motd Tues Jan 17, 2012

[Guest guest]

"EYE" KNOW HOW

MUCH!

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Oh, do you? Well... EYE see! Okay,

enough of the "I" & "Eye" word play and let me get

to the point. A lot of people don't bother to measure

their food because they believe they can simply look

at a portion of food and know it's the "right-sized"

serving they should be having.

There is a little formula

that will help determine the correct portion-size of

the foods you eat.

Well, truth is, there is a little formula that will

help determine the correct portion-size of the foods

you eat. In fact, let me give you a few examples.

A Teaspoon. It's that measurement used for

many dry or wet ingredients for the recipes you

prepare. A teaspoon would equal barely the length

from the tip of your thumb to your thumb's first

joint.

A Tablespoon. This is quite often the

serving side of a typical salad dressing. A

tablespoon equals approximately the length of almost

your entire thumb.

One Cup. This is most often the correct

serving size for a cold or hot cereal and many

vegetables. One cup equals about the size of your

closed fist.

Three Ounces of Meat. This is the typical

serving size for a piece of beef or chicken. Three

ounces of meat, one serving, will equal about the size

of your outstretched palm.

But wait, what if you have big hands and fingers? No

two people are the same size so certainly, what might

be one tablespoon according to a smaller person's

hands may be closer to two tablespoons

if you're, say, a professional football player.

Eyeballing your portions

may be okay every now and then when you don't have any

other choice.

I'd say it's okay to use the measuring examples with

your hands I just gave you but...only

when you're not able to measure your portions more

precisely at home. And to do that, you've got to do

like me and make sure you have all of the measuring

tools you need in your kitchen. That means measuring

cups, spoons and even a little food scale.

Eyeballing your portions may be okay every now and

then when you don't have any other choice. The

examples I gave you above will help. But in the

meantime, remember, the reason many of us are

overweight is because we always thought we could tell

the right amount of food to have just by looking at

it. Well, if that's the case, why are so many of us

overweight?

If you don't have the right

measuring tools in your kitchen...get them!

If you don't have the right measuring tools in your

kitchen...get them! You may think you can

tell what a proper portion size is just by eyeballing

it. But when you're sitting down for a meal, it may

be the right time...not to believe your eyes!

Love,