Cutting calories doesn’t mean avoiding the foods you enjoy. In fact, you can easily cut calories while still eating the foods you love simply by reducing your portion sizes.
REDUCING PORTION SIZES
Over the years, American portion sizes have grown significantly, and so have our waistlines. Back in the 50’s, a typical bagel was about 3-inches in diameter, while today, our bagels are about 5-6 inches in diameter. As a result, we are eating more carbohydrates, which in turn, becomes extra weight to carry.
Now, bread has been around for thousands of years. Bread is life, and one of the most widely consumed foods in the world. Bread is not bad – our portion sizes are.
With a few simple tricks, you’ll be able to enjoy the foods you love, while cutting calories.
Here are 5 of my favorite tips:
- Use a smaller plate for any meal. Dinner plates were once 9” across, while now, our dinner plates are 12” across. This means more room to add more food. Tip: use a smaller plate even for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- Store half your restaurant food to go. Restaurants are notoriously known for big portions of food. Before you even get your meal, ask your waiter to store half of it in a to-go container.
- Make half your plate veggies. Vegetables are nutritious and filling with very little calories. Tip: Reduce your portion size of the unhealthy food item and increase your portion sizes of vegetables.
- Eat slowly. By eating slowly, it gives the body time to digest all the foods and send the appropriate signals to the gut and brain to let us know when to stop eating. Tip: Enjoy soup, salad, or veggies first.
- Be Mindful. Eat away from the television or computer. Enjoy the meal with family and friends. Talk, chew, swallow, take a break, and repeat.
CUTTING CALORIES FROM BREAD
Personally, I love bread. One of my favorite morning meals to make are homemade egg sandwiches. It’s often I find myself with extra hamburger buns, so I use the buns to make my egg sandwiches. Have you ever noticed the amount of bread in each slice? There is always one slice with a lot more bread than the other.
Nowadays, hamburger buns are double the size compared to previous buns 50 years ago. To cut down on unnecessary calories, I cut the bun in half. I also do this with bagels. That’s it!
HOW TO CUT CALORIES
So, here’s my trick:
Take the top part and cut it in half! Still the same delicious roll, but with less calories.
What other tips or tricks do you have to cut down on calories?
