Mealtime Strategies to Stop Overeating
You’ve heard the phrase, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach?” Turns out, there seems to be a bit of truth to that saying.
Researchers at the Food & Brand Lab at the University of Illinois, Champaign, used a little magic to prove the point. Researchers served soup to participants in bowls rigged with a false bottom through which a hidden tube continuously pumped soup, keeping the bowls full. The study showed people ate 73 percent more soup when served from “bottomless” bowls than those who were served a standard portion in normal bowls.
The point? Most people will continue eating until their plates are empty, rather than listening for their body’s signals to tell them when they should stop.
Want to stop yourself from overeating? Try the following:
Eat mindfully.
Pay attention to the types of food you eat and avoid accepting refills until your plate is empty. By accepting too much food too soon, you may feel tempted to finish more than you need.
Eat at the table.
If you eat in front of the television or while reading a book, your attention is diverted from your food and you may miss the signals that tell you when you’re satisfied. Also, don’t nibble in the kitchen while preparing a meal. You won’t count or recall the calories consumed during the meal’s preparation, which means you’ll wind up eating more than you think.
Eat slowly.
Eating at a slow pace will help you avoid overeating. The added time will allow your stomach to detect the food you’ve eaten. In return, your stomach will have sufficient time to signal your brain that you’re full.
Eat proper portions.
A three-ounce portion, the size of a deck of cards, is recommended for protein. A medium potato is the size of a computer mouse. When indulging in dessert, take only a few bites instead of finishing the whole thing.
