EDIT Your Place Settings

My goal this year is to walk you through the process of editing your approach to eating in order to support improved wellness. I know … I may be making you nervous, but my intent is to coach you through a series of gentle adjustments … EDITS … that will contribute to your wellbeing.

There are many habits that have crept into our culture over the years. One area that has had a significant affect on our waistline is serving size.

Have you ever seen an old Coca-Cola bottle in an antique store? What did you think when you saw it? Surely that small amount wouldn’t satisfy a person for a meal. Sodas were originally offered in an 8 ounce portion. Our coffee cups hold more than that today, and our common soda serving is now twice that size … unless you supersize it!

So let’s start our edits with your portion size.

Our drinks aren’t the only part of a meal that have increased in size. Have you compared antique plates to our modern ones? Studies have demonstrated that serving your food on a 12″ plate compared to an 8-9″ plate will result in your dishing up 80% more food. The picture below shows two plates that contain the same amount of food. If you were using the larger plate, wouldn’t you be inclined to dish up more food?

 

So my first suggestion is that you find a smaller plate. Perhaps an antique, or what may be called a luncheon plate, but serving your meal on the smaller plate will help you to control the amount you eat.

Don’t stop with just the plate … if you use a salad fork which would hold smaller bites, you will eat your meal slower and give your body a chance to send your brain the message that it is full. It generally takes 20 minutes from the time you start for your body to register that it is full. If you eat quickly, it is more likely that you will overeat. Feeling adventurous? Try eating your meal with chopsticks to further slow you down.

If you have been accustomed to eating much larger portions, your stomach may complain about the change. It will shrink down as you continue to eat smaller amounts. Eat 4-5 small meals – served on a bread and butter plate – so that you keep a steady supply of food in your stomach, but it doesn’t continue to be stretched.

Will you be taking this first step in editing your portion size for your health?