Hello UnDieters!
A little late in this week's posting...but I am not sending you to the grocery store, so not to worry! This week, I would like to get you thinking about what you put on your plate. Literally.
We know that portion sizes (and consequently, our stomachs) have gotten much larger over the past 30 years. As our portions have swelled, our view of what a reasonable serving size is has gotten pretty distorted. So I would like this week to be an exercise is conscious eating.
Because overeating starchy foods tends to be an Achilles Heel for many of us, whenever you are at home this week, I would like you to serve yourself any starchy carb (pasta, rice, quinoa, breakfast cereal etc.) out of a 1/2 cup measuring spoon. I am not asking you to cut down or limit your portions but simply to become aware of how many 1/2 cup portions of starches you typically serve yourself in a day. Keep a simple tally of each half cup serving you eat for at least 3 days this week. Not eating a measurable starch? A slice of bread, a half a pita, a small tortilla, or 100 calories of crackers or granola bar are all a portion for the purposes of the exercise. For all of you well acquainted with the food guide, these servings are a bit different but I wanted to simplify the exercise for you. If you want to measure the "correct" servings, take a peek at the guide here.
Our national food guide recommends 6 to 8 servings of starches every day, which is a good guideline for the average person. It sounds like a lot but if you have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and some brown rice for dinner...you have probably reached 6 servings. If after completing this exercise, you feel like you may be eating too many starches, consider taking your portions down by a half cup at one of your meals each day. If this week has reaffirmed that you are on the right track, kudos to you!
Have a great week,
Desiree
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