Eating Healthy Portions for Weight Loss

Understanding healthy portion sizes and then eating healthy portions is a key to healthy weight loss and ongoing weight management. Don’t let your healthy eating habits be sidetracked by eating too much!

Enrolling in Weight Watchers years ago first brought me face-to-face with my super-sized eating habits.

“I was shocked when I learned that a serving of starch equals one slice of bread, 3/4 cup of cold cereal or 1/2 cup of cooked pasta!”

It is possible to adjust to eating healthy portions when you slow down, pay attention and make sure you are eating plenty of fresh, low calorie fruits and vegetables. It may be helpful to do a little measuring until you get used to what healthy portion sizes and serving sizes look like. Then, you’ll be able to “eyeball it” most of the time.

Tips to help you determine healthy portions and serving sizes

Serving and Eating Healthy Portions: Starches

Includes starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes; also includes desserts and sweets which are meant to be occasional treats

• 1 slice bread
• 1/2 cup pasta or rice (about size of an ice cream scoop)
• 1/2 cup cooked grain (bulgur, quinoa, couscous, etc.)
• 1/2 cup cooked hot cereal
• 3/4 cup cold cereal
• 1/2 pita pocket or 1/2 English muffin
• 1 medium potato (about size of a computer mouse)
• 1 small sweet potato or yam
• 1 ear or 1/2 cup corn

Serving Sizes and Healthy Portions: Fruits and Vegetables

• 1/2 cup cooked or raw chopped vegetable
• 1 cup raw leafy green vegetable (about 4 lettuce leaves)
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) vegetable juice
• 1 medium fruit (apple, orange, peach, or pear) (about the size of a baseball)
• 1/3 cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon (about 1 cup cubed)
• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup canned or jarred fruit
• 1 cup fresh berries
• 3/4 cup fruit juice
• 1/4 cup dried fruit

Serving and Eating Healthy Portions: Protein

Includes meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, soybeans, tofu, nuts, and seeds

• 1 ounce cooked meat, poultry, or fish
• 2 egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup cooked beans, peas, or lentils
• 1/2 cup tofu, tempeh, or soybeans
• 1 cup soymilk
• 1/3 cup nuts
• 1/4 cup seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter or other nut butter (about the size of a golfball)

Serving Sizes and Healthy Portions: Dairy

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 1/2 ounces cheese (about the size of your index finger)

Serving and Eating Healthy Portions: Fats and Oils

• 2 teaspoons oil, butter, or mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons salad dressing

As a Basic Yoga Teacher and food lover, I’m often asked what my recipe for healthy eating is.

There are many recipes for eating healthy that can work for you. You may thrive as a vegan or feel better eating a little meat.

There’s no one right approach to healthy eating. The healthy diet that supports you may vary from the one that works for me. It takes a little experimentation to figure it out.

One thing I know for certain is that my basic yoga practice — nothing extreme — just 20 to 45 minutes of basic yoga exercises a few times a week is a key component of my recipe for eating healthy.

Basic yoga helped me change my relationship with food. The more I did basic yoga, the healthier I wanted to eat. Cravings for unhealthy foods diminished.

I began to pay attention to how my body felt after eating various foods and became aware of the desire for more vegetables and fruits.

After practicing basic yoga, I just didn’t want a greasy burger and fries! This gradual shift occurred slowly and never felt like deprivation. In the process I lost more than thirty pounds and kept it off.

From my studies, experiences, and experimentations during the last decade, my recipe for eating healthy was born.

My Recipe For Healthy Eating Has A Lot In Common With The Mediterranean Diet And Lifestyle!

The Mediterranean Diet, with its focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, liberal use of olive oil, and limited saturated fats is one great recipe for healthy eating.

To learn more about the Mediterranean Diet and how it can help you lose weight and improve your health, check out this great Mediterranean Diet E-Book!

It provides a wealth of information on the benefits and key components of the Mediterranean Diet, a 28-day menu plan, and lots of delicious Mediterranean Diet Recipes.

Some of my favorites are spaghetti puttanesca, Italian wedding soup, and Mediterranean salad — a delectable combination of sliced peppers, dun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, and avocado.

My recipe for healthy eating isn’t all that complicated if you get back to basics and begin to reconnect with tradition — with the wisdom of grandma and great grandma.

Forget about science and the supposed ‘experts’ and tune into your inner wisdom and common sense. That’s the overall message in Michael Pollan’s latest book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, and I couldn’t agree more!

Borrowing from the wisdom expressed by Michael Pollan and others, and my experience and experiments, here are the 12 Main Ingredients in My Recipe for Healthy Eating:

Martha’s Recipe For Healthy Eating: 12 Main Ingredients

1. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #1:
   Eat more fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens

   Make eating more fruits and vegetables your number one priority. It’s the foundation of my healthy eating strategy. Fresh fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, healthy antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber. They fill you you up without filling you out, so it’s easier to eat less of everything else.Add fruits and/or vegetables to every meal — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — to ensure you are getting your recommended daily allowance of at least five servings per day. Pretty soon it will become a healthy habit and your plate will look sad and lonely without all the beautiful color, flavor, and texture they provide. Give them center stage and use protein as a flavoring or garnish like the Mediterranean Diet pyramid recommends.

