Size Matters

Tuesday's Tip

Size does matter. At least when it comes to the size of your plates, bowls, and silverware. Enjoying meals isn't only a physical fulfillment, it is a mental fulfillment as well, right? Portion control is always a focus of getting healthy, and the size of what you are putting your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners on could be a key factor in helping you cut back on some unnecessary calories. The other night, I wanted to have my patented go-to dessert of melted peanut butter and chocolate chips (find this easy sweet-tooth satisfying dessert here!), but I wanted to cut back on the amount I usually have. Since I was enjoying this sweet treat in a 1 cup sized measuring cup with a regular sized spoon, I decided to downsize to a 1/2 cup sized measuring cup and smaller spoon. If I still used that same sized cup and spoon but downgraded on the amount of the dessert, it would have looked like a pitiful excuse for a late-night craving and wouldn't have left me mentally satisfied. By switching to a smaller everything, my dessert still looked satisfying because it filled the cup and took a good amount of time to finish because of the size of my spoon. 

Take a look a your plates and bowls. Are they bigger than they need to be? We naturally want to fill up our plate, especially when we are hungry, because it is mentally satisfying to see a plate full of food that will gratify our hunger. If your plates and bowls were smaller and you still filled them up, I bet you would still feel satisfied both physically and mentally. Now, going out and purchasing all new plates and bowls if you find that yours are too big might not be practical because they can be expensive, so try drawing an imaginary circle within your plate and fill that part up completely rather than to the edges. Drizzle some dressing around your food like a fancy restaurant would do so that part of the plate has something on it. This will be mentally satisfying since you will see a full plate and physically satisfying since you will still be getting plenty of nutrition despite the cut-back.