I’ve never been much on the importance of plate presentation, and I’ve got no scientific proof to back it up, but I can tell you that if you’re looking to lose weight, one of the first things you could do is get rid of all your plates and bowls. My wife and I are trying to lose weight — she’s using an organized program, and when she first started, I would dish out her evening meal, and it would sit, lonely, in the vast emptyness of the plates we had. Not long after, I bought a bunch of plain, white salad plates from a discount housewares store. These plates are probably 8 inches across instead of the 12 inches of our old plates. Now when I serve up our servings, the plates seem more overflowing. I also bought smaller bowls. These hold about a cup or so of liquid, half as much as our old bowls. If nothing else, it helps us both feel like we’re not skimping on our meals, and I do believe we both feel more satisfied, and less likely to opt for seconds.
3 thoughts on “Portion Control and Plate Size”
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Funny, Dave, I just had this discussion with my mom a couple weeks ago. She is dieting and said she feels like a prisoner when she sees her tiny amount of food on her gigantic plate! I suggested she use her salad plates for serving rather than her dinner plates – she said it is working for her!
I saw a TV show (Food Detectives, I think) and they did a test where people on one side of the room were given large plates, and on the other, smaller plates. They were presented with identical buffets and told to eat as much as they wanted. They weighed the food on the two buffet tables before and after, factoring in plate leftovers. Not surprisingly, the people on the small plate side of the room ate less . So at least in that test, it held true that smaller plates = eating less.
Portion control for me has always been my downfall. I tried the diet plates and such, but the idea gets tired really fast. One thing I discovered last month that is totally cool and helped me with daily portion control is Flavor Magic. I can’t find it in stores, so I buy it online since they offer free shipping. I get it at http://www.portioncontrol.net. I actually started using it for my husband and kids since it is so simple and tasty. I LOVE THEM. It’s really a nifty idea, and I recommend it if you like cooking at home but are struggling with eating right.