Knowing how to eat - part I
Practice portion control.
Huge portions are a major reason for people being over weight. In old days, sugary soft drinks used to come in six-ounce servings. Now it's not uncommon to see people slurping 32-ounce drinks. That's an extra 500 calories right there. A serving of meat should fit in the palm of your hand. Nobody should eat a whole steak, bag of chips or a pint of ice cream in one sitting.
Don't eat in front of the TV.
It's a bad habit that leads to a more sedentary lifestyle. Studies have shown that people who eat in front of the TV gobble down more than they would normally. On top of that, being a couch potato prevents you from burning calories. So it becomes a vicious cycle - you gain more because you don't exercise, and you don't exercise because you are too heavy.
Cook low fat.
I am not against eating all fat - there are good fats that your body needs. But why add unnecessary fat, too? A teaspppon on oil adds about 100 calories. Broil, steam, microwave or grill your food rather than frying it in butter or oil. If you must fry, use non0stick sprays.
Make it pretty.
The Japanese turn eating into an art form. Their elaborate tea ceremonyis full of ritual and performance. OK. Nobody is asking you to dance a hula every time you have a chunk of pineapple but do something to make the meal beautiful and special. Create a little ambience. Decorate your plate with a sprig of parsley or a slice of orange. Use your best china or silverware. Put a candle in a wine bottle or use a Perrier bottle as a vase for fresh flowers. Play music. Thi swill put you in the proper mind to appreciate and savor your food. It will keep you from wolfing down your meals - everything will look so goof, you will almost hate to eat it.
Be mindful of what you are eating.
Take your time. In France and Italy they eat rich sauces and high-fat cheeses, but theier meals are leisurely. Lunch can take an hour and a half. Too much of our eating is hurried and thoughtless. It takes your body 20 minutes to realize it is full. You can scarf down a lot of Twinkies in that time. So go slow and wait for your body to catch up.
Don't eat of the run.
Sit down at a table. It sounds simple, but few of us do it in today's fast-paced world. We are grabbing a donut as we run out the door in the morning instead of sitting down to a nutritious meal of juice, high fiber cereal, whole wheat pancakes with blueberried or an egg-white veggie omelet. If you slow down, you will eat more nutritious food and consume fewer calories, too.
Make your meals progressively smaller.
The seventh dat adventists say that you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a noble-man and dinner like a peasant. That means you should do most of your eating during the day when you are active and your body's metabolism is higher and cut back on calories as you are winding down. You will sleep better - and you will lose weight.
Don't finish everything on your plate.
When we were growing up, we were told about starving children in poor countries and that we should not throw any food away. But stuffing yourself isn't going to help anybody, so don't put more on your plate than you can eat comfortably and stop at the first sign that you are becoming full. Don't wait until you are ready to explode.
Eat six small meals a day.
This is much easier on your system. Eating small, nutritious meals makes your body less likely to have an insulin spike, which causes your body to store fat. After one of these spikes, your body sugar crashes and you feel hungry again - and this can cause you to binge.It's much better to eat the way our ancestors did when they were forgig in wilderness - a piece of fruit here, a handlful of nuts there.
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