Is your plate too full? - Top tips for portion control

This article has been written and medically approved by Pharmacist Conor McSorley GPhC Reg No. 2223070

Healthy living can be hard, especially when your body has become accustomed to eating larger than normal portions of food. Although it can be difficult to break habits, we hope our eight top tips to control your portion can help.

1. Make it look bigger

Using a larger plate will dwarf a standard-sized portion, leaving you feeling dissatisfied. When plating up your food, use a smaller plate to make the portion look bigger and trick your brain into thinking you are eating more 

2. Avoid a carb-overload

If you are having a curry, do you have rice and a naan? Doubling up on your starchy carbohydrates will double your portion size unless you cut down the amount already on your plate.

3. Measure

Measuring your food doesn’t require you to measure out every last grain of rice! If you struggle to gauge the right amount of food, using simple cups such as a mugs or containers can work for you to give you the same amount of food time and time again.

4. Be selective with your choices

Even though they contain the same number of calories, an apple will leave you more satisfied and filled than a couple of squares of chocolate. Being savvy with your food choices will improve your life by leaving you fuller for less calories.

5. Your child’s dinner is theirs, not yours!

Wasting food obviously isn’t a good thing but stop snacking on everyone else’s portion. Avoid finishing off leftovers from other people’s plates, if this is a regular happening then try cooking less or use the leftovers to cook another meal with.

6. Wait

Going back for seconds? STOP. Wait 20 minutes before reaching for the second helping. It can take a little while before you will feel full after you have eaten. 

7. Ask for less

Supersized portions are not something you can control when you are out and about. Firstly, it’s much easier to say no to food you haven’t seen yet so think about what you are ordering.  Secondly, remember you can ask to take it away with you, if you feel full, stop eating and ask for it to take away. Then you can actually enjoy it when you are next hungry.

8. Check what you eat

All food packaging by law must contain nutritional information on the pack, but have you considered looking at what the packet says is a portion. This may often surprise you and can change how much of it you are eating.