The other night I found myself doing something out of the norm. I was making a nice dinner of vegetable lentil soup with a mixed green salad and had an “ah ha” moment. I realized I was acting out a great diet trick. I had decided to make my salad first, then put all the ingredients back in the fridge. I sat down to eat it and then brought my awareness to how full my stomach was. If I was still hungry I’d go make the pre-planned soup, but if I was satisfied that’d be it.
Portion control is a huge part in any nutrition plan. Eating a variety of whole foods, while keeping the amount of food reasonable, is key to losing weight and establishing healthy lifelong eating habits. By preparing one course or part of a dish at a time you can watch portion control and get in tune with how your stomach is really feeeling. The time lapse between eating and preparing allows the stomach to digest and send the “full” signal to the brain.
To finish my story, I was still hungry after finishing my dinner salad, but ended up making a smaller bowl of soup than I would have if I had prepared both dishes at the same time. Try it! Your stomach just might surprise you!
