Meal planning and portion size are phrases we often hear. Outside of a list of items at the grocery store and roughly estimating serving sizes, what do they mean? Recent research shows that planning affects the quantity and quality of the food we eat. In other words, it is the first line of defense when striving to make healthier choices.
Planning gives us an opportunity to predetermine our portion sizes. Feeling satisfied with the amount of food we eat isn’t only physical; it’s psychological as well. When we are served large amounts of food, we eat large amounts of food; whether or not we are hungry or the meal is healthy. When meals are pre-planned, we are more likely to consume an appropriate portion size and eat more nutrient-dense foods, and less likely to contribute to food waste.
Knowing how much food we are going to consume before the meal helps to guide our feelings of satiety. In fact, feeling full is so intertwined with memories that even reminding someone of a recent meal will cause him or her to eat less. The feeling of fullness can be easily interrupted by a television show, so serving the proper portion and turning off the television are useful tools for the distracted eater. Those interrupted during a meal are more likely to feel hungry and eat more than they would have otherwise. When we break up the encoding of the memories we make while eating, it sets a size precedent for the next meal, causing subsequent meals to become larger.
Memories play such a vital function in our portion sizes that two to three hours after a meal, our feelings of fullness depend on how much we remember eating, not how much we actually ate. This means it is possible to retrain your brain to feel full after a smaller meal. Stop worrying about “shrinking your stomach” and focus more on making memories of your satisfying, perfectly portioned meal.
Bottom Line: Set the precedent for healthy food and portion sizes by preplanning your meals. Your mind and body will back you up.
Written by: Ariel Beaird, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern
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Are you an avid label reader when it comes to food labels? You might read the nutrition or ingredient label to make sure what you’re eating is healthy for you and your family, but how about skin care products? Take a closer look at your lotions, deodorants and cosmetics to find out if what you're putting on your body is as healthy as what you’re putting in it.
It might seem like the products we use on our skin will wash off when we bathe, but the skin, our largest organ, is porous and absorbs a large portion of what we put on it. That means that these ingredients can make their way into our blood and lymphatic system. Become a savvy ingredient reader for your beauty products -- just like you do at the grocery store.
The United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938. The European Union, however, has placed regulations on over 1,300 chemicals for personal care products in the last twenty years. The Food and Drug Administration is a U.S. agency responsible for regulating what goes in our food and cosmetics. They allow companies to use their discretion when adding chemicals that are known to be harmful in the products that we spray on, bathe with and lather on our skin. This leaves the detective work up to the consumer. Keep in mind that just because it’s on the shelf doesn’t mean that it’s free of toxins.
So, what can you do? Be an informed consumer and familiarize yourself with the chemicals, preservatives, fragrances and colors that are known to be irritants, allergens and carcinogens. Look for certified organic and natural skin care products. Preservatives, dyes, petroleum derivatives and synthetic fragrances go by many different names. A good rule of thumb is if you can’t pronounce the ingredient, avoid it. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Isobutyl Paraben (and all parabens), Phthalatates, Triclosan and Triclocarban are just a few examples. Down to Earth and Beauty Counter are two companies that stay up to date on ingredients that don’t belong in our skin care and body care products. They make a point to offer products that you can use with confidence.
You can find an extensive list of ingredients to avoid here and here.
Written by: Stephanie Coburn, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern
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