Sometimes, it’s not the big changes that make a difference in our lives, it’s the small things. That can be particularly true about what we eat. Case in point: dietitian Paula Norris believes that small, almost imperceptible changes in our daily diet can make a huge difference to our weight, either favorably or unfavorably — and consequently our health. She does that by posting two relatively similar images of seemingly healthy meals side by side in her Instagram account, @movingdietitian. The difference is that although the images look similar, one is usually significantly more calories than the other – often near or more than double.
She challenges her readers to “spot the difference” between the high calorie and the low calorie version of the meal. She also lists the calories and the differences between each of the meals so you can see exactly what changes make the difference in each. In some examples, like the fruit and yogurt plate below, she notes that although the difference of 170 calories may seem minor, “a few small changes like this across the day can be the difference between weight gain, maintenance and loss.” We’ve presented just a few samples here – she offers many more. .
We think these side-by-side comparisons are pretty compelling. Her Instagram has other great tips about making healthy choices in your diet, giving proof to the saying that a picture is often worth a thousand words. Her focus on making small changes and healthy choices remind us of some observations of “mindless eating” by professor Brian Wansink – see our post: Mindless eating: How we are tricked into eating too much.