Experiment
Scientists from American University conducted an experiment on assessing the weight of food by eye.
Two groups of subjects took part in it: doctors and people far from medicine. As a result, it was determined that, regardless of education, the difference in the estimate of the number of grams on a plate compared to the actual one ranged from 22 to 48%. This means that a person cannot always determine by eye the size of the portion in grams that he is going to eat. From this it turns out that calculating the number of kilocalories (a fairly popular method for losing weight) is not always adequate and corresponds to what is actually eaten. Be that as it may, it is not always possible to weigh food on a kitchen scale. The solution to this problem turned out to be simple.
What will overeating lead to?
No one is immune from overeating.
And if you eat an excessive amount of food, a person feels heaviness, he is not inclined to work, thought processes are inhibited, and laziness appears (read how to overcome laziness in one of the articles on our website). Because the body puts all its strength into overcoming and digesting a huge amount of food. Let's consider the distribution of food components that enter the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
A person needs approximately 1.8-2.0 g of protein per kilogram of weight per day. When consumed in larger quantities, amino acids and polypeptides (components of proteins) from foods will not be absorbed. But food will stagnate in the gastrointestinal tract, and rotting processes will begin. Constipation (constipation) may occur. Signs of gastrointestinal motility disorders appear on the skin of the face. The functioning of the glands is disrupted. And this most often leads to the appearance of an inflammatory rash. Read our article on how to properly care for your facial skin to know how to avoid such negative manifestations.
The situation is different with carbohydrates and fats. All of them are used by the body for its needs. In this case, the amount of fats and carbohydrates eaten is distributed according to the needs of the body. These components are used for:
1) digestion of incoming products; 2) brain function; 3) ensuring a basic level of cell activity (this is the minimum amount of energy that is necessary to maintain life); 4) cells perform their special functions that require increased energy costs; 5) contraction of skeletal muscles; 6) accumulation of glycogens in the liver and muscles.
After eating, carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract undergo many changes. Eventually they are broken down into glucose, which is absorbed into the blood in the small intestine. Thanks to insulin, it reaches all cells of the body. And its entry into the brain, liver and muscles is determined by the concentration gradient. The more glucose circulates in the blood, the more it will go to these organs. If you overeat, the amount of glucose will increase sharply, and its consumption by the organs will accordingly increase. The muscles and liver will accumulate glycogen (normally, the muscles of a 65 kg woman contain 400 grams of glycogen). If there is a lot of this glycogen, it begins to enter fat cells. It is very difficult to get him out of there.
The same thing happens with fats. But when one gram of carbohydrates is broken down, 9 kcal of energy is released. For proteins and fats, this figure is 4.1-4.3 kilocalories.
Therefore, the serving size for proper nutrition should correspond to the needs of the body.
How to plan your diet correctly?
When shaping their diet, most people are guided by their own food preferences and needs. However, there are more specific guidelines by which a person’s daily nutritional intake can be formed. So, for a person per day or per week, in order to organize a balanced diet, the following products should be included in the menu (we are talking about a person of middle age and weight):
- Meat – 170 g daily. This amount includes both poultry and red meat. In this case, high-quality poultry meat should account for approximately half of this amount. It is quite acceptable for meat to not be on the menu every day. For example, you can eat it 4 days a week, 250 g.
- Fish - 300 g every week . Fish dishes can be eaten twice a week to ensure that the body receives enough nutrients. It is recommended to choose fatty fish, as they are high in omega-3 fatty acids , which are beneficial for health. The same standard includes any seafood.
- Vegetables – up to 400 g daily. This is the minimum you should consume daily. Almost every lesson on proper nutrition includes recommendations that the more vegetables included in the diet, the better it will be for your health. Every day you should prepare salads, eat boiled and stewed vegetables. However, it is important to understand that this norm should not be “overshadowed” by completely starchy vegetables - potatoes, beans, peas, beans.
- Fruits – up to 300 g per day. This amount is also only a minimum; it is advisable to eat even more fruit. We are talking, first of all, about fresh fruits, and not prepared in the form of jam or compotes. After all, fresh fruits have beneficial properties that are important for the body. However, recently prepared fruits, for example, baked in the oven, also retain a certain set of beneficial properties.
- Bread – up to 250 g per day. Since most people perceive bread as an independent product, it is often separated into a separate group. This norm should include all types of bread. It is especially important that a person regularly consumes whole grain bread. It is optimal for the main part of the diet to be bread with bran, while the amount of baked goods should be kept to a minimum.
- Cereals – 6 servings per day. Six servings is a plate of porridge or about 300 g of baked goods. We are talking about all cereals, pasta, and baked goods. In this case, the recommendations are similar to those regarding bread: it is important that this norm consists mainly of porridges made from unprocessed grains. It is advisable to consume different types of grains to get maximum benefits.
