Serving Sizes

I'm sure you have all heard the phrase "Two a day" meaning to make sure you have two servings of fruit each day, but what exactly is a serving? Here are some helpful tips when deciding what a serving is:

1 serving of grains can be:
*1 tortilla
*1/2 of a bagel or bun
*1 slice of bread
*1 cup of cereal
*1/2 cup of cooked rice or cereal
Try to make at least half of the grains you eat whole grains. They will help you stay fuller longer.

1 serving of fruits can be:
*1 medium sized fruit
*1 cup (8 oz) of 100% fruit juice

1 serving of vegetables can be:
*1 medium sized vegetable
*2 cups leafy greens
*1 cup of vegetables
*1 cup (8 oz) of 100% vegetable juice

1 serving of dairy can be:
*1 cup of milk
*1.5 oz of natural cheese
*2 oz of processed cheese

1 serving of protein can be:
*1 egg
*2 Tbsp of peanut butter
*1 oz of meat
*1 oz of almonds, seeds, or walnuts

Sometimes when you are in a hurry, it is hard to stop and measure so here are some easy ways to determine a serving size:

*1/2 cup= size of a tennis ball
*3 oz of meat= a stack of face cards
*1 cup= size of a baseball, size of you fist
*1 oz cheese= size of your thumb
*1-2 oz of snack foods (nuts, seeds, etc...)= Handful

Challenge: Eat the recommended servings for your calorie count. Measure everything out and pay attention to it. You will become familiar to measurements and will soon be able to measure everything out just by eyeballing it. If you have any questions about anything, just let me know! Good luck!

Thanksgiving!!

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I just wanted to post something that may help you keep off those extra pounds we tend to gain during the holiday season.

First, what is your motive for eating? Is it because it is there? Because you want it? Figuring out why you are eating the food, will help you become more aware of what you are eating. Here is a chart that I received in my nutrition class that you can follow:

A	Availability—It was there
B	Convenient—Able to prepare and consume within time allotment
C	Cost—The food cost fits in my budget
D	Nutritional value of food—It is nutrient dense and healthy
E	Personal preference—It sounded good, I liked it
F	Mood/emotion—I was bored, stressed, tired, excited, angry, etc...
G	Social—It was offered and I couldn’t refuse
H	Habbit/Tradition—I usually eat it, it is familiar

The next thing you need to take into consideration is the Hunger Scale. I went to a forum a few weeks ago and learned about this. Here's how it works:

1-Empty: You have no energy and you may have a headache
2-Ravenous: You are very hungry and may be irratable and cranky.
3-Set: Your urge to eat is strong.
4-Pangs: You are a little hungry and you start to think about food.
5-Neutral: Your body has enough fuel to keep you going physically and mentally.
6-Satisfied: Just what it says.
7-Full: You can still find room to eat because your mind says yes, but you body is saying no.
8-Stuffed: You may start to hurt and you feel uncomfortable.
9-Sick: You may have to leave the room or go lay down.

You want to be about a 5 or 6. If you go beyond that, that is when you will either need to do more work or you will start packing on the pounds. How do you know when you are satisfied? Well the first thing you need to do is set your fork down and actually chew your food. After each bite, ask yourself if that one tasted as good as the last. If not, why are you eating it? The big key is just listen to your body--it knows what you need!

Challenge: Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast! Listen to your body and get your family/friends out to do something active. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

We are all a little crazy...

So remember how I told you I was going to start blogging on here consistently? About that... Sorry. But, I am really excited to write this post! The thing is, health isn't just working out and eating well. It encompasses so many aspects. Ever heard of the wellness wheel? Well as you can see, one of the parts of this wheel is mental health. Good mental health is necessary for day to day living. We all have our little things that we are crazy about. For me, I CANNOT stand a dirty kitchen. I HAVE to have the dishes in the dishwasher or put away in the cupboards. This may be a little boarderline OCD, but I will save talking about that for another post.

If you have good mental health, you are able to:
*Function under adversity
*Change or adapt to changes around you
*Maintain control over your tension and anxiety
*Find more satisfaction in giving rather than receiving
*Show consideration for others
*Curb hate and guilt
*Love others

I don't know about you, but looking at this list I know I am not perfect in all aspects of mental health, hence why I titled this post the way I did. We all have things that we need to work on. If you have good mental health, it helps you have better emotional health, which can play a big part into your eating habbits.

Challenge: Find one thing that you can improve in your mental health. Then for one week document how it goes. You will find that by setting a goal and documenting about it, it will help you improve far greater than just saying you will do it. If you need any ideas of examples of mental health goals, just let me know! Good luck!!