Nutritionists from the University of Maryland Medical System regularly contribute a guest post. The latest post is from Amy Mentrikoski, pediatric cardiology dietitian with the University of Maryland Medical Center's children's heart program.
Dr. Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab (foodpsychology.cornell.edu), said it best when he stated, "We are a nation of mindless eaters." We rely more on our eyes and our environment than our stomachs when it comes to eating, especially during the holiday season, when so many tempting foods and drinks are available.
This year, follow some of Wansink's well-researched tips from his book "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More than We Think" to help gain control of your weight:
Downsize your plate: We think we eat more food when we dish our food onto a smaller plate. Plate sizes have increased over the years, which has led to an increase in calorie intake. Downsize your 12-inch dinner plate to a 10-inch dinner plate. and you could serve yourself 22 percent fewer calories.
Repackage large packages: The larger the package size, the more we eat. If you buy in bulk, portion out the food into individual servings to help control calories.
Beware of "Health Halos": Foods labeled as "low-fat" or "low-calorie" often cause us to eat more. It has been shown that people will eat nearly twice as many calories of low-fat foods versus regular version foods.
Serve food in the kitchen: When serving dishes are left on the table, we eat more overall. To help control calories, serve the lower-calorie, more filling vegetables or salad at the table and leave the starches and protein in the kitchen.
In sight, in mind: We are three times more likely to eat the first thing we see in our pantry. Change the layout of your kitchen so the fruit bowl is more visible. Keep vegetables at eye level in the refrigerator.
The following are some additional ways to help control your weight this holiday season:
Reflect: Midmeal, tune in to how you are feeling. Do you need to finish your plate or have a few more bites to feel satisfied?
New traditions: Balance out the holiday goodies by finding a fun activity that the whole family can do together. Try sledding, ice skating or building a snow fort. Make it a new holiday tradition.
Fill up on vegetables. Vegetables are naturally low in calories and filling, which is the right combination when we are looking to control weight. Try preparing vegetables in other ways such as roasting with a drizzle of oil.
Eat before you go: Have a snack before you head to a holiday party to avoid overeating. Healthy snack ideas include a piece of fruit with low-fat cheese or a light yogurt sprinkled with a few almonds and whole grain cereal.
Mix up your drinks: Add in a glass of seltzer water to save a few hundred calories between holiday drinks. Or instead of a glass of juice, try seltzer water with a dash of juice to make a healthy flavorful drink.