By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
While “value eating” and supersizing for pennies seems to be everywhere, I’m happy to see a new trend emerging: portion-controlled single servings. And by single serving, I don’t mean eating the entire bag, but a small portion typically under 200 calories.
From chicken breasts, to frozen desserts, to chips, it’s now easier than ever to find your favorite foods already portioned out. While a pricier option, it’s well worth it if it prevents you from out-of-control eating. Plus, there’s a lot of satisfaction from getting to eat the whole thing. Those are two great value-adds for paying a little bit more for single-serve packages.
Nowadays, it’s hard to change our perception of a standard portion size because so much of what we see is gigantic and, by comparison, a healthy portion looks skimpy. But once you accept that portion control is key to calorie control, you’re well on your way to making some practical changes.
The best way to get started? Start by reading the package labels for serving size and calories per serving. Don’t be fooled by bags and bottles that look small, and don’t assume they are single serving.
Let me know if you’ve found other easy ways to downsize your portions. We need all the help we can get!
Another option to allow for the satisfaction of "getting to eat the whole thing" is to buy a large package of something and pre-portion it out into ziplock bags right away. This helps to avoid the added expense of the prepackaged individual servings -- though it's obviously a bit more time-consuming. A trade-off worth considering?!
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