   Try broccoli, carrots, apples, melons, berries, kiwi, bananas, zucchini, eggplant, peaches, pears, mango, spinach, chard, bok choy, kale, mustard greens, etc. Commit to trying one new fruit or veggie every week. Experiment with different cooking methods and seasonings to keep things interesting.

   I know some of the carb free diets treat fruit like the enemy but I say eat all the fresh fruit you want. It’s virtually impossible to eat too many fresh fruits and non-starcy vegetables. One exception is fruit juice because all the fiber is gone it’s like drinking pure sugar. Skip the juice and eat the fruit instead. Another exception is the starchy vegetables (winter squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, and corn) that should be treated like grains. Eat them, just don’t made them the basis of your diet — leave that for the non-starchy and leafy veggy varieties.

2. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #2:
   Eat a wide variety of foods from all the food groups

   Variety is the spice of life and a key component of healthy eating. Make sure your diet includes representation from all the food groups — fruits and veggies, healthy natural fats, whole grains, nuts, legumes, dairy, soy, meats, eggs, and fish. Try not to get stuck in food ruts where you find yourself eating the same few foods day in and day out.Healthy protein choices include fish, chicken, turkey, tofu, seitan, tempeh, eggs, lean meat and beans. Protein is important for many bodily functions including repair and re-building activities. Proteins help to keep you feeling full longer. A healthy portion is about 6 ounces. Try to limit your red meat intake to no more than a couple times a week.

   Good whole grain options include brown rice, oats, quinoa, barley, whole grain breads and cereals, and whole wheat pasta. Whole grains have the germ and bran included and are full of healthy B vitamins and fiber. Go easy on the ‘white’ grains that have been stripped of their healthy coat (where all the fiber and healthy vitamins are) and are more refined. In addition to being less healthy they can raise your blood sugar and leave you feeling ravenous for more.

   Eating dairy is optional. There are lots of great non-dairy sources of calcium including almonds, tofu, and leafy greens. If you do choose dairy, make it mostly skim or non-fat milk and cheese with small amounts of full fat cheese (like parmesan and cheddar) for flavor. I take most of my dairy in the form of plain greek style yogurt which I absolutely love for its rich creaminess. I enjoy it drizzled with honey for breakfast and as a healthy substitute for sour cream on potatoes or in dips and dressings.

   Make sure you are getting your healthy fats. They’re critical to cell function, especially brain cells. After much experimentation my recipe for healthy eating includes healthy fats from moderate amounts of extra virgin olive oil, nuts, avocados, tahini (sesame seed paste), salmon and flax. Stay away from the unhealthy ‘trans fats’ that are found in many processed foods and are indicated by the words ‘partially hydrogenated.’

3. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #3:
   Cut way back on the sugar and processed foods

   According to a report in the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, The average American consumes 133 pounds of sugar per year. This is way too much sugar and can lead to health problems. Is it any wonder that obesity and type 2 diabetes are out of control?Sugar is very addictive; the more you eat, the more you crave—establishing a vicious cycle so skip the soda and sugary snacks whenever and wherever you can. Try a handful of nuts when you are hungry. They are much healthier and satisfying.

   Avoid food products containing ingredients that are unfamiliar or unpronounceable. All those chemicals, artificial flavorings, dyes, and food additives confuse your senses and innate body wisdom. Ask yourself if your great grandmother would recognize what you are about to eat as food and if the answer is no, don’t eat it!

   Studies are beginning to suggest that whole, real foods are much more than the sum of their parts and provide health and wellness benefits beyond our current levels of understanding so shop the peripheries of the supermarket and avoid those middle aisles as much as you can. All the ‘real’ food is located around the outer perimeter: fruits, veggies, dairy, eggs, meat, and fish.

   Check out alternative sources for your food like farmer’s markets and farm stands. They’re a great source for wonderful fresh locally grown foods.

4. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #4:
   Eat for pleasure

   Food is one of life’s great pleasures that should be enjoyed completely. Have what you want and really enjoy it. No food is totally off limits. If you want dark chocolate, have dark chocolate. Just be sure to slow down and savor it without guilt!Don’t eat what you don’t want. Life is too short to eat food you don’t want just because it’s there! It’s okay to toss away food you don’t like or don’t want. It’s much healthier for your body, especially your waistline!

   Be discriminating in your food selections focusing on quality over quantity whenever you can.

   Eating for pleasure means slowing down and savoring your food. No eating on the run, eating in your car, eating while watching television. This can be a big adjustment if you are use to multi-tasking your way through the day. Try Paying attention to the process of eating as much as you can — to the sight, smells and flavors of your food. Pretend you are a food critic reporting for your local paper. When you slow down and enjoy your food you digest it more efficiently, leading to less gastric upset and the absorption of more nutrients.

5. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #5:
   Eat when you are physically hungry and stop when you are full

   Learn to reconnect with your body’s innate wisdom and its hunger and satiation signals. Don’t stuff yourself or fall into the mindless snacking habit. It’s hard to pay attention if you are eating while doing other things so don’t eat in the car, while checking email, or standing over the sink.If you are tempted to eat when you are sad or happy or angry, do something else to distract your self like call a friend or take a walk. Ask yourself what it is you really want and if eating is going to make your situation better. Often this delay is all that is required to break the cycle of unhealthy emotional eating. Just 5 to 10 minutes of basic yoga exercises and focused breathing is all I need to stop a Ben & Jerry binge!

   Seek support if you struggle with severe emotional eating issues.

6. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #6:
   Practice portion control

   Most of us eat way too much. Serving sizes are huge and not just at the fast food establishments. Did you know the average bagel is equal to five servings of grain?Load up on your veggies, which are naturally low in calories, leaving less room on your plate for the proteins, dairy, and starches. Learn more about eating healthy portions

   When eating out bring part of your meal home for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner. Try gradually decreasing the amount you put on your plate, trick yourself by using a smaller plate.

   You may be surprised at just how little you need to feel full.

7. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #7:
   Drink plenty of water

   Did you know the average body is composed of 55-60% water? Your blood is 83% water and your muscles 75%. Water keeps your body hydrated which is critical for proper functioning.Have a glass of water when you are thirsty (you’re probably already a bid dehydrated), or hungry (thirst often masquerades as hunger) or tired (it can really perk you up).

   Exactly how much water you need depends on many things including how many water rich foods you are eating, where you live and your activity levels. Most agree you should drink six to ten eight ounce glasses of water a day to stay well hydrated.

   Try to drink clean filtered water whenever you can to avoid chlorine and other contaminants. If you don’t like the taste of water perk it up with a squeeze of lemon, lime or orange, cucumber slices or a splash of fruit juice. Give sparkling water a try. It’s a refreshing alternative to soda and juice.

8. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #8:
   Find an activity you love and engage in it regularly

   Healthy living includes healthy eating and healthy moving. Our bodies were designed for movement. Seek fun ways to exercise. Basic yoga and walking are my preferred ways of staying active. I encourage you to give basic yoga a try (link to basic yoga benefits page) if it sounds interesting.Maybe pilates, swimming, or dancing is more appealing. The key is to find something you love to do so it seems less like work and more like fun.

   Find ways to sneak in extra movement during the day –take the stairs, park at the far end of the parking lot, take a ten minute walk at lunch, do a few sit ups and push ups while watching tv in the evening. Your body will thank you with more energy and fewer aches and pains.

9. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #9:
   Seek balance, not perfection

   Lose the all or nothing; good vs. evil thinking. Food is not inherently good or evil.Think in terms of your overall day or week when assessing your healthy eating strategy. Employ the 80-20 rule. If most of your meals are balanced and healthy, the occasional treat(s) or unhealthy meal won’t be a problem. It’s how you eat most of the time that’s important.

   Discover the fine arts of complementing, compensating, and balancing. When you overeat at one meal, eat a little less at the next, if you eat lots of bread for breakfast, have a salad at lunch, without guilt, or remorse. Find a rhythm, a flow that works for you.

10. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #10:
    Cook as often as you can

    Cooking is the best way to make sure the food you are eating is healthy and balanced. It’s a wonderful way to really connect with the whole process of nourishing yourself.Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. There are loads of easy healthy recipes to make healthy eating simple. If you don’t feel comfortable in the kitchen, consider taking a healthy cooking class, tuning into the food network, or buying a cookbook or two.

    Experiment and let yourself have fun in the kitchen.

11. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #11:
    Take supplements

    Just to be safe, supplement your healthy diet with a high quality multi-vitamin. Optimal health can be hard to achieve through healthy eating alone, even with your best intentions. Studies show that our food doesn’t contain as many nutrients as it used to — mainly from overuse of chemicals and depletion of the soil.The American Medical Association suggests vitamin supplementation. My doctor agrees with Drs. Oz and Roizen, authors of You: The Owners Manual, You on a Diet and You Staying Young who recommend Omega 3, and calcium supplements in addition to a high quality multi-vitamin.

    People who take supplements tend to be healthier overall. Learn more about high quality supplements

12. Recipe for Healthy Eating – Ingredient #12:
    Nurture your body, mind, and spirit

    What you eat is only one component of my recipe for healthy eating. Where, when, and with whom you eat matters too. Make eating a pleasurable, social experience like the Mediterranean cultures do.

    Make your life as full and rewarding as possible with enjoyable satisfying work, supportive friends, and healthy relationships.

    Engage in self care that nourishes your body, mind and spirit. Try to get enough sleep, treat yourself to a massage or pedicure. Take time to appreciate and savor your life.