The Surprising Importance Of Plate Size
healthy eating Jul 18, 2016
The surprising importance of plate size lies in the fact that most of us eat with our eyes. If given a large plate or bowl, we will be tempted to fill it and compelled to eat it. It’s time to resign from the clean plate club.
An empty stomach is approximately the size of your fist and can expand up to 10 times its original size. Once expanded, over time, it’s less likely to shrink back to its original size. That’s why smaller meals and smaller portions are a sensible route to take. Consider the size of your plates and bowls to help you limit your food intake at each meal.
In the 1960’s, dinner plates were roughly 9 inches in diameter; in the 1980’s they grew to around 10 inches, by the year 2000, the average dinner plate was 11 inches in diameter, and now, it’s not unusual to find dishes that are 12 inches or larger.
If you choose smaller plates and bowls you are likely to be satisfied with the portion served and be able to put the fork down when you are 80% full, not when you are stuffed or the plate is empty.
Americans spend more than $60 billion every year trying to lose weight. The diet industries advice and products offer virtually no long-term return on investment. Most people who participate in weight-loss programs regain about one-third of the weight lost during the next year and are typically back to baseline weight in three to five years. Diets are a fast way to make temporary progress and calorie counting is tedious and unsustainable.
It’s important to start paying attention to your appetite and fullness cues, cultivate an intuitive eating style. Many of us eat far too quickly and want to eat to the point of being full. Take your time and experience the action of eating; slow down, turn off the TV, push away from the computer, and eliminate distractions.
It takes roughly 20 minutes for our satiety mechanisms to kick in. The communication from our stomach to our brain is slow and because of this if you eat too quickly you’re likely to eat too much. Give your brain time to register that you are content and can stop eating now.
Be mindful of the dinnerware you are choosing and the portion you are serving yourself. Plate size plays an important role in the amount of food you are consuming and is another valuable tool to help you attain your weight loss goals.
Judy Molinaro is a wellness coach and master yoga instructor at judymolinaro.com. Feeling stuck where you are with your wellness goals? For more information on practical solutions to your health, sign up for her weekly newsletter and receive a preview of her health and fitness book Eat Like You Give A Damn FREE! Follow her on Facebook.
Originally published at www.judymolinaro.com.