Here’s a great tip for filling your dinner plate (which should be about the size of a frisbee):
- Fill half your plate with fruits and/or vegetables. The most healthy ways to prepare fruits and vegetables is to cook them as little as possible. Cooking them usually takes out a lot of the nutrients. However, steaming and stir-frying veggies are good options whenever you’re not eating them raw. Also, avoid heavy sauces that add a lot of unnecessary calories.
- Next, fill 1/4 of your plate with a whole grain/starch like brown rice.
- Finally, fill 1/4 of your plate with a protein. Meat, beans, or dairy are perfect choices.
Other tips:
3 oz meat = 1 deck of cards
1/2 cup of starch = palm of your hand or ice-cream scoop
Using this tip should help you to avoid over-eating both at home and in restaurants. Most restaurants serve you 2 to 3 times what you need, so it’s not a bad idea to ask for a box with your meal, and then go ahead & put food in the box before you ever start eating. This will prevent you from eating more than you really need – plus you will have left-overs for another meal (or two). This is a great way to be calorie-conscious and budget-conscious.
