Portions are a little different today.
My grandma is 90 years old.
Which means she gets to eat essentially whatever the hell she wants.
I mean, I’m not going to tell her she can’t have a semita de manteca every single morning.
Feeling brave? You’re more than welcome to give it a go.
I mean she’s 90 dude.
That means that the plate she was using to eat her semita today is 33% larger than the one she used when she was 15 years old.
What Happened to Those Portioned Pie Charts?
Remember that food chart that showed how much of your plate should be protein, carbs, and veggies?
Ever wondered what happened?
Why don’t we use those infographics anymore when describing portions?
Whelp
The plates caught up.
Plate sizes have increase 33% in the past 75 years. Consequentially, increasing our serving size, portions, and overall intake.
That’s the problem.
What’s the solution?
Hand Portions
Your hand is a pretty accurate measure of the portions you could be having every meal.
Here are the recommendations:
Proteins should be the volume of your palm. For me that’s like 8 ounce of beef or about 3 eggs.
Carbs should be what you can fit in a cupped hand. I’m visualizing the kid at Chipotle tossing a single scoop of rice in my bowl.
Fats are your thumb. A thumb sized slice of avocado or salad dressing.
Sorry guacamole lovers.
Finally, the Client Eastwood inspired A Fist Full of Veggies. For veggies were looking for the volume of a closed fist.
Low Carb Vs Low Fat
Those serving sizes can fit to your preferences too!
If you’re on a low carb kick, try switching out the carbs for two thumbs of fat.
Love carbs? No prob! Try two cupped hands of carbs in lieu of a thumb of fat.
It really is that simple.
Remember than an effective nutrition plan doesn’t need to be complicated.
Simple, repeatable, and attainable steps.
Jesse
P.S. If you’d like some more help with your nutrition click HERE
