HOW TO REDUCE PORTION SIZES

The great American road trip is an essential part of most summers. And it wouldn’t be complete without stopping off for a bite to eat along the way. But, not only are healthy options on the highway often hard to find, the amount of food we’re served has gotten a lot bigger.

Even off the highway, in our very own communities, it’s not always easy to find healthy, smaller-sized meals. Servings everywhere have grown, along with our waistlines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its partners have tips on how we can make healthier options more available in our community. Big portion sizes have become the new abnormal, and it’s time to scale back.

Here are some resources to help you and your family scale back!

Cutting Calories

Once you start looking, you can find ways to cut calories for your meals, snacks, and even beverages. Here are some examples to get you started (click link below)
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/cutting_calories.html

Avoiding Portion Pitfalls

When eating at many restaurants, it’s hard to miss that portion sizes have gotten larger in the last few years. The trend has also spilled over into the grocery store and vending machines, where a bagel has become a BAGEL and an “individual” bag of chips can easily feed more than one. Research shows that people unintentionally consume more calories when faced with larger portions. This can mean significant excess calorie intake, especially when eating high-calorie foods. Here are some tips to help you avoid some common portion-size pitfalls. (Click link below) http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/portion_size.html

How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Manage Your Weight

Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one. Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat less food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and vegetables in place of higher-calorie ingredients. The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.

Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day. (click the link) http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/fruits_vegetables.html

For specific tips on how you can make healthier choices and reduce your portion sizes, please click here to request a FREE  appointment with one of our nutritionists.