The Importance of Portion Control

Those of you who know me, know that I have a problem with skipping meals. I have to be very diligent and stay on top of things to make sure I eat enough calories throughout the day. But, the real problem I have is this: after I’ve realized I skipped a meal, I’m so hungry that I end up eating way more than I should at one sitting. I’ve learned that this isn’t healthy either. It can lead to elevated blood sugar, which can eventually lead to diabetes. So, it is important to eat every meal and to eat healthy portions. As it turns out, it’s not so much the feelings of hunger that determine how much you eat in one sitting, but the size of your plate.

A few studies have been done on this matter. In one study, researchers gave moviegoers free, but very stale, popcorn. Not only was the popcorn two weeks old, but all the participants had just eaten a full meal, so they weren’t hungry. Still, those who were given a large-sized tub ate about 50 percent more than those who were eating out of a medium-sized tub.

In another study, graduate students and renowned nutritional science professors were given different sized bowls and scoops to serve themselves ice cream. There were small-sized bowls and scoops, and there were large-sized bowls and scoops. Those who had the combination of a large bowl and a large scoop ate 53 percent more ice cream than those who had the small bowl and scoop combo.

These aren’t the only two studies done on the matter – not by a long shot. There are too many to mention here, but I’ll give you just one more that I found interesting. This one showed that restaurant-goers were likely to eat much more soup when they were unknowingly eating out of auto-refilling bowls. Yes, this was more of a high-tech study. There were devices hid under the table to refill the soup slowly into the bowl, so the person eating wouldn’t notice.

All of these studies point to the same fact: We need to be cognizant of what we eat with. If you’re plates are larger than the standard plate, you’re very likely to be overeating at each meal. These studies also ruled out gender, age and financial status, as they found that you’re likely to eat more regardless of any of these factors. Whether you’re a vet tech or a brain surgeon, you’ll probably overeat if you’re given an oversized plate. 

Are Vitamins Good for Your Health?

If you follow the news about health reports, you're probably a little bit confused about whether you should be taking a multivitamin. And I certainly wouldn't blame you. I was confused, myself, so I looked into further to draw a conclusion of my own. I'll get to that, but before I do, I just wanted to mention that it's always best to do the work yourself and draw your own conclusions. But I know many of us are too busy, so I thought it would be helpful if I summed things up for you. From here, you can do your own research or not – it's up to you.
Research Against Vitamins

Recent research has shown that men who supplement with vitamin E and selenium are at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer. This study actually began to prove whether vitamin E supplementation could reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men. It was stopped when researchers found no conclusive benefit, but in a later follow up, they found that those on the vitamin E and selenium had a 17 percent greater chance of getting prostate cancer.

Another study of women in Iowa showed that women who took multivitamins and other supplements consistently for a 19-year period had an increased rate of mortality.

Examining the Research

Whenever you hear or read the results of any study, it's important that you get all the facts. I've provided links to more info each study, so you can learn more, if you'd like. It would be too long for me to summarize all of the details here, so I'm just going to point out what I think is important.

In the study of men taking vitamin E and selenium, the men were given a very high dose of each. The RDA of vitamin E is about 22.4 IU and the participants were given 400 IU. To be fair, may vitamin E supplements do contain as much as 200 IU, but that's still half the amount of what they used in the study. I don't know that 200 IU would increase the risk of prostate cancer and neither do they. More research needs to be done.

To conclude that multivitamins and other supplements increase mortality in women, researchers looked at the data from over three thousand women with an average age of 61.6. The increased rate of mortality for those taking multivitamins was 2.4 percent. The risk increased for those taking other vitamins including B6, folic acid and magnesium.

My Opinion on Vitamin Supplementation

From this research, and other research I've read, I wouldn't conclude that taking a multivitamin is risky. An increased mortality rate of 2.4 percent really isn't that high, and we don't know what the actual cases of death were. I would; however, conclude that taking high doses of any vitamin supplement is risky. I also believe that it's more of a risk to take individual vitamin supplements (including vitamin B6, E and selenium) than it is to take a multivitamin. This is probably because the vitamins are in higher dose when they aren't combined with other vitamins. We also don't know enough about the relationship between vitamins to take them independently. For all we know, giving the body calcium without vitamin D could be just as effective as giving a tattoo artist a needle without ink.

