Good afternoon Victorious Ones, it is the time of season when the weather is going to start changing to “warm” or should I say “hot.” If you are anything like me I begin to really watch what I eat so I can shed that winter weight so that bikini I bought will look good at the pool, lake, or ocean. I decided that a reminder on what our plates should look like would be a good post for today considering its pretty warm outside and is suppose to be for the rest of week. I hoping to get some outside time this week. Looking through the Whole9′s Nutrition Guide it is a great reference tool to keep your plate in line with healthy eating.
First and foremost eat during the day, and eat meals not just snacks. Your body needs fuel for the day so feed it.
Protein- base your meal around your protein. I use my hand as a measuring tool for my protein, carbohydrates, and fat to ensure I’m consuming the right amounts of food in my meals. Your protein portion should be the size of your palm, for deli meat fold individual slices and stack them to about the thickness of your palm, and for oddly shaped proteins simply do your best to estimate a palm size portion.
Carbohydrates- vegetables should be your greatest source of carbohydrates. Eat raw, steamed, boiled, baked, roasted, grilled or sauteed to give variety. A good rule of thumb is choose two vegetables for your plate to vary the taste. Whether you choose fresh or frozen vegetables is up to you. Do what is convenient, but don’t replace fruit for your vegetables. My vegetable serving size is the rest of my plate.
Fruit- Fruit is a carbohydrate. It is not bad for you but should not be the bulk of your carbohydrate portion of your diet. The serving size of fruit should be the size of a closed fist, and you shouldn’t eat more than two servings a day. I keep my fruit for my early afternoon snack and late evening snack.
Fat-The fat serving should be a good fat. In your journals which you log your workouts in there are reference pages in the back that give you list of good fats. These fats are what we are referring to when you select the last part of your meal. Consuming one to two of these in a meal is recommended. The fat should be the length of your thumb for oils and butters and handful size of olives, nuts, and seeds.
Using this template for your meals should help you feel good in your eating and give you plenty of fuel for your day. I hope you have fantastic WODs and happy eating.
Coach Kelley