How to create a balanced plate of food

What your plate should look like

When it comes to planning, cooking and serving up food, how do you decide how much to put on your plate?

Meat, veg and carbs or talking in food terms a steak, broccoli and some chips.

Or do you count calories of food and work it out from there, if so how it that working out for you?

Would it be easier not to have to use food scales or cups to weigh, measure and record your food?

Would it be nice to simplify the process with an easy method of what to put on your plate?

Well there is and it’s by using your hand

– Your palm determines your protein

– Your fist determines your veggie portion

– Your cupped hand determines your carbs portion

– Your thumb determines your fat portion

For Women

You can build your plate in four steps:

– Add 1 palm serving of protein

– Add 1 fist serving of vegetables

– Add 1 cupped hand serving of carbohydrates

– Add 1 thumb serving of fats

For Men

You can build your plate in four steps:

– Add 2 palm serving of protein

– Add 2 fist serving of vegetables

– Add 2 cupped hand serving of carbohydrates

– Add 2 thumb serving of fats

Eating as above men eating 3-4 meals would get around 2200 to 3000 calories each day and women eating 3-4 meals would get around 1200-1500 calories a day

From this point you can personalise it to you and your goals for example if you are trying to lose weight you might want to remove half a portion of carbs from each meal

If your goal is to build muscle then maybe add a cupped handful of carbs or a thumb of fat at each meal

Remember this is just a starting point, and you may need to adjust portions size by listening to your bodies hunger and fullness cues and adjust depending on your activity levels and body size, and also take in account your goals.

Not convinced that using your hand is the way to go then try it and see what happens.