Watch your portion size with these 4 foods
Todays diet trends have us eating way fewer carbs and too much fat in our diets AND NOT ENOUGH PROTEIN. If you are trying to lose weight or hit that PR in the gym you need to look at your macros (protein, fats and carbs) and making sure that they are balanced.
We recently ran a challenge at Studio ME with Macrostax and it was pretty eye opening for many of our members. See, we have a lot of vegetarians, vegans, and pescatarians which means a lot of your protein comes in form of carbs. The challenge was only 8 weeks which isn’t long enough for long lasting change especially when we had to overhaul eating habits but it was still beneficial to do.
Counting your macros is not restrictive dieting. You can still eat those high carb items you just need to make sure you plan for it. You want to have a sugary treat, you can! That glass of wine…sure….just make sure you planned for it and have enough carbs left in your day to account for these things.
Now, let’s get down to portion sizes and 4 Foods that we eat way more than we should in a sitting.
Here are a few common misconceptions about foods that I see that are high in fat and carbs that we may not know about.
1. Avocados
Say what? Are in everything and used to bake in everything now and while yes, they are a healthy fat, it doesn’t mean we should be eating an entire avocado every day. Did you know that one serving of avocado is = 1/3–1/5 of a medium-sized avocado. That’s all folks! You may want to think twice about making that avocado toast with an entire avocado. In one medium avocado there are 234 calories, says Keri Gans, RD author of “The Small Change Diet.” For some people, these extra calories won’t make a difference, but for others, it could mean weight gain, she says.
2. Oil
Another one I see us OD’ing on. We use olive oil for everything. Did you know a serving size is only 1 tablespoon!!! Yes, it’s good in healthy fats but eating too much can, again, pack on those pounds!
3. Granola
I was just having this conversation this past weekend about granola and, really, how not good it is for us. Granola is very caloric dense, high in carbs and fats. Think about using only 1/4 cup and making your own so you can control any of the added sugars (carbs). Love your greek yogurt with granola? Try it with just berries or only 1/4 cup at most granola.
4. Smoothies
Don’t even get me started with smoothies! Portions go out the window typically with smoothies with recipes calling for all sorts of fruits, fats and little to no protein! This just leaves you crashing and being hangry an hour after drinking your meal. Smoothies can be great way to get nutrients and even a meal replacement but you need to watch what you are putting in then.
I have had this conversation many times with my clients about what to put in your smoothie so its not all sugar and keeps you full. Here is a great resources from Precision Nutrition on how to make a superfood smoothie.
