Does portion size effect how much we eat? You bet it does! In a study which used self refilling soup bowls to measure whether visual cues relating to portion size effected how much we eat, participants who were unknowingly eating from the self refilling soup bowls ate 73% more than those who had your normal run of the mill, everyday, no tricks soup bowl.
Despite this large difference in soup intake, the subjects did not believe they had eaten more, nor did they report feeling more sated than those eating from normal bowls. In other words, we eat what’s in front of us, and the amount we eat doesn’t really determine when we stop.
How many of us grew up being told to finish what’s on our plate? I certainly was. How many of us tell our own children to? I’ve been guilty of it, but I must say generally because my 5 yr old announces he’s full when all that’s left on his plate is broccoli!
The bottomless soup bowl study shows us that if eating your plate clean is considered the norm, then we’ll eat what’s put in front of us, just because the expectation that is an appropriate sized serving has already been set.
Larger portions and packages suggest larger consumption norms. The amount we put on our plate suggests the amount which is supposed to be eaten. As the researchers put it “A person’s eyes may influence how much they consume, leading them to be less influenced by physiological cues of satiation. As a result, their estimate of how much they have consumed and how sated they are may have to do more with what they believe they saw themselves eat and less with how much they actually ate.”
Turning it around
It stands to reason that these visual consumption cues can also be used to suppress our food intake. Here are some tips for reducing the amount you eat
Use a smaller plate, bowl, cup or glass. This should lead you to thinking you are having a full portion, and make you less likely to ask for more.
Repackage bulk products into smaller ziplock bags (eg nuts, seeds, and dare I say it potato chips). Doing this for kids especially will lead them to believe they’ve had a full serving and eat less than what they would normally consume.
Don’t serve food at the table. Having food sitting in front of you at the dinner table is very suggestive of it being normal to have more than what you are originally served.
Pick smaller pieces of fruit if possible.
Look at the weight and calorie yield of a slice of bread – compare packets before you buy the bread. The size of a slice of bread these days seems to be about twice the size it was when I ws a kid!
There’s nothing more satisfying than putting lots of love into a meal and having your children really enjoy it. Conversly, there’s nothing more frustrating than having the expectation that your children are going to love something you’ve cooked for them, and then have them refuse to eat it, or worse still, tease you by puttting it into their mouths and chewing, then spitting it out.
As parents, there are so many ways we can make ourselves feel guilty. Not feeding our children a balanced diet is just one more thing to beat ourselves up about! Ideally, children should be offered vegetables from a very young age, and be encouraged to eat vegetables by your example. If you don’t eat enough vegetables, it’s unlikely your children will. Research shows that the ‘number of foods kids like does not change much from the age of two or three to age eight’ and that ‘new foods are often more likely accepted at age two to four than at four to eight.’ That doesn’t mean that it is too late to get your older kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, but rather that they won’t do it on their own and that you are going to have to work at it.
Of course we’d all like our children eating vegetables, but the reality is, many children simply don’t go for vegetables by choice. That’s when you need to resort to vegetables by stealth. Use a food processor to chop vegetables very finely, and add to everything you eat. Curries, spaghetti bolognese, and nachos are dishes that lend themselves to vetetables by stealth. Use a large variety of vegetables including those which they would never eat on their own such as brussels sprouts. At the same time, you still need to be offering your children whole vegetables. They need to see them on their plate to get used to the idea of eating them. There’s no need to make a fuss if they don’t eat the whole vegetables on their plate. As long as they are eating the hidden vegetables in the meals you have prepared for them, you can just smile, satisfied in the knowledge that you have won the vegetable battle without them even knowing it.
Some other ides for getting your kids to eat vegetables are:
offer chopped veggies with a dip, such as hommous
serve vegetables as a stir-fry
let your child help prepare the meal
start a vegetable garden at home so your kids can eat the vegetables they grow or visit a farm or farmer’s market.
Vegetarian Nachos
Finely chop vegetables such as onion carrot brocolli celery (including some leaves) red capsicum spinach (small amount) brussels sprouts (no more than two as they have a strong flavour)
Add all vegetables to a frying pan, along with a couple of tins of organic tomatoes. Simmer. Note you do not need to fry any of the vegetables in oil.
Whilst the vegetables are cooking, add in some garlic, a small amount of sugar and some tomato paste.
Blend one or two tins of kidney beans or canellini beans to a thick paste, and add to the mixture. Stir well, and simmer for another couple of minutes.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
Layer corn chips, vegetable mixture and a small amount of cheese in a large baking dish, finishing with corn chips and a layer of cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese melts. Serve with mashed avocado and cherry tomatoes.
