At Fitness Mantra you have read a lot about sensible, portion-controlled diets. You know it’s no shame to count and measure calories and by now you can also recognize portion sizes for fruits and veggies. But from a meal perspective, is there an easy way to estimate portions that you can consistently use everyday?

(You already know that I am going to say “Yes there is!” so I’ll skip saying it. Wait… too late!)

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) presents: The New American Plate

What is The New American Plate?

According to the website, it’s no crazy, difficult-to-follow, food-group-banning diet (already regular readers of this blog are perking up their ears!). It’s a simple proportion and portion based system that divides your plate into the right proportions of carbs, proteins and fat (now, now … be reasonable with the size of the plate … unless, of course, you are an NFL Offensive Tackle).

Typically the right proportions suggested is 2/3rds of fruits/veggies/whole grains and 1/3 (or less) of animal based protein (vegetarians could easily substitute this with plant-based sources like lentils/beans). This is based on AICR’s landmark expert-report “Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective“ which suggests that eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans coupled with increased physical activity can reduce cancer risk by 30 to 40 percent.

As for portions, the site has a “Standard Serving Size Finder” that lists easy-to-visualize serving-sizes for common foods by using everyday items as cues (for example the serving size for dried fruits is 1/4 cup and when you roll your mouse over, you see the picture of a golf ball; eating cheese? it should be about 4 dice worth!)

Additional Resources:

The AICR site also contains some useful additional resources like brochures that you can download or order. These include the New American Plate and the superb “One Pot Meals (there is only one pot to dishwash!)”. You can also order health aids like serving size finder “wheel”s, posters and placemats (to make control that much more easy). Also check out out their recipes section and the “New American Plate CookBook“.

This section of the AICR site will change the way you look at your plate and serving sizes. You can now get a good understanding of not only what is good for you, but also how much of it you should eat. Remember too much of a good thing… turns to fat!

Stay healthy and remember our mantra: make fitness a way of your life. The New American Plate just made it a little easier.

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, nutrition, new american plate, serving size, portion control

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Working late hours to meet that deadline? If you are a woman you could be eating less at regular mealtimes and snacking more because of it.

Dr. Daryl O’Connor, Ph D, a senior lecturer in health psychology and his colleagues at England’s University of Leeds conducted a study of about 400 participants who kept detailed information about their age, height, weight, gender and what they ate for a period of 4 weeks, and at the end of the study it was determined that, especially for women, certain negative patterns emerged.

Because of increased stress or workloads, women in particular tended to:

• eat less at regular mealtime
• snack more on high-fat/sugar foods
• increase smoking
• reduce exercise
• increase caffeine intake

While the good news is that both men and women reduced their alcohol intake, it could just be because they didn’t have the after-hours to do so!

-Via WebMD

WebMD’s article concludes with this useful tip:

There’s nothing inherently wrong with snacking. But you probably don’t want to wreck your calorie budget every time your workday goes a little haywire. Fruit, low-fat yogurt, or a bit of natural-style peanut butter on lower-fat, higher-fiber crackers are good workplace alternatives to fatty, sugary fare.

While it is not always possible to predict working hours, it’s a good idea to keep some snacks in your desk-drawers or office fridge for exactly these situations. Here are some good ideas:

• trail mix packets (avoid the salted nuts)
• low-fat yogurt with some nut toppings like almonds/walnuts
• low-fat/skim milk (straight up!)
• regular oatmeal
• dry fruits like figs, dates mixed with unsalted nuts
• granola bars
• low-fat cottage cheese
• peanut-butter sandwiches with whole wheat bread
• fresh fruits (apples/bananas) or vegetables (carrot sticks)

When you control your snacks (and not your vending machine), you are more likely to make the right choices.

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, nutrition

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