Today we will continue an overview of my acronym for good nutrition – BLESS (as in bless this food to our use). We started last week with B for eat BETTER; L refers to eat LESS.

I have always enjoyed O’Henry’s short stories, but one of them makes me sick to my stomach. Here’s a synopsis of his “Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen,” an account that includes a generous serving of irony, the ingredient for which O’Henry is best known:

For the past nine years, a rich elderly man has been treating Pete (today he would be considered homeless) to a Thanksgiving feast at a fine restaurant. As Pete made his way to their annual rendezvous, he is swept into the home of two wealthy matrons by their butler who had been assigned the task of rescuing the first hungry person who passed by to join them for a bounteous dinner. When he eventually left their mansion – quite stuffed – Pete almost skipped his previous engagement but felt obliged to follow tradition. A few hours later, both Pete and his benefactor end up in the hospital – Pete from gross over consumption and the gentleman from a case of near starvation. It seems the rich man had fallen on hard times and had gone without food for days so he could afford to purchase Pete’s Thanksgiving feast.

Many of us have probably experienced both some degree of true hunger and overindulgence. The average volume of the human stomach (which varies widely) is about one liter or a little more than four cups. However, it is possible – though not recommended – to extend the stomach to a capacity of more than one gallon. 

Worldwide, there has been an increase in the number of overweight and obese people by more than 145 percent since 1980. Many health professionals consider the obesity epidemic in America to be the greatest medical issue facing our country. According to the Center for Disease Control, the prevalence of obesity varies among ages between 20 to over 60 from about 40 to 43%. That means we are getting fatter at a younger age. Some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death are obesity related, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Over the past weeks, we have heard numerous experts name obesity as a risk factor in contracting and having a worse outcome from the Coronavirus. 

Yet, we live in a culture of “all you can eat, free refills, endless appetizers, and super-size that!” Restaurant portions are often two (or even more) serving sizes according to nutritional guidelines. I have been wondering how the new rules for social distancing are going to affect restaurants that serve buffet style. My conjecture is that serve-yourself smorgasbords will be one of the first causalities in the aftermath of this pandemic. From a nutritional point of view, that is not a bad idea. From a hygiene point of view – well, let me tell you when I saw the light concerning eating buffet style. 

Randy and I wanted to try out a new India restaurant, which offered a buffet on the Sunday afternoon we were there. We could have ordered from the menu; but we would have paid more for our entrées than for access to the entire buffet. Just seemed like a good deal, but I do think it is choosing quantity over quality. 

We served ourselves and were enjoying the spicy dishes when I noticed a biker (I have nothing against bikers!) swagger through the door showing off his Harley vest and river snakes (that’s urban slang for biceps). He headed straight to the buffet line, all the while running his fingers through his waist-length, stringy hair. I am trying to avoid the word “greasy,” but yeah, that’s how it looked. He grabbed a plate off the stack and began his journey down the line, loading his plate with rice, curries, tandoori specialties and all the trimmings, using one serving spoon after another. Twice he paused to ponder his choices, once again stroking his long locks. 

I was glad we had already gone through the line; we did not return. My eyes were opened. I knew “all you can eat” is not a healthy motto, but this experience caused me to look at public buffets from a sanitary perspective and all I could see were millions of germs crawling on the serving spoons. Had it not occurred to anyone that patrons should be required to wash their hands before going through a buffet line? Obviously not. And of course, it would be rather awkward for the servers to ask people to keep their hands off their hair while serving themselves. That was my last buffet experience, which is probably a good thing, for obvious reasons.

We cannot just blame eateries for our pastime of overeating. In our homes we spend hours preparing buffets and encourage our guests to “eat up.” Parents instruct children to clean their plates, even if the little ones lament that their tummies are full. Sure, sometimes they just don’t want to finish their broccoli, but we really need to debunk the idea that with food, more is better. Not only what we eat but also how much we eat matters. In the grandkid’s nutrition class a few weeks ago, we learned this definition for a balanced diet: the right foods in the right amounts.

Caregivers usually do not struggle with the problem of their recipients overeating; often the opposite is true. It is not unusual for a person’s appetite to decline with age and illness. (Although my dad had a healthy appetite which he maintained until about a month before he died.)

