Portion Control

 Jane Brody’s column on Jan 28^th, 2019 in the New York Times was on portion control, an approach to eating that enabled her to lose 40 pounds over two years and to keep the weight off without feeling deprived.  Brody wrote the column because data from the Centers for Disease Control show that American men and women have continued to grow fatter, with the average BMI now close to obesity. Brady followed the advice of a dietician and adjunct professor of Nutrition at New York University, Lisa R Young, whose book is called Finally Full, Finally Slim.Young describes a practical approach to food and eating that can be adapted to most people’s lives, whether they eat at home (the best way) or eat out.  Eating at home, you downsize your dinner plate to salad plate size. You fill half your plate with cooked vegetables like spinach, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and green beans, and add a side salad with some chopped fruit and a dribble of dressing. You limit baked white or sweet potatoes, or whole grains, to ½ cup servings.  A serving of avocado or nuts is ¼ cup. Weigh meat, poultry or fish so that a portion is 3-4 ounces. Vegetarians can have similar amounts of eggs or low-fat plain yogurt with chopped fruit. Vegans are rarely overweight!)  A serving of wine is 5 ounces, and should be measured.  You can have sweets and treats a few times a week in your weight loss plan, so that you will not feel totally deprived.  Eat a few spoonfuls of ice cream instead of a pint.  When your weight is where you want it to be, have a small treat more often.

 If you eat out, the best approach is to bring along a box or tiffin carrier and put half your serving away, or share it with your dinner companion, before starting to eat.  Always have salad with dressing on the side.  Drink water before and during the meal.  Have a healthy snack an hour or two before going to the restaurant, such as a low sodium v8 with a whole grain cracker.  You can get great ideas for eating out by going to the website of Lisa R. Young, PhD, RDN.  Sign up for her Slice of Advice newsletter and you can download a whole chapter on eating out in a healthy manner.

Here’s my take-home message from this column: Avoiding overweight and obesity will lessen your chances of several cancers and help to avoid heart disease. It will make it easier to enjoy whatever sports you may like, including hiking and walking your dog.  Jane Brody and Lisa R. Young have outlined a plan that will help in a sensible way, without costing money or making you starve and be resentful.  

Sadja Greenwood, MD, MPH  Leave me a message and I’ll answer you.

-