Using your hands as a guide for portion control is a simple, convenient way to manage the amounts of food you consume without the need for scales, measuring cups, or other tools. This method is particularly handy because it's personalized based on the size of your hands, so it scales naturally with your body size. Here's how you can do it!
Protein Portions:
Your palm determines your protein portions. For a serving of protein-rich foods like meat, fish, or tofu, use your palm as a guide for the portion size.
Aim for a piece of protein that's the same thickness and diameter as your palm.
Typically, this equates to approximately 3-4 ounces for most individuals.
Vegetable Portions:
Your fist measures your vegetable portions. When you're serving yourself vegetables, both cooked and raw, use the size of a closed fist to determine the amount you should eat.
This is a handy way to get a serving of fibrous, nutrient-rich vegetables without going overboard.
Carbohydrate Portions:
Your cupped hand determines your carb portions. Whether you're eating grains, starches, or fruits, the right portion size is what you can fit into your cupped hand.
This helps manage the energy-dense carbohydrate portions that are easy to overeat, especially in processed forms.
Fat Portions:
Your thumb represents your fat portions. The length and thickness of your thumb are a guide for the amount of fat-based foods you should consume per meal. This includes foods like nuts, seeds, and oils.
For example, if you're adding cheese to a salad, a thumb-sized serving is ideal. For cooking oils, one to two thumb-sized portions is a good measure.
Combining for a Complete Meal:
For a full, balanced meal, try to include each of these components. For example, your plate might include one palm-sized serving of grilled chicken, one fist-sized serving of steamed broccoli, one cupped-hand-sized serving of brown rice, and a thumb-sized dollop of olive oil used in cooking.
Additional Tips:
Adjust for your needs: If you're very active, have larger energy needs, or are trying to gain weight, you might need larger or additional portions. Similarly, if you are sedentary, smaller, or trying to lose weight, you might need fewer portions.
Listen to your hunger cues: This hand-measuring system is a starting point. Pay attention to your body’s hunger and fullness signals and adjust portions accordingly.