If you have any quick and easy vegetable rich recipes of your own, please share them by posting them below.
We all try to keep too many balls in the air at this time of year. Work Christmas parties, children’s concerts, other family commitments, pre-Christmas work deadlines, Christmas shopping, getting the house ready to withstand scrutiny from even the toughest in law – we’ve all been there and for some unknown reason, each year we do it again.
One of those balls is bound to fall sooner or later. Here are some tips for maintaing good health over the Christmas period.
Make exercise a priority. Even if you only have twenty minutes to go for a walk or run or swim, do it. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “I really wanted to go for an hour but don’t have time for that, so I won’t do anything at all.” Anything is better than nothing. It will not only help to maintain you at your current fitness levels, it will keep you in the habit of exercising.
Take this opportunity to be active with your kids. Bike ride with them, kick a football, body surf, throw them in the air (but don’t be tempted to drop them), bushwalk, stroll around the neighbourhood after dinner. We live in one of the best cities in the world, with a great climate, and this time of the year there is simply no excuse for just sitting around.
Try not to go to a party hungry. Eat enough a couple of hours before you go so that you won’t feel the need to hover at the food table for the first few hours.
Make the healthiest food choices you can under the circumstances. If a dip is served with crackers and vegetables, dip the vegetables in, not the fat laden crackers.
Before you put something in your mouth, ask yourself is it really worthwhile getting fat over? Can you go without this so you can really enjoy something else. If Christmas pudding with all the trimmings is really your thing, forego the chocolate money and a second serving of ham.
Don’t feel guilty about what you have eaten or drunk. If you have overindulged, get over it. The world won’t end. Just acknowledge that you’ve taken on far more fuel than you can possibly use up all in one day, and eat less the next day, and the next if you’ve really stuffed yourself.
Spend as much time as you can laughing and relaxing. It will do wonders for your sense of well being, and what could be more revitalising than a good old fashioned belly laugh every day?
The liver is hugely important in maintaining your health. It performs the vital functions of blood sugar regulation, the breakdown of toxins in the body, the production of bile which emulsifies and absorbs fat in the small intestine, and regulating cholesterol and other hormones important in weight maintenance. If your liver is overwhelmed by toxins (and let’s face it, who doesn’t overload their body even just a little bit at this time of year), or if it lacks essential nutrients, it will not function efficiently. What’s more, if the liver does not produce enough bile, fat may be stored in the liver, instead of processed.
A few weeks of poor eating and not enough exercise can harm the liver, causing liver inflammation and an increase in the amount of fat found in the liver, reducing the liver’s effectiveness.
Tell-tale signs of liver stress
Skin problems, rashes, acne, premature ageing
Dark circles under your eyes
Weight problems such as uncontrolled weight gain and binge eating
Fatigue and sleepiness
Digestive problems – frequent constipation, chronic heartburn, indigestion, bad breath
Irritability, depression, mood swings, poor memory, feelings of helplessness
The list could be used to describe the symptoms of a number of other conditions of course, but if you do suffer from a couple of these, (or even if you don’t) it is worthwhile considering giving the liver a bit of TLC by consciously including foods in your diet which will give your liver a lift, and by maintaining a consistently active lifestyle. You don’t need to go into full detox mode, but if you do want to go the whole hog, don’t jump into a detox programme cold turkey. You need to ease into it, gradually reducing toxins over a period of a week, or else you are likely to have a very severe reaction.
Liver Cleansing Foods
Lemon. Start the day with the juice of half a lemon in warm water. This will help with the digestive process before food gets anywhere near your liver.
Dandelion. Leaves can be eaten fresh in salads and dandelion root or leaf can be consumed as tea. Dandelion teabags are available in most supermarkets. I add milk, but it’s your preference. Whilst it looks a little like coffee, don’t treat it as a coffee substitute as you may be disappointed. Value it for it’s own sake! Also be aware that dandelion does have a diuretic effect, so make sure you drink plenty of water as well.
Filtered Water. Important not only for the liver. In the summer months, particularly if you are exercising, you need plenty of it. There seems to be very little actual evidence supporting the standard 8 glasses, or 2 litres of water a day theory, so how much is enough? You should drink enough water so that you are passing clear (or almost clear) urine. Be aware that eating beetroot, and over supplementation of B group vitamins can change the colour dramatically!
Taurine containing foods such as animal protein and invertebrate seafood (basically anything from the sea which doesn’t have a backbone). Vegetarians and people with multiple allergies and chemical sensitivities should consider supplementing their diet with 200 to 500mg of taurine daily.
