229/365 Happy Snack Tip 1: Portion Control

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Snacking becomes a challenge when you can't stop. A snack is supposed to be a small meal, <300 calories. Meals are ideally defined moments in our day where we focus on the art of eating, meaning we turn off the TV, step away from our desks, and enjoy our meal. I know this is difficult in the first place, but we should try to do this with our snacks too. That being said, I will impart to you whatever tips I can when it comes to snacking this week.

Tip 1 is to make smaller portions. If you buy big bags of crackers, pretzels, trail mix, etc. to be more economical and eco-friendly, transfer your snack food into a small ziploc or reusable container. If you bring the whole bag with you to work, to your desk, to your couch, etc. you will be more inclined to eat the whole bag. Instead, make your bag smaller. This way, you set yourself up to have a controlled portion of snack food and will make yourself do more work in the future in order to eat more of your snack food.

As a guideline, if you really feel like you have to get seconds of snack, it's probably time for you to eat a real meal.

In health,

Lauren

43/365 The Ratio for your Plate-io

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
As I’m sure you’ve heard, your plate should look like this:

1/2 of it is fruits/veggies, 1/4 is carbohydrates and the other 1/4 is protein. I realize that my picture looks off but it is right; the broccoli is stacked a little high. My carbohydrates are from brown rice, the fattier, unrefined, and more fibrous original version of white rice. My proteins are composed of beans, tofu, and mushrooms. Your plate doesn’t have to look exactly like mine. Your carbs could be from whole wheat bread or whole wheat pasta. Your protein could be lean chicken breast, fish, or 4 oz of red meat.

This plate is not only important for dinner but, for buffets too. When you go out to eat at a buffet, you should first recognize that you need lots of discipline for making healthy choices. A way to control your food intake is to make sure that your plate always looks like this. If you stick to it, I guarantee that you will eat less calories than you would have otherwise.

Also, if you’re at a place with platters of food make this plate ratio every time if you’re hungry and need to eat. Remember, only eat if you’re hungry; that is Rule #1.

Rule #2: If you can’t make your plate ratio because they don’t have fruits or vegetables, don’t bother. You are better off waiting until you can have a real meal and not junk.

Remember the ratio: 1/2 fruits/veggies, 1/4 carbohydrates, 1/4 proteins

In health,

Lauren