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Easy methods to estimate your servings

There is no question that being able to watch your diet is going to be extremely helpful for your overall health. When you learn to estimate the serving sizes you get with each meal, you will have more control of your diet and you will be able to maintain an ideal weight. We are now going to give you some easy methods to estimate your serving sizes and this is going to prove to be very useful for your life in general. Remember that you need to consult with a nutritionist before you make any changes to your diet.

Here are some ideal guides to help you portion control your food. The foods listed below are to be consumed in moderation. One great way the strategies below could work is if you are going out for dinner. Use this portion control guide and take the rest home for later.

Butter
This is one of the most common things that people include in their diets. We put butter in many of the foods that we enjoy eating. One tablespoon contains about 34 calories, with a total of 4 grams of fat. The size of this serving is about the size of the tip of your thumb. That would be a good estimation for the amount of butter to consume per meal.

Spaghetti
This is probably the most common and popular pasta in the world because it’s very easy to make. ½ cup of cooked spaghetti equals about 99 calories and 1 gram of fat. You should eat a serving that is about as big as your fist and this would be ideal. Remember to try and choose the whole grain spaghetti option to keep your blood sugar levels in check.

Chicken soup with noodles
When you eat chicken soup with noodles, you usually eat much more than you are supposed to, because you don’t really feel like you are getting full. The ideal portion is 1 cup to get 175 calories and about 6 grams of fat. This serving is about the size of a baseball.

Lasagna
This is another very common and nutritious pasta that is served in many tables all over the world. The ideal serving for Lasagna is about the size of two hockey pucks. This is the equivalent of 270 calories and 8 grams of fat. Just like spaghetti, try and opt for the whole grain version.

Beef
This is one of the top best meals to eat because it includes a lot of protein and it’s perfect for people who want to get lean muscles while losing fat. The ideal serving of steak is about the size of a deck of cards. This means you would be getting 3 oz. of beef and 219 calories with about 13 grams of fat.

Mashed potatoes
This is a great and healthy option to go with your meals. ½ cup of mashed potatoes equals 112 calories and 5 grams of fat. The best way to measure a good portion of mashed potatoes is to compare it with half a standard American Apple. Remember to always eat potatoes in moderation. And if you can, try out sweet potatoes. They taste great and are friendlier to the waste-line.

Cheese
Cheese is a very delicious food to have, but you need to come up with an ideal amount of cheese to eat. Four standard dice that are used for gambling are the best way to estimate the perfect serving of Swiss cheese for example. This equals 107 calories and 8 grams of fat.

Conclusion
There is nothing more important than being able to keep your meal sizes under control. This is going to help you keep an ideal weight and it also leads to a much healthier lifestyle. Being able to estimate the size of each one of your servings is going to be a very useful method that can have a very positive impact in your life.

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Healthy protein-rich meals you can prepare at home fast

We are constantly bombarded with information on health and eating clean. Nearly every article and book you read nowadays talks about healthy eating and healthy living. With the increase in obesity cases due to unhealthy lifestyles, most people are at risk of contracting chronic health diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and various other diseases related to poor health diets.

However, this doesn’t stop the majority from eating junk food.

The most common excuse people come up with for not eating healthy or exercising is because they have no time to prepare a healthy meal at home. We all live busy lives. We have jobs, children to pick up from school, laundry to wash, grass to be cut etc.

So the quickest option is to order take-out or buy processed foods (that we know is bad for our bodies) from supermarkets that don’t take much time to prepare, right?

Wrong! There are other that doesn’t take time a long time to prepare. For instance Quinoa; it is a seed that can be substituted for grain-based meals such as oatmeal, pasta, and rice. Quinoa contains a lot of carbs and protein.

The good thing about lean meat proteins such as boneless, skinless chicken breasts and ground turkey is that they can be purchased in bulk and can be used for used in a variety of recipes. You can also have it all cooked and store it in the freezer thereby eliminating the temptation to order Chinese. Lean ground turkey is low in fat and has high protein. You can choose to have turkey tacos prepared with cumin and onion then top it up with avocado.

Here are some examples of easy to prepare protein meals that take a short while to prepare (30 minutes max), which you can prepare yourself at home.

  1. Chicken, peppers and brown rice
    This dish is full of flavours and comes with the omission of dough, salt and fat. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare or less. The ingredients needed for this meal are chicken breasts, olive oil, garlic, brown rice, red bell pepper, yellow onions, low-sodium chicken broth, corn starch, mild curry powder, salt, and pepper.

  2. Quinoa and yogurt parfait
    This can make for a great breakfast meal, desert or snack during the day. The ingredients for this dish include quinoa, apple (Fuji or Cortland), ripe Anjou or Bartlett pear, Greek yogurt, Stevia in the raw and cinnamon.

  3. Florentine omelet sandwich
    Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; therefore you shouldn’t skip it simply because you don’t have time to prepare it. This meal takes about 5 minutes to cook and it also provides the energy one requires to kick-start the day. All that’s needed to prepare this dish are eggs, olive oil, frozen spinach, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, and toasted whole wheat bread.

You should never make up excuses especially when it comes to your own personal health. Eating healthily increases your life expectancy. And the way to ensure this is by preparing meals at home instead.
No more excuses for fast food takeaway!

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Meal Quick Changes

Eating nutritious food is one of the best ways to improve your overall health. It is important to get the right nutrients to keep your body working properly. We all know a healthy diet consists of the right amount of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, lean proteins and healthy fats. There are simple switches you can make to make your meal a little more healthy.

White, processed foods, fried foods, foods high in calories are the ones you want to try to substitute. Instead of choosing white processed flour, breads, and pasta, make the better choice and substitute them for whole grains. Whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta are the better option for your health.

Another way to improve your healthy eating is by changing the way you cook your food. Turn the fried foods to baked foods. Put your chicken and French fries in the oven to bake rather than cooking them in grease. Instead of boiling your vegetables, steam them. Steaming will also keep more nutrients in the vegetables while boiling can leech out some of the better nutrients.

You can also limit the amount of processed meat and red meat you eat and choose a healthier option of chicken, fish or tofu. Some studies have linked an increase risk of colorectal and stomach cancers with eating large amounts of processed meats.

Try substituting items in your meal so you don’t consume as many calories. For example, you don’ t have to skip out on the macaroni and cheese dish you love so much, pick healthier ingredients instead. Make your dish with skim milk, less butter and light cream cheese rather than using whole milk, butter and full-fat cheese. You can also mash up some cauliflower to replace mashed potatoes. Mashed cauliflower has only a fraction of the calories of potatoes and if you do it right, nearly impossible to taste the difference.

A lot of the time you can change how healthy your meal is by changing up a couple of the ingredients all while keeping the main meal intact. Here are some substitutions to try:

Egg Whites = Whole Eggs
Applesauce = Butter and Oil in cooking
Nonfat Greek Yogurt = Mayonnaise or Sour Cream
Mashed Avocado = Butter or Oil in cooking

Mashed Bananas = Sugar, Butter and fats
Nuts = Croutons in salads
Rolled Oats = Bread Crumbs
Soda Water = Tonic Water
Whole Wheat Flour = White Flour
Zucchini or Spaghetti Squash = Pasta
Black Beans = Flour
Marshmallow Fluff = Frosting
Evaporated Skim Milk = Cream
Stevia = Sugar
Cinnamon = Cream and Sugar in Coffee

Popcorn = Potato Chips
Red Wine = White Wine
Ground Turkey = Ground Beef

Eating healthier does not have to mean skipping out on your favorite dishes. Make some of these changes and even research some other ideas so you can still enjoy your meal without all the negative effects.

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