Reader Question: What's A Good Portion Size?

Ask Theresa
The Yummy Mummy Food Guru

Theresa Albert answers your food related questions. Remember| ask Theresa anything. She's free for the asking.

Yummy Mummy Ellie in New Mexico asks:

How can I maintain portion control and still feel satisfied after a meal?

Theresa answers:

Human nature doesn't allow us portion control.

Think back to early man - they would feast after a good hunt and store the fat so the body could prepare for the famine. Modern bodies haven't evolved fast enough| we aren't overweight - we are under-famined!

You are fighting a millennia old battle against yourself but you do have a secret weapon. Vegetables.

Fibre and water fill the belly and bowel and allowing them to believe that they are full. You really do want 65% of your plate to be vegetables. Limiting the amount of meat and starch that goes on to the table or plate and allowing unlimited amounts of salad or cooked vegetables (small amounts of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar to taste) will send a great message to your brain and to your kids.

Better yet| start every evening meal with a soup of broth and veggies. Make batches on the weekend and store in the freezer so you have a few choices to rotate in. I like a spinach and roasted garlic puree or a roasted pepper soup. Simply steam extra of any vegetable side dish than you like| pour a box of organic chicken broth and leftover veggies into the blender and whir. Voila! A no calorie appetizer. Freeze in portions that will serve your family and warm as an appetizer.

Using this starter soup method will net you many things: veggies into the kids while they are hungry| gut filling goodness| comfort signals from the tummy to the brain that food is a plenty| no need to gorge on cheese. This way| portion control becomes a non issue.

Happy Feasting!

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