So, “L for eat less” is probably more applicable to caregivers – or not. Some of you may already follow a “balanced diet” and you do not struggle with unhealthy cravings. That is great and I commend you. However, knowing myself and having discussed this with other caregivers, food is often the most convenient place to turn when the stress of caregiving settles in. Loneliness or discouragement is often a precursor to seeking comfort through food – that is why chocolate chip  cookies and mac and cheese (and oh, so many other delectable foods on the food spectrum) are known as “comfort food.” If you do not have a problem with overindulgence, good for you! If you do, following this “match game” are some ideas to help you develop a mindset to eat LESS.

Challenge your knowledge of the recommended serving size and average calorie count of this eclectic list of foods. (Answers at the end of this blog.)   

_______ 1. Ice cream, vanilla                                a. one cup/30 calories

_______ 2. Ice cream, cookie dough                   b. about 8/< 50 calories

_______ 3. Pasta (plain, no sauce)                      c. 1 tablespoon/70 calories

_______ 4. Lasagna                                               d. ½ cup/140 calories

_______ 5. Green beans                                        e. 1 tablespoon/120 calories

_______ 6. Strawberries                                        f.  1 cup/2 calories

_______ 7. Whole wheat bread                            g. ½ cup/250 calories 

_______ 8. Butter                                                    h. 1 cup/200 calories

_______ 9. Extra virgin olive oil                            i.  1 cup/170 calories 

_______10. Stan’s pimento cheese                     j.  1 slice/70 calories

_______11. Sweetened tea                                   k.  ¾ cup/400 calories

_______12. Unsweetened tea                              l.  1 tablespoon/100 calories

• Do not go too long without eating. Breakfast is called that for a reason – “break the fast.” Your body and brain need fuel to get going in the morning. Try to eat a nutritious breakfast within 30 minutes of getting out of bed. Space meals evenly – about four to five hours apart throughout the day – and include small, healthy snacks between meals. This will keep your body from feeling “starved” which often results in gorging. 

• Sometimes your brain will start whispering “hungry” in response to seeing or smelling food. You may be able to send a signal to your brain to wait before consuming unneeded calories by slowly drinking a tall glass of water. This not only saves calories but helps to keep you hydrated and meet your daily goal of at least eight glasses.

• If you still feel hungry after eating a meal of normal portion size, wait at least twenty minutes before reaching for seconds. It takes this long for the chemical messengers released by your stomach that make you feel full to notify your brain. So, waiting may alleviate your hunger and prevent you from overeating.

• Learn recommended portion sizes (e.g. meat, fish, poultry – 3 ounces; cheese – 1 ounce; bread – one slice; pasta – approximately one cup cooked; potato – one cup mashed or one medium).  If you have a hard time limiting yourself to one serving when you cook at home, just prepare one serving per person. Planning on leftovers for another meal? Prepare more but measure out the extras and put them in frig before the meal. 

• When eating out, plan to take one-half of your entrée (which is likely to be 2-3 normal serving sizes) home. Ask for a take-out box when you place your order, and “divide and hide” before you begin eating.  

• Small is a lovely word. If you have a choice between “small or large” of anything on the menu, order small. It is an unfortunate fact that “large” is usually the better monetary value, so take into consideration the positive health effects of choosing the lesser amount. 

• Practice this response to use when your host or hostess encourages you to have a second serving: “It was delicious, but I just could not eat another bite.” If they insist (and many will), repeat but more intentionally the second time. Do keep smiling.

• Some foods we just should not eat; they are processed to the hilt, contain way too much sugar, salt or fat, and if not downright poisonous, they are certainly injurious to our body. However, if you cannot bring yourself to completely give up one of those foods (you know what they are), at least cut the portion size substantially with the goal of eventually weaning yourself from that toxic fare altogether.

• Consider this Chinese proverb: “The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor.” Another favorite quote is from Mary Poppins. It may not be as well-known as “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” but it is pithy and applicable:

“Enough is as good as a feast.”

That may just be the next new quote to put on a magnet for your frig.  

Next week – “E” is for eat early and “S” is for eat slowly

Answers to match game:1-d; 2 – g; 3 – h; 4 – k; 5 – a; 6 – b; 7 – j; 8 -l; 9 – e; 10 – c; 11 – I; 12 – f