The moral of the story was lost on me back in the day when Goldilocks and the 3 bears was read to me. To be honest she always annoyed me because she made such a mess in the Bears pretty little house in the woods not to mention the fact that she went in without permission. But now looking back on that very same tale I’m struck by the insightful bowl sizes on the table portioned out to suit Daddy Bear, Mammy Bear and Baby Bear.
Look at your portion size. Are you eating the same quantity as everyone else at the table? Think Daddy Bear, Mammy Bear and Baby Bear portions. Our portion size should be determined by whether we are male or female, child or adult combined with our level of activity. Are your portion sizes for weight gain, maintenance or weight loss?
Is your meal balanced? – ideally for optimum health we need a variety of colour from fruit and vegetables, (green, red, yellow, oranges, purple and white). We need a proportionate share of protein, good fats & quality carbohydrates. If you don’t like vegetables and fruit look for recipes online where you can disguise them in ways that make them more palatable for you, for example, soups, sauces & smoothies. Be calorie aware not calorie obsessed. Know what your normal calorie intake should be to maintain your weight or to lose weight depending on your goals. Determine the percentage of calories you are getting from junk food or empty calories. Here lies the problem for most people. Not all calories are equal. There are so many free apps out there to help you track your calorific intake. Some calories fill you; some make you crave more
Bread & processed foods; Are you overly reliant on processed food or bread with your meals? If you do nothing else look at the ingredients in your bread & your processed foods, if it contains sugar, or hidden sugars, make it an occasional food or better still replace it with fresh prepared ingredients. Learn to make your own bread or buy one with the basic ingredients, flour, wheaten, salt, bread soda and buttermilk. It’s not that difficult. Start with bread & then start to examine the processed/convenience & frozen foods in your diet. As a general rule of thumb if a food has more than 5 ingredients on the package it is more than likely, not a healthy food.
Watch out for *‘Sugar – it is in everything, if it’s added to a food disguised or otherwise you need to make it an occasional food. The more sugar we ingest the hungrier we will feel. Educate yourself on your sugar intake. The World Health Organisation recommends no more than 6 teaspoons per day. *The WHO guideline does not refer to the sugars in fresh fruits and vegetables, and sugars naturally present in milk, because there is no reported evidence of adverse effects of consuming these sugars. Much of the sugars consumed today are “hidden” in processed foods that are not usually seen as sweets. For example, 1 tablespoon of ketchup contains around 4 grams (around 1 teaspoon) of free sugars. A single can of sugar-sweetened soda contains up to 40 grams (around 10 teaspoons) of free sugars.’ *(Reference the World Health Organisation website)
I despair at times when I see the poor options available to those of us trying to eat a balanced nutritious meal when out to lunch or an evening meal. This is a shout out to all restaurants, coffee shops & deli counters. Put a healthy choice on your menu for those people that are trying really hard to get their plate proportions right. If food proprietors could make one change that could help the nation in the battle against obesity it would be to include half a plate of vegetables, salads or soups with their meals or lunch deals. We are overly reliant on breads and chips; it’s time for them to swap places with the token side salad & discreetly take a backseat on a small quarter of the plate!! I’m not saying to totally omit them, but please cut back. The average children’s menu is even worse – nuggets and chips or sausage and chips – not a vegetable in sight!! Perhaps another blog topic!!
Written by Lucy Looby Nutrition
