Portion Control Tips
One of the big nutritional buzz phrases is portion control. The whole idea is that you can have just about any food you prefer, but if the portion sizes are reasonable, you'll still be able to keep your weight and nutrition under control.
Some of the portion control suggestions only make sense: use smaller plates, so that small servings won't look as stingy; once you serve everyone, remove the rest of the food from the table; and never eat snacks directly from the bag.
But here's another one: use a salt shaker. What does salt have to do with portion control? It's not the salt, but the shaker that will make the difference. Fill a clean salt shaker with sugar (or sugar substitute) and put it on the counter or table top. The next time you want sugar for your cereal, or for your hot tea, sprinkle it, rather than spoon it in. You'll use far less sugar, because in order to get a full teaspoonful, you'll be doing a lot of shaking—and noticing. Try it! You have nothing to lose but calories!
Published 02/08/08