- Fats - at the rate of 1 g per 1 kg of weight per day. If a person weighs 70 kg, he should consume 70 g of fat per day. But in this case we are talking about fat consumed in general. That is, the one that is contained in different dishes and products also needs to be counted. The diet should contain both animal and vegetable fat, and it is better to consume more of the latter, but not less than 50% of the total amount of fat.
- Sugar – no more than 6 tsp. for women and no more than 9 tsp. for men. This does not mean that you need to put exactly this amount of sugar in tea or coffee. We are talking about sugar in general - that is, the sugar contained in foods and dishes must also be taken into account. It is important to remember that there is a lot of so-called hidden sugar in different dishes - it is found in baked goods, yoghurts, cereals, juices, etc. Those who cannot even approximately calculate the amount of sugar consumed should eat no more than 2 tablespoons of pure sugar per day. The rest of the person will receive from the dishes he eats throughout the day.
- Salt - up to 5 g per day. The amount of salt per day for a person is only one teaspoon. Moreover, the salt that is sprinkled on salads and the hidden salt is taken into account, that is, the salt that is in herring, sausage, snacks, etc. Salt should not be abused under any circumstances.
- Coffee – no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day. On average, this is the amount of caffeine contained in approximately 350 ml of ready-made natural coffee, provided that its strength is moderate. If the coffee is instant, then this is about 500 ml of drink. However, these are average recommendations. For some people this may be excessive. It is important to note that a certain amount of caffeine is also found in tea, especially green tea.
- Alcohol – 30 g of ethanol for men, 20 g for women per day. Of course, we are not talking about a recommendation, but only about an acceptable norm that will not cause harm to the body. The amount of alcohol depends on its strength. If we talk about dry wine, a woman can drink 200 ml of this drink, a man - 300 ml.
Introducing all of the listed products into the diet and observing calorie standards will make it possible to make the menu balanced and get all the substances necessary for the body in full.
Determining the serving size
I Simple method
The simplest way to determine the required weight and volume of food is the fist rule. The volume of the stomach in a calm state (on an empty stomach) is equal in size to a fist. In order not to overstretch the muscular walls of the stomach and not lead to its excessive activity, it is necessary to put into it exactly as much as it can withstand. In this case, eating should stop when there is no food on the plate. You can’t give yourself “several fists” during one meal. To do this, it is better to remove pots and pans away from your eyes.
II Exact method
There is another method for determining how much you eat.
It's heavier. But using this method you can more accurately determine the serving size in grams. It is necessary to remember that: 1) the palm of an adult woman is equal to 100 grams of white meat (chicken or fish);
2) 200 g occupy the same volume as a woman’s fist (the same amount in one glass); 3) half a teaspoon the size of a thumbnail (that’s 5 grams), for example, that’s how much sunflower oil you should consume per day; 4) a tablespoon holds 10 g (the area of two thumbnails); 5) a handful of one palm holds two tablespoons of liquid; A portion of salad, porridge, and pasta can also be placed here.
Recommendations from nutritionists
There are also certain recommendations from nutritionists.
In their opinion, there are correspondences between hands and dishes containing different nutrients: 1) protein food should be like the palm of your hand; 2) a vegetarian plate (fruits, vegetables, salads without dressing) can be the size of a fist; 3) the part that falls on complex carbohydrates is equal to one palm; 4) two phalanges of the thumb are equal to the amount of fat on the plate.
In order to lose weight without harm to your health and without feeling hungry, you need to reduce the energy output of food by 500 kcal. Based on these calculations, a person needs three palms per day (two protein and one carbohydrate), three fists and one phalanx of the thumb. To satisfy your hunger, you can increase your vegetable portion.
Fractional meals
Some nutritionists insist on 3 full meals (350 to 600 calories each) and 1 to 3 snacks throughout the day (150 to 200 calories).
The main feature is that you should not go without food for more than 5 hours. Essentially, you divide your daily calorie intake into more meals. This way, you eliminate the prolonged feeling of hunger, which forces you to choose unhealthy and high-calorie snacks, baked goods and fast food.
This allows you to get enough proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements without strict restrictions and fasting, and since meals occur at regular intervals, the body receives a signal that it does not need to accumulate extra calories and metabolic processes improve.
Before your next meal, ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I hungry? (If you're not sure, wait 20 minutes and ask yourself again)
- When was your last meal? (If less than three hours, this may be so-called “emotional hunger”)
- Will snacking help me? (To do this, have fruits, nuts or dried fruits on hand)
Let's summarize. How to start eating right? Eat regularly and consume 90% of your calories before 8 pm. Pay attention to eating at regular intervals of 4-5 hours. Make sure they are healthy and nutritious and do not exceed the daily recommended caloric intake. This will help regulate your blood sugar levels and also control your hunger.