Pre New Year's Resolution: Eat More Real Foods

If you're anything like me, you're pretty fed up with New Year's resolutions. In fact, this year, I'm going to resolve not to resolve anything for New Year's ever again. But, that doesn't mean I don't want to improve myself; it just means that there isn't enough pressure surrounding the New Year's resolution. Everybody fails, right? So, why should I even bother trying? Some people even go as far as setting a goal they have no intention of fulfilling just to be part of the crowd.

At our New Year's party last year, my cousin announced that she was going to enroll in classes at Florida Tech online, but I knew she wouldn't. I think she even knew she wouldn't. So, why bother with it at all - especially if you're going to make such a specific and verifiable resolution. Let's just sidestep the whole New Year's resolution thing altogether. This year, let's make a December 14th resolution and stick to it. Let's resolve to eat as much real food as possible for the next year.

When I say real food, that's exactly what I mean. Real food isn't concocted in a lab and it doesn't last if you leave it on a shelf for 20 years. Real food is perishable, but it's also nutritious -- and delicious. In order to stick to this resolution, you'll need to clear your house from the worst temptations. That means, anything that's in a box or a can probably has to go. There are some exceptions, but if you're confused, just check the label. If there are ingredients you aren't familiar with or can't pronounce, throw it in the trash. Also, if you'd like, you can keep a few canned goods around as long as they are whole foods. Canned tomatoes, pumpkin and beans are the three exceptions I'm allowing for myself.

You'll notice I said "as much as possible." I'm giving myself this leeway so I don't have to stress when I'm at a friends house (nothing is more tacky than telling someone you can't eat because they aren't serving real food) ro at a restaurant. I've also included a few canned items to be realistic. Sometimes there are days when you need a quick meal and don't have time to cut open a pumpkin or soak beans overnight. I think it's really important to set realistic goals for yourself, so you'll stick to them. There's no sense in making grandiose resolutions that are only going to make you suffer. That's just not sustainable. That's probably why most resolutions fail. People feel pressure to make an impressive sacrifice. But, if you can't stick to it, who are you impressing?

Getting to Know Green Leafies

Last week, I talked about the importance of easing into a love of vegetables by using gateway veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes. Moms do that sort of thing with kids all the time, but it’s never too late. You can learn to love veggies at any age, if you are committed enough to your health. After you fall in love with those gateway vegetables, it’s time to start having some more salads in your life. Salads are great because they get raw, leafy greens into your body – which is invaluable to your health. I know what you’re thinking: boring! But, I’m going to ask you to bear with me again. Salads don’t have to be boring! They’re only boring if you don’t use your imagination.

Why You Should Eat More Salads

Leafy green vegetables, like romaine lettuce, are rich in vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants, but they are also very rich in fiber, which keeps your colon happy and healthy. Fiber has also been shown to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar while helping to minimize blood sugar swings. If you’re trying to lose weight, this may be your favorite benefit of increased dietary fiber: It helps you feel full, so you end up eating less.

When you’re shopping for lettuce, always avoid iceberg. It’s not that it’s bad for you, but it isn’t the best you can get. The one benefit is that iceberg has a lot of water, so it can help hydrate you, but it doesn’t have many nutrients. Go for the greener varieties, like romaine lettuce. Red leaf lettuce is also very healthy. Once you get used to having salads, you can even throw in some baby spinach or kale to boost the nutritional value even further.

How to Spice Up Your Salads
Stop thinking of salads as boring. They don’t have to be! You can add virtually anything to your salad to make it more interesting. Here are some ideas to get the ideas flowing: berries; apples; walnuts; pecans; dried cranberries; sprouts; pomegranate seeds; flaxseeds; and nutritional yeast. I wouldn’t suggest adding all of those things at once (that would be a lot of work), but add a combination of things you like. Also, it helps to find a tasty dressing recipe. My favorites include a tahini ginger dressing and a ginger miso dressing. Yep, I’m a big fan of the ginger! You might not be, so find a recipe that works for you. Of course, you can always go out and buy your dressings, but you lose control of the quality that way. Usually store-bought dressings have a lot of sugar, fake sugar or sodium – and not to mention, preservatives.

Another thing about salads is that they are great to use in bag lunches. All you need is a container, dressing, a fork and a refrigerator. They don’t need to be cooked, so you can grab lunch and be eating in no time. My aunt, who is a paralegal at a busy law office, swears by salad for lunch. She says she gets interrupted too many times during her lunch break to have to worry about her food being hot. Salads just work, and they’re nutritious. What could be better than that?