by Marilou Lissandrello
Eating healthy does not have to be complicated nor difficult. After you begin making healthy choices, and make it a habit, you don’t have to think about it again. Just have healthy food choices always available and the decision will be easy.
When thinking about a meal or a snack, it needs to incorporate a proper balance between a protein, carbohydrate and fat.
What have you established for your caloric consumption needs? I know for myself, that if I want to lose weight, my caloric intake cannot exceed 1200 per day. If I’m trying to maintain my current weight, I should not eat anymore than 1500 calories per day.
After you determine how many calories you should be consuming, you then need to divide the calories out over 5-6 small meals/snacks throughout the day. Don’t forget to compliment each meal/snack with the proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. I will give you an example of these choices to make during the day.
I should make a quick mention of portion sizes. Do you know what a serving of meat looks like? No, it’s not the 22 ounce T-bone at your local steak house. A portion of meat is 3 ounces, the size of a woman’s palm.
VISUAL EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT FOOD PORTIONS:
* 1 medium fruit — tennis ball or tight fist
* 1/2 cup of pasta, rice, fruit, veggie, or cooked cereal — tight fist or cupcake size
* 1 cup of tossed salad — the amount you can hold in two hands cupped together.
* 1 medium baked potato — computer mouse
* 1 cup of cold cereal — large handful or tight fist
* 3 ounces of fish, meat or poultry — deck of cards or a palm of a woman’s hand
* 1 ounce of cheese — 4 dice or the top half of your thumb
* 1 ounce of meat, fish, chicken or poultry — 1 egg
* 1 tsp — the tip of a medium-framed woman’s thumb. Also, 3 tsp is equal to 1 tbsp.
BREAKFAST:
It is important to start the day with a good breakfast. A good breakfast is needed to maintain level blood sugars throughout the morning. Try to keep breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same calorie count and then add two to three snacks between meals to make up the 5-6 recommended meals.
Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced breakfast.
Protein: 1 cup nonfat milk, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 oz of low fat cheese, 1 cup low fat yogurt
Carbohydrate: 1 slice of whole grain toast, bagel or muffin, 1/2 cup of whole grain cereal or oatmeal, or granola bar.
Fruit: 1/2 banana, small apple, orange, grapefruit, 3/4 cup of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries
LUNCH AND DINNER:
Preparing lunch and dinner is very simple. Pick a lean protein, add some vegetables and top it off with some fruit for dessert.
Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced lunch or dinner.
Protein: Chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef, pork, beans, etc.
Vegetable: Cauliflower, green beans, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, and salad greens, etc. For a serving size, fill about 1/2 of your plate with vegetables, 1/4 of your plate with healthy carbohydrates, and the other quarter with a lean protein.
Carbohydrate: 1 slice of whole grain bread, brown rice, corn, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, etc.
Dessert: 1/2 cup of strawberries or raspberries with a dollop of nonfat whipped topping, pear, apple, 1/2 banana.
SNACKS:
Snacks are what make or break the weight loss. You need to maintain your metabolism in between meals so that is why healthy snacks are essential. For your snack, consume between 100 to 125 calories.
Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced snack.
Protein: Low fat string cheese, hard boiled egg, small yogurt cup, 1 oz. low sodium, low fat luncheon meat, 1/4 cup of low fat cottage cheese.
Carbohydrate: 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1/2 banana, apple, grapes, plum, baby carrots, etc.
Healthy fats: 2 tbsp of peanut butter, handful of almonds, walnuts cashews or mixed nuts, 1 slice of avocado.
This doesn’t have to hard. These are just guidelines for healthy foods. Don’t make this boring by eating the same thing every day. There are so many more foods then what I listed here but be creative. Try a new fruit and vegetable every week. Remember, this is easy!
About the Author:
Marilou Lissandrello is passionate about cooking healthy recipes in order to perserve her and her husbands recent weight loss and to live a improved lifestyle together. Her very practical guide on how to cook
healthy recipes for dinner is obtainable free from her blog, Eat Right Tonight.
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