Portion control is a vital component in attaining our health and wellness goals. The following is a structured format on how to determine your macronutrient (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) portions, based on your gender.
Note: keep in mind that the portion can vary in one direction or another based on your fitness goals, and your current body composition.
1. Your palm size determines your protein portions.
2. Your fist size determines your vegetable portions.
3. Your cupped hand determines your carbohydrate portions.
4. Your thumb determines your fat portions.
To determine your protein intake, for protein dense foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, or beans use a palm side serving. For women it’s recommended that you use one palm size portion with each meal. For men it’s recommended to use two palm size portions with each meal.
To determine your vegetable intake, for veggies like broccoli, spinach, salad carrots, etc. use a fist size serving. For women it’s recommended that you use one fist size proportion of vegetables with each meal. For a man it’s recommended that you use two fist sized proportions of vegetables with each meal.
To determine your carbohydrate intake, for carbohydrate dense foods like grains, starches, or fruit, use a cup hand to determine your serving size. For women it is recommended to use one cup hand size portion of carbohydrates with most meals. For men it is recommended to use two cupped hand size portions of carbohydrates with most meals..
To determine your fat intake, for fat dense foods like oil’s, butters, nut butters, nuts and seeds, use your entire thumb to determine your serving size. For women it’s recommended one thumb size portion of fats with most meals. For men it’s recommended two thumb sized portions of fats with most meals.