Obesity has become a major health issue in today’s world. Few decades back, we could not see a lot of people suffering from obesity as of now. That’s because several lifestyle changes have affected people and the way how they eat food.
When analyzing the lifestyle changes that have created an impact on obesity, it is possible to see that portion sizes have increased significantly. Hence, it is important to take a look at the relationship that exists in between food portions and the health of people.
Different products come along with different serving sizes. The serving sizes associated with food have increased significantly throughout the past. Due to this reason, the amount of food that people consume has also increased.
Food portions can be measured in different sizes as well. The units of measurements that are being used to measure the serving sizes include numbers, slices, pieces, grams, ounces and cups. The serving size can either be more than the amount that you must consume or less than that. It depends on you. In fact, the amount of food that you need to consume should depend on your weight, your age and your gender. In addition, you should also pay attention towards your level of activity when selecting the serving size.
The containers that that people use to consume food have also increased significantly throughout the past. It has been identified that people now prefer to use bigger containers in order to consume food. Their plates have become big along with time. When the food is being consumed in bigger containers, they tend to go ahead and consume what they can see on the plate. As a result, they will end up with consuming large portion sizes in grams. This can be considered as another major reason that has contributed towards obesity.
Obesity is linked with a large number of negative health consequences as well. Hence, it is important to understand how to minimize the negative consequences that you fail. Before you purchase something to consume, you need to pay special attention towards the label. Reading this label is a quick and an effective method available for you to get a clear understanding about the specific amount of nutrients and calories that are contained in a food. In other words, you will be able to get a big picture of all the nutrients that you will be able to get into your body by reading the label. You can understand how much sodium, protein, fat and other essential nutrients are available in the serving.
Most of the packaged food items that you purchase contain more than one serving. Therefore, you need to go through the nutrient label and understand how much of total nutrients and calories that you will be consuming with your meal. This will be the perfect serving suggestion that is available for you to consider about.
If you pay careful attention towards the nutrient label, you will be able to get your hands on some additional and essential information as well. For example, you will be able to understand how much of trans fat and saturated fat that you are consuming. They can contribute heavily towards obesity. Hence, you need to stick to food items that come along with a lower amount of trans fat and saturated fat.
Sugar that you consume will be transformed into calories inside the body. Due to this reason, you need to be aware about the sugar intake as well. If you consume too much of sugar, you will end up with a lot of calories. When you don’t focus on the workouts, these calories would not be burnt as well. Hence, you will end up with becoming a victim of obesity. This is another prominent reason that you need to focus on the food portions.
How to manage your food portions?
Ensuring correct portion sizes when consuming food is not a difficult thing to do. That’s because a variety of effective tips are available for you to consider. As the first thing, you should start focusing on the nutrition label. In fact, you need to go ahead and consume one serving as you can see in the food label. Then you will need to consume it from your plate. In other words, you shouldn’t consume the food directly out of the bag or box.
You need to be careful about the size of the plate as well. When you have a bigger plate, you will be tempted to go ahead and consume a lot of food. Therefore, it is better if you can get your hands on a smaller plate. The smaller plate will make sure that you consume a lower amount of food at the end of the day.
It is also important for you to take appropriate steps in order to stay away from the consumption of food in front of the television. Moreover, you should never consume food while walking, driving or busy with any other job. In such a situation, you will not be able to keep track of the amount of food that you should consume to maintain your overall health and wellbeing. Hence, you need to focus on what you eat, while you are enjoying food. Then you will be able to overcome a lot of frustration in the long run as well.
People who are trying to restrict the portion sizes are also encouraged to consume food slowly. That’s because your stomach takes time to send the signals to the brain, when it is full. When you eat slowly, you will be able to overcome the negative effects caused by this delay. As a result, you will be able to stay away from overeating and make sure that your portion sizes are small as much as possible.
