Eat Like The Chinese

I lived in China for a summer back in 1997. It was a wonderful experience for me. I was able to learn and observe a lot about the Chinese. One thing I observed was how fattening their food was (and still is). I mean dripping in fat. I gained weight my first 3 weeks while I was over there. It was interesting to me how I did not see any overweight people. In fact, they were all skinny. I started paying attention to what they were doing and how they ate.

1. They ate on plates that we consider saucers.
2. There was a lot of room on their plates. When serving themselves, they would take a spoonful of this and a spoonful of that. The spoons were the size of our tablespoons not the big serving spoons that we use here in the United States.
3. They talked a lot while they ate which caused them to eat slowly.
4. They did not feel the need to "clean there plates". In fact, it's offensive to finish with a clean plate. It's like telling the host there's not enough food.

The moral to this story:
1. Eat on smaller plates.
2. Don't take large portions.
3. Eat slower. Studies have shown that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to process that you are full. When you eat too fast, you end up stuffing yourself with unnecessary amount of food and calories.
4. It's okay not to clean your plate. If you eat more food than you need, it will go to waist on your hips and waist anyway. Better to end up in the garbage.