Portion Distortion

As wls patients, most of us have got a handle on portion control….our surgery by virtue of its restriction gives us a bit of a headstart. This is especially true in the early ‘honeymoon’ days after surgery. However, and many post-ops several years out will testifyto this, it’s easy to slip back into the larger portions of old and forget what constitutes a ‘normal bariatric portion’ further down the line.

 

I try to get around this by giving a guide with my recipes suggesting what fraction of a normal (non-wls person’s) portion is ideal but it does vary from one individual to another.

 

It seems we’re not alone for according to recent research by Mintel, 55% of Britons are planning to lose weight this month through eating smaller portions. I have also seen countless initiatives from the US, Canada and Australia urging stricter portion control as a tool to combat the rising tide of obesity.

 

But what is a normal portion? Well to take the guesswork out of this, Waitrose has launched a range of handy tools to help customers judge the correct portion sizes to avoid weight gain and also to cut down on excess food ending up in the kitchen bin! 

 

Part of the LOVE life range the tools can effectively help with managing the quantities of everyday foodstuffs and family favourite meals to help keep portions in perspective. The range is colourful, easy to store and clean.

 

The range includes a Trio Serving Set with slotted spoon for vegetables, spatula for meat and fish and a solid spoon for rice, potato and pasta (£15); a Cheese Grater Portion Pot making cheese easy to grate/shred and measure (£7); a Serving Ladle for soups, sauces and gravy (that has different indicators for single servings…£7); and Easy Measure Pasta Portion, Cook and Strain Basket…which helps with one serving of all types of pasta but also doubles up as a vegetable steamer (£12); a Simple Cereal Scoop to measure one portion (£4.50); and my favourite, a Nut Portion Pot, SHOWN, with a 1 or 2 serving indicator where the lid doubles as a scoop and seals for freshness (£5).

 

Why is it my favourite? Well I rarely go wrong with portion sizes for main meal items but it’s the snacking that can often go awry or askew if I don’t keep an eye on how much I am eating as these ‘extras’.

 

Information and image courtesy of www.waitrose.com