Globe artichoke
Carrots
Beetroot
Alfalfa
Barley Root
Raw Vegetables (especially leafy greens)
Raw Fruits (but stick to no more than 3 serves of fruit per day due to the high fructose levels in fruit)
Oats
Olives and olive oil
Beans
Garlic and onion – which contain phytochemicals that break down fatty deposits in the body
Onion
Tomatoes
Nuts
Cayenne
Tumeric – very high in beta carotene which helps protect against the damage caused by free radicals. Also helps the liver to metabolise fats
Flaxseed and Flaxseed oil (flaxseeds need to be crushed prior to eating otherwise they are likely to pass through the intestine undigested.
Psyllium 3-4 gms prior to meals
Foods to Minimise or avoid
Fast foods
Processed foods
Artificial food additives, colours and preservatives
Synthetic sweeteners
Sugars, especially fructose and high fructose corn syrups such as those found in soft drinks.
A new study from the University of Sydney has found that including enough protein in our diets, rather than simply cutting calories, is the key to curbing appetites and preventing excessive consumption of fats and carbohydrates. “Aaahh”, I hear you all saying. “High protein diets do work”.
That depends really on what you call a high protein diet. The study looked at 10% of calories coming from protein, vs 15% and 25%. The findings DO NOT support those who advocate excessive amounts of protein in the diet. (Some eating plans strive for over 40% of calories coming from protein).
The researchers from Sydney Uni have shown that people on a 10 percent protein diet will eat more snacks between meals and consume significantly more calories in total compared with people on a 15 percent protein diet. The results show that dietary protein plays an important role in appetite and total food consumption in humans. “Humans have a particularly strong appetite for protein, and when the proportion of protein in the diet is low this appetite can drive excess energy intake,” said lead author Dr Alison Gosby. The ‘protein-leverage’ hypothesis, proposes that animals have a fixed protein target, which they will defend at the expense of other nutrients.
In their new study Dr Alison Gosby and Professor Steve Simpson wanted to test the ‘protein-leverage’ effect in humans. The researchers created three menus that represented low (10 percent), intermediate (15 percent) and high (25 percent) protein, based on data from the World Health Organization recommending people eat 15 percent protein diets. With the exception of protein, the three diets were identical in all other factors such as appearance, palatability, variety and availability. The researchers then took a group of 22 lean people and fed each subject each of the three menus during three separate four-day periods, monitoring energy intake over each four-day period and hunger ratings on day four. They found subjects who ate a 10 percent protein diet consumed 12 percent more energy over four days than those eating a 15 percent protein diet. Moreover, 70 percent of the increased energy intake on the lower protein diet was attributed to snacking.
When the protein content was further increased to 25 percent, however, the researchers observed no change in behavior relative to the 15 percent protein diet. On the fourth day of the trial, however, there was a greater increase in the hunger score between 1–2 hours after the 10 per cent protein breakfast versus the 25 percent protein breakfast.
Dr Gosby commented: “This result confirms the ‘protein-leverage’ effect in humans and importantly, shows counting calories is not enough to manage appetite and body weight. In the western world, where food is abundant, if you reduce your calorie intake but fail to reach your protein target you will find it hard to resist hunger pangs.”
Take a close look at this statement from Dr Gosby. She is not saying you can eat the same amount of calories, but as long as you eat protein you will lose weight, she is saying you need to reduce your calories, and taking in enough protein will help you do that. Weight loss is still about taking in less energy than you expend.
Dr Gosby points out their “results indicate low protein diets will cause humans to overeat. Tragically in the modern westernised environment there are many factors encouraging us to eat foods that are high in sugars and fat, including reduced cost and increased availability of these foods. Underpinning all this is our ancestral environment in which fat and simple sugars were highly prized, leaving us with a predilection for these foods.”
Does this mean that you should load up on protein?
Whilst protein has it’s place in your diet, too much protein can have detrimental effects on your health. Diets in which protein makes up a large amount of your daily caloric intake, so-called ketogenic diets, cause a build up of toxic ketones in your body. Your kidneys are pushed into overdrive in order to flush the ketones from your body, and you can lose significant amounts of water, putting you at risk of dehydration. This of course is exacerbated if you exercise heavily, particularly in the summer months.
As well as fluid loss, high protein diets can cause calcium to be leached from your bones. Ketongenic diets can cause blood acidity. The correct pH balance of your blood is imperative if your blood is to deliver vital nutrients around your body. Your body recognises the pH imbalance in your blood and does something about it. The acidity needs to be counteracted by a buffer to return the blood to it’s correct pH. One such buffer is calcium, which is found in your bones and teeth. Basically, your body considers that your blood needs the calcium (to counteract acidity) more than your bones and teeth do, and you can become calcium deficient and suffer form oesteoporosis if you maintain a hight protein diet for a prolonged period.
