The trend of ever-larger portions is not just a phenomenon of recent years. In paintings from the past 400 years, the average meal portion is 70% larger than in paintings from the period 1000–1300 AD. This is evident from the book Smartsize Me by Steenhuis, Poelman, and Overtoom.
By changing your habits and tricking your brain a little, you can start eating significantly less without even noticing. These psychological tricks ensure that your pants fit just a little less tight in the long run.
Here are five tips to prevent overeating.
1. Keep unhealthy snacks behind closed doors
A fruit bowl filled with fruit invites you to eat, which is positive. However, a transparent cookie tin or an open kitchen cupboard filled with snacks has the same effect. From now on, keep unhealthy snacks behind closed doors. Out of sight, out of mind.
2. Decide in advance what you want to eat
Determine the quantities of your meals in advance and weigh rice, pasta, and potatoes if necessary. This can also be done with a measuring cup or by counting potatoes individually.
3. Serve your food in the kitchen
Seeing food makes you want to eat. Full pots or bowls on the table invite you to serve yourself more often. By leaving the pots in the kitchen and serving yourself from those, you avoid this temptation.
4. Do not eat from the packaging
The bottom of a bag of chips is always closer than you think. Just like cookies disappear faster if you eat them straight from the wrapper. Train yourself to always put chips and other snacks in a bowl or container. Because your stomach can't count, it's important to see how much you're eating. Unless you're eating a bag of carrots.
5. Make a healthy version of an unhealthy meal
Craving fries? A salad probably won't satisfy your hunger. American psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert recommends turning an unhealthy meal into a healthier version. Craving chips? Then make your own vegetable chips. In the mood for a greasy hamburger? Opt for a whole-wheat bun and a homemade veggie burger. Craving fries? Try sweet potato fries. According to Alpert, your taste buds and your brain will eventually get used to these healthier meals and even start to like them better.
To-do assignment
Get started with the tips above. Log in power supply in a nutrition app to get an overview of what you consume daily. Discover where you can make gains to combat overeating and make healthy choices for a healthier life!
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