While the key to losing weight is limiting portions, most people don't know proper portions.
One company is putting the guidelines right on the plate, and it wants to make one thing clear:
“I’ve yet, in all my years, have yet to tell anybody to back down on their vegetable intake,” registered dietitian Ronda Elsenbrook said. “We need a lot of plants, lots of good veggies.”
Dieters are advised to leave a little room for carbs and proteins, keeping in mind that too much of one or the other might damage your diet.
“Your own palm size is a good rule of thumb, which would equate to 3 to 4 ounces for women and, depending on a man's hand, 4 to 6 ounces,” Elsenbrook said.
What does that look like? That's where Slimware comes in.
We found these plates, which claim that the elegant design coincides with proper portions: the largest flower for veggies, the medium for meat and the small for carbs. Even though the box suggests the medium flower for carbs and the small one for meat, Elsenbrook said she always suggests that the smallest portion of a meal be the carbohydrates.
“You want to do (an amount equal to the size of your fist) or less of your starch or grain. Your meat portion is about your palm size, and then (a portion double the size of your fist) on the vegetables,” she said.
If you can't go everywhere with your own plate, Elsenbrook said a good rule of thumb is to use your hand.
“Hands are always easier than walking around with measuring cups. Nobody is going to do that,” she said.