To get healthy, weigh your food and do try not to snack
(April 27, 2023) — Just as you can’t balance your bank statement without tracking what’s coming in and going out, you need to measure your food intake.
You’ll need a kitchen scale to weigh your vegetables, proteins and starches.
My pre-measured prepared meals are in these proportions:
4 oz. cooked protein (6 for men).
6 oz. cooked veggies.
3 oz. whole grains or starchy veggies.
6 oz. salad.
1 T of fats, e.g. salad dressing.
My method to help people change their palates is about regular meals and losing the desire to snack. There are people who say they don’t eat breakfast, but then they’re sneaking snacks midmorning. And how many confine themselves to one visit to the snack drawer? Simply put: Do not snack.
Another trap is eating buffet style, where you congratulate yourself for small portions and then go back for seconds.
My method involves cooking a number of meals ahead of time. Measure out your portions and when the plate’s done, you should be full. Your gut will get used to those portions. Sometimes that full feeling comes a half hour or an hour later, but you will get to know your habits and your body.
You need to fast four to six hours between meals to aid digestion and regulate the craving for sugar and processed food. The liver needs to rest and digest.
If you wait to eat until you’re truly hungry, you’re more keenly aware of the flavor of your food – the natural sweetness of parsnips and jicama, for example.
Back away from the snack shack and try this recipe for a healthy breakfast.
Overnight Oats
1 serving
Chia pudding:
6 oz. plain unsweetened yogurt or kefir
1 T chia seeds
1 oz. oats soaked in 4 oz. water*
2 oz. very ripe banana, chopped
Optional: vanilla, cinnamon, chopped nuts
*For creamier pudding, use quick oats
Fruit topping:
4 oz. chopped fresh fruit or berries*
*If using frozen fruit, use 3 oz. plus 1 oz. unsweetened applesauce
Mix all pudding ingredients in a 16-oz. Mason jar. Scoop the fruit onto the top of the mixture. Refrigerate overnight. The oats will last about four days in the refrigerator – the longer they sit, the better they are.
Did You Know? Greek yogurt has more protein and less sugar than regular yogurt because Greek yogurt is strained and some of the whey is removed. Whey has lactose, a naturally occurring form of sugar.
Send questions and comments to cindym.gershen@gmail.com.
Cindy Gershen
Cindy Gershen is an educator, nutritionist, chef, and co-author of “Fat Chance Cookbook.”