During the festival season, we all love to indulge in sweets and homemade delicacies, which can often throw us off track and lead to gaining some festival weight. But what if we told you that you can actually prevent weight gain without sacrificing your cravings — and all you need to do is follow a simple, expert-approved technique. Wondering what it is? Nutritionist Nmami Agarwal has the answer. And oh, it’s not complicated at all.
It’s just about practicing portion control! Among the myriads of diets and weight loss hacks, such as-as intermittent fasting and calorie counting, experts believe portion control to be one of the most popular and effective methods to keep unwanted weight at bay. Defined as “the process of making sure that the amount of food you eat for each meal is not too large, especially when you are trying to lose weight,” portion control can be extremely beneficial for one’s overall health.
Agreed Dr Garima Goyal, a nutritionist, and said, “Portion size is a key driver of energy intake and also impacts the weight of a person. Therefore, measuring and controlling the portion size has become very crucial to control (and not gain) weight.”
The experts listed some tips for controlling portion size.
*Eat something little before you head out; maybe a bowl of salad, sprouts, roasted chana, roasted peanut chat, and fruits. This will make you feel full and you will not indulge unnecessarily.
*Do not skip your meals. Doing so makes you feel more hungry and you end up eating more.
*Fill half of your plate with veggies because they add volume to your meal. This way, you consume fewer calories for the same amount of food.
*Shift to small-size crockery items as using smaller-size plates, bowls, spoons, and glasses will cause a portion decrease by reducing the amount served.
*Using compartment plates, when controlling portion size, is extremely beneficial. Although it is individualised as per a person’s BMI (body mass index), physical activity status, and gender, a perfect meal should include half a plate of vegetables and salad, a quarter plate of high-quality protein (such as eggs, low-fat dairy, fish, tofu, beans, pulses, etc), quarter plate of complex carbohydrates and half tablespoon of healthy fats.
*Always order half plate (of a dish) when dining out.
*Do not take all the favourite food items together; take them one at a time. This will prevent overindulgence.
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