Hello, Witches & Wizards! (bear with me, I love Harry Potter and all things magical)
Today we are going to talk about units of measurement. As you know, in Potions class at Hogwarts, even the slightest inaccuracy in measurement could lead to disaster. While this may not be the case with food, little things do add up!
Like MANY people, I’ve struggled with portion control. I sit down and sometimes eat like it is Christmas in the Great Hall….and I end up suffering for it later. Stomach ache, sluggish, putting on extra pounds, just to name a few.
But how are you supposed to figure out what the proper portions are? Do you carry a set of measuring cups and spoons around with you? No? Me neither.
Think of your hand as your Marauder’s Map for portion control. If you hold it up, it will show you how much of different foods you should have.
SERVING SIZES:
Protein foods – The size of the palm of your hand
Vegetables – The size of your fist.
Healthy Fats – The length of your thumb
Fruits/Grains – The amounts that fits in your cupped hand.
HOW MANY SERVINGS:
In general, many nutritionists recommend eating 3-4 meals per day. For each meal they recommend the following number of servings for the different types of food:
MEN:
– 2 palms of protein
– 2 fists of veggies
– 2 cupped hands of grains/fruit
– 2 thumbs of healthy fats
WOMEN:
– 1 palm of protein
– 1 fist of veggies
– 1 cupped hand of grains/fruit
– 1 thumb of healthy fats
- Are you lean, with smaller bone structure and thinner limbs? If so, increase your cupped hands of carbohydrates/fruit by 1 for each meal, and cut your fats in half for each meal.
- Do you have a larger bone structure, with a higher amount of body mass and/or fat mass? Then cut your carbohydrates/fruit in half for each meal, and add one more serving of healthy fats to each meal.
No more need to count calories, or second guessing how much to eat. All serving size issues are solved with this magic trick!