it's important to know how much is an actual serving. Pay attention to serving suggestions on food packaging, and follow FDA guidelines (download the brochure at www.cfsan.fda.gov).

If you eat out more than cook for yourself at home, Goulding offered some advice for beating the bulge at restaurants.

"The average entrée is enough to feed two people at a restaurant," he said. "To combat that problem, you can either ask the server to split the plate or ... you can really concentrate on the appetizer menu."

Goulding recommends focusing on the appetizer-size portions. Also, chefs generally put more flavors into appetizers. "The more flavor the dish has, the more satiating it is," he said.

Keep in mind dishes that feature spices, fresh herbs and citrus flavors. The richer, natural flavors will psychologically satisfy you.

Another way to tell your brain that you're getting full whether you're eating out or at home is to force yourself to slow down.

"It takes our brains about 20 minutes to register that we're full," Goulding said. By slowing down, you can eat until you're actually full and avoid being overfull.

Contact Susan Gill at sgill@PE.com or 951-368-9568.