myerstownherald.com

By SARA HAUFF DORAN
Everything in your life should be in moderation. That is an idea often heard but not often practiced when it comes to food.
I am very fond of eating — but I am careful not to overindulge all of the time. I pretty much eat what I want, within reason, but I just don’t eat that much of it.
Which brings me to my next point — portion sizes. The sizes restaurants serve (especially Italian restaurants) can be obscene. More than a few times, I have been served my pasta dinner on a platter plate, as in an oval shape instead of a circle! (Who knows how many pounds of pasta there was)?
In those instances, I ate about half of it and got a doggy bag for the rest. Not only did I not feel incredibly full afterwards, but I also had another meal for lunch or dinner that week.
But if you are one who likes to finish their plate, you can immediately ask the wait staff to box up half of your meal or better yet ask if they serve half portions beforehand so that you are not tempted to overeat.
I always try to eat slowly. It takes at least 20 minutes for your body to signal to your brain that you are full. A study presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity reported that eating slower means eating less and still feeling “full.”
There is a misconception that there are good and bad foods. There are no good or bad foods — it is unhealthy to label them as such. Giving emotional labels to food can actually lead to binge eating and eating disorders. We should view eating as something we need to survive and that gives us energy. Of course, it can give us pleasure too, and that’s OK as long as it’s in moderation.
Also, if we label certain foods as bad, our rebellious spirits can drive us to seek out that forbidden fruit. For example, one dessert we used to think was devilish we found out is actually good for you (here’s that word again — in moderation, of course). That is dark chocolate because of the flavonoids, which act as antioxidants.
Now if you have health problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, then the rules are different for you because you may in fact have to avoid certain foods. But if that’s not you, then keep in mind that any food is fine, in moderation. Now if only I could practice moderation with my wine drinking!