Not only that, dehydration from a ketogenic diet can give you bad breath!!
What does a 15% protein day look like?
Don’t stress too much about hitting the magic 15% mark. Being too technical can turn you off even trying. You should simply be aiming to have protein at every meal. For meat, chicken and fish, a good rule of thumb is to have a portion about the size of the palm of your hand at meal times. Be sure to trim off all visible fat (except from fish as these are good fats). Skin needs to be trimmed from poultry BEFORE cooking. Try eggs for breakfast rather than sweet (and often salty) cereal. Try nuts and seeds instead of dipping into the biscuit tin. Limit fruit to no more than 2 pieces a day, and ditch the fruit juice for water.
If you are eating a sandwich at lunchtime, two slabs of bread and a skinny bit of ham in the middle doesn’t really cut it. Try a tuna sandwich with avocado instead of butter. Add a boiled egg to your lunchbox. A good amount of protein at lunchtime will go a long way to stopping that mid-afternoon forage to the snack dispenser!
Add your tips for including more protein in the diet below.
Stress. It makes you depressed. It makes you tired. It makes you snap at the people you love. Stress can make you drink the whole bottle of wine when you only meant to have a glass. Stress can also make you fat.
Scientists at the Universityof Liverpoolfound that women exposed to a range of mentally and physically stressful tasks ate 20 per cent more of the free chocolate they were offered, compared to when they didn’t have to do the tasks. However, the stress-fat connection isn’t just down to those uncontrollable urges to eat a packet of Tim Tams. It appears that the effects of stress can alter the way our bodies deal with food
Research at the Universityof Californiain San Franciscofound that out of 160 women between 30 and 46 years old, those with the biggest waist measurements reported the highest levels of stress. Meanwhile, Dr Pamela Peeke, one of a team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health in America, has discovered that hormones secreted during times of stress are instrumental in causing more fat to be stored, particularly around the abdomen.
It works like this.
A hormone called CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone) rises in response to stress, triggering amongst other things, a release of cortisol and adrenalin (the ‘stress’ hormones), to help prepare the body for action.
Cortisol stimulates the release of glucose to provide fuel for fight or flight while adrenalin primes the nervous system for action.
Once the crisis is over, adrenalin disperses, but cortisol — and the glucose it has drawn into the blood — lingers, causing a surge of insulin.
This stimulates the appetite to encourage the body to restore its fuel stores, to be ready to cope with the next confrontation.
Of course, these days, our confrontations tend not to be with hairy mammals and other things we need to run away from, so we rarely expend any energy in our stressful encounters. We do still end up refuelling however, because we’re hard-wired to do so. This excess body fat is stored ‘viscerally’, or deep within the abdomen, where it raises our risk of heart disease and diabetes.
So what to do about it? One of the most obvious ways to solve the problem is to reduce or eliminate stress by changing your lifestyle and learning coping strategies. A sensible approach — but frankly, easier said than done. So how about ‘reinstating’ the fight or flight response, by following stressful events and experiences with some physical activity, like we were born to do?
Not only will this dissipate those stress hormones, it will also release beta-endorphins, making you feel calm and contented. And you will be a super athlete in no time with all that exercise each time you stress out about something! More importantly, regular workouts will enable you to become more stress-resilient in the future. The fitter you are, the lower the rise in cortisol under stressful conditions.
Measuring your waist is a simple check to see how much body fat you have, and where it is placed around the body. The location of body fat can be an important indicator of your risk of developing certain chronic diseases. Whatever your height or build, an increased waistline is a sign you may be at greater risk of ongoing health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and some cancers.
How to measure your waistline
Measure directly against your skin
Breathe out normally
The tape should be snug, without compressing the skin
Measure your waist half way between the lowest point of your lowest rib and the highest point of your hip bone. If you palpate at the side of your tummy you will feel these bony landmarks.
What does it mean?
No matter what your height, the following waist measurements suggest you could be at an increased risk of developing a chronic disease.
Increased Risk Women: more than 80cm
Men: more than 94 cm
Greatly Increased Risk Women: more than 88cm
Men: more than 102 cm
These waist measurements are recommended for Caucasian men and Caucasian and Asian women. Not enough research has been done on other groups for a definitive measurement to be established.
Does portion size effect how much we eat? You bet it does! In a study which used self refilling soup bowls to measure whether visual cues relating to portion size effected how much we eat, participants who were unknowingly eating from the self refilling soup bowls ate 73% more than those who had your normal run of the mill, everyday, no tricks soup bowl.
