Less can be more
By Kaitlin Walsh
IT’S ON for young and old. December hits and with it the banquets, the buffets, the drinks, the nibbles – the extra salt, extra sugar, extra fat and … extra kilos. Yet it need not be so. Follow this simple guide to eating less to reduce your waistline – and your New Year regrets.
Step one: be mindful of portion size
Research shows that we are inclined to believe that whatever sized meal we are presented is appropriate and many of us will guts the lot on that basis – even if we dimly realise that it looks rather large and tell ourselves that that we will make up for it by eating less at the next meal. This seldom happens and we tuck in next time with just as much gusto. So go small. In a world of upsized everything, it’s time to take a step down and not eat everything on our plates. If it comes with fries, order it without. If it comes with sauce or dressing, order a half portion on the side. Eat slowly and order the small size of everything, whether at the movies, in a restaurant, eating takeaway. Do not be convinced that you are saving money buy buying a bigger sized snack, meal or ‘treat’ – it’s the oldest marketing trick in the book. All it does is get you way more calories than you need – for just a little bit more than you would have spent otherwise. Which makes you a two-time loser.
Step two: focus on your food
It sounds counterintuitive, but many, many studies have shown that the more distracted you are, the more likely you are to eat more, while if you think and focus on your food you may make wiser choices. That’s why TV snacks and cinema buckets of popcorn should sound the alert, loud and clear. You can easily dispose of a packet of Maltesers and a choc and barely realise it. So avoid eating except when your focus is on what and how much. This applies equally to parties where snacks and canapés are being passed around while you chat and charm the other guests. Decide beforehand what you will eat, forego the fried nibblies and nuts and home in on a moderate number of foods that are decent. Scope the canapés or snacks on offer, decide what are the ‘safest’ and literally limit and then count the number of items you eat. And sure, have a couple of less-healthy bits for enjoyment but keep it to just that – a couple.
Step three : beware the buffet
You need to approach a buffet with well planned, military precision. You know that old saying about the ‘dessert stomach’ – that is you may feel more than elegantly sufficed after the main course but can always squeeze in some chocolate? Well, it may have a basis in scientific fact. Increasingly, nutritionists believe that we are programmed to crave and eat a variety of foods to ensure our bodies get the variety of nutrients we need. Hence our ability to load up four plates of different food types at a buffet. Yes – we have all at least seen (if not done) it. Of course evolution is a bit behind the eight ball here having not quite caught up with the variety of foods on offer at almost every turn (have you checked the tuna aisle lately?). So we need to focus on what’s available, what we really want, what is an appropriate serving and stick to a plan. Aim to eat one plate, several different food varieties – and a small dessert if so minded.
Step four: consider the energy load
Take the edge off your appetite with foods that enable you to eat lashings with relatively little calorific expenditure. So remember that you can literally load up on fish, veggies, lean meats (bear in mind that lean protein is great for staving off hunger – giving what we call ‘satiety’) with tasty low calories dips and sauces – which will ‘cost’ you exactly the same of just a tablespoon or so of oil, a single donut or fried item or a handful of salty snacks. Be aware of how much veggie equals how much oil equals how much animal fat equals how much fish and so on so you can make intelligent decisions. To give you an idea, there are four calories in a gram of carbohydrate or protein and nine calories in a gram of fat. These nutrients also differ in how quickly and easily they can be metabolised and burned as energy. Carbohydrates are the quickest and fats are the slowest. So you can eat way more fat, way more quickly – and it takes way longer to burn it off than carbs or proteins.
Step five: get the soup habit
Intersperse your big meals and nights out with some truly lean occasions that will help reduce your overall intake, provide you with high quality nutrients and satisfy your hunger. Yep – we are talking delicious, home made vegetable soup. Saute some onion, carrot, garlic and celery in a spray of olive oil. Add any spices or flavourings you want – a touch of cumin works well – then add stock or water and all your favourite veggies and legumes such as beans, lentils or chick peas. A dollop of tomato paste can add further flavour. Eat up as big as you like and know that you’ve done every bit of yourself a favour. Try that a few times a week to give yourself a break and your body will thank you for it. Keep some frozen stocks on had so you never have an excuse to avoid it and experiment with recipes to ensure you get the variety and enjoyment we all crave.
The sting in the tail is, of course, that if you drink buckets of alcohol as you go, much of the good you do will be undone. As well as the calorie load imparted, being affected by alcohol impairs your judgement and you may well find yourself blissfully uncaring about what you eat. Until the next day – or 3am the following morning.
So remember – intersperse your alcoholic drinks with soda or plain water, go for light beer and remember how good it feels not to be hung over, remorseful or embarrassed the day after a big event. Leave that to somebody else this year.
This is article is courtesy of Super Living. Live and invest with attitude