Food portions: why eating (and drinking!) at home is healthier

Yesterday I decided to treat myself and get a large cup of Tealive original milk tea, without the pearls. I planned to keep it in the fridge and drink it the next day while I doubled down and got some work done (there be deadlines to meet!). 

So this morning, I poured out the drink into a mug. Imagine my surprise when a full mug took not even half of the cup's contents! 

I had a sudden realisation of exactly why people say these kinds of drinks are bad for you. It's not necessarily only because they have a high sugar content and little other nutritional value; it's also the portion. You don't realise how much you're consuming. If you make a drink at home, you'd just make one mug. But when you buy a drink outside, you may be drinking the equivalent of two or more mugs at one shot. 

Likewise food portions. When I was a child, I remember my dad telling me that I don't have to finish all the food on my plate when we were eating out. "At home, we can control how much food is on the plate, but outside, the servings are fixed," he said. We always had the rule that you should finish any veggies and meat in the dish and leave the additional carbs (noodles, rice, pasta, etc.) if you felt it was too much. So I do not feel guilty if I don't finish all my food at restaurants. Sometimes I'll ask for it to be packed and will bring it home for my next meal. 

At home, yes, we were expected to finish all the food because my parents believed in no waste, and also no pickiness was allowed. My mum portioned out food carefully: "Everyone gets three pieces of chicken" -- Chinese dishes have chicken cut up into smaller pieces, not whole thighs or drumsticks -- "and four fishballs from the soup." So there was no way we'd overeat and also no leftovers or extras. 

I think I have a healthy relationship with food due to my upbringing. I don't usually snack between meals (Mum: "You're hungry? Dinner is coming soon. Go drink water" 🤣) and I always try to have a balanced meal with carbs, fibre, and protein if I can. I do occasionally succumb to emotional eating -- "I'm very stressed, I need cake" but I also tend to buy biscuits, chocolate, and ice-cream because I like the idea of them, then I forget to eat them. When my folks come to visit, my mum will go through my pantry and exclaim at the expired, unopened packs of biscuits. "Never mind, I help you eat!" My parents are still a thousand times more frugal than I could ever hope to be 😅