The Benefits of Portion Controlled Meals
When it comes to healthy eating, size really does matter! Serving size, that is.
Contrary to popular belief, restricting the amount of food you eat (or skipping meals) is not necessarily the most effective way to find your healthy weight. Instead, start by paying closer attention to how much of each food group is on your plate.
When we say ‘food groups’ we’re talking about the following:
- Proteins - for example: chicken, fish, tofu
- Carbohydrates - like bread, pasta, sweet potato and other starchy vegetables, legumes, fruit, yoghurt and anything with processed sugar in it; like biscuits & icecream
- Fats - nuts and avocado for example
- Free Foods - all the other vegetables not mentioned above
Portion control is just about getting the right mix of the above foods on your plate so you’re getting the most out of the foods you eat.
A great place to start with your portion size is to think of your plate as a pie chart and imagine:
- Half your plate is made up of carbohydrates (low or high gi and vegetables)
- One quarter of your plate is made up of some kind of protein
- The remaining quarter of your plate contains fats
You would then monitor how you feel over the course of a week, say and see if you need to slightly increase the ratios of any of the above.
We’ve taken the guesswork out of it for you, with our healthy ready-made meal options. We work closely with our dietitian, Nicole Saliba from EatSense to ensure that our range of meals has the appropriate balance of protein, vegetables and carbs (for your average adult). She also helps us to design our menu to ensure that it is well-balanced and full of nutrients.
You can even check the amounts of protein, fats, carbs, macros on each meal before committing to it!
How Can Ready Made Meals Make Your Life Easier?
- It takes the thought process out of how much to eat when it’s done for you already
- Convenient having the calories and macros listed on your packaging instead of having to work out yourself
- Stops you from overeating and gives you a realistic idea of how much you should be eating per meal
- Handy for those who need to eat on the go, when busy.
- Less food waste than when you’re buying ingredients and cooking for yourself at home!
We hope you found that helpful! If you’re in the mood for some extra reading, you might find one of these articles useful: ‘The Low Down On Carbs’ and ‘5 Signs Your Not Eating Enough’
This article was written by:
Rebecca Achelles for Activate Foods
