Don’t Put Serving Platters on the Table for Family Meals

 

Photo by Rumman Amin on Unsplash

This easy weight loss tip, taken from my upcoming book  Eat Smart and Lose Weight: Research-backed Ways to Lose Weight without Diets or Exercise   was recently featured on the healthy eating website Eatthis.com 

The reason I discourage putting serving bowls and platters on the table during family meals is that when the food within easy reach, it’s too easy  (and too tempting) to have a second or third helping.  – Not such a good idea if you’re trying to lose weight.

You’re better off plating the food in the kitchen, restaurant-style.  That way you (or anyone else) will have to leave the table to get another helping.  Most of the time we only want a second helping just because the food is sitting there staring us in the face. 

Preparing or plating the food in the kitchen with a set amount of food on it when it’s placed on the table, can cut reduce the temptation to have another helping that you probably don’t need.

Below is the tip as it appeared in Keenan Mayo’s" article "Sneaky Ways You're Gaining Weight and Don't Know It, Say Experts"  which was posted on  the website Eat This, Not That, earlier this month. It was one of 12 tips contributed by various other experts in the field 

You Dine with Platters on the Table, Thanksgiving-Style

One of the easiest ways to avoid over-eating is to make it slightly more difficult to actually reach your food. Conversely, one of the sneakiest ways to overeat is to simply have the entire smorgasbord in front of you all along.

"Putting platters on the table is one way you're guaranteeing that you're going to eat more than you want to," says health and food journalist Ruth Houston. "This will only encourage and facilitate a second and third helping. Instead, always plate your food in the kitchen, restaurant-style."