Meal Planning
BACK
Once you learn these simple rules you will have the keys to a healthy
lifestyle. It is up to you to carry out these guidelines. Good luck and good
health!
1. Learn to recognize an ideal
portion size. During the first few weeks use liquid and dry
measuring cups and spoons to measure your foods. Once you are able to
“eyeball” the proper portion size you can weigh and measure your foods
several times a month.
2. Eat four to six small meals for
good health and to control weight. Never skip meals or concentrate
all of your calories into one or two larger meals.
3. Remember to count the foods used
in meal preparation. Soups, casseroles and even salads are made of
several different food groups. To follow a balanced food plan you need to
count all ingredients, such as flour, fat and fruit juice, required for one
portion of the recipe. For example:
1 taco = 1 bread + 2 meat + 2 fat
4. Consume all the exchanges in your
food plan. Your food plan is based on your age, sex, activity level,
gender and metabolic rate.
5. Any food found in the food group
may be interchanged with any other food on the same list. In the
meat group, for example, 1 meat serving = 1 oz. turkey, 1 oz. cheese or 1/4
cup water-packed tuna.
6. Foods found in different
categories cannot be substituted for another. For example, 1 bread
does not equal 1 milk.
7. Equate serving sizes with everyday
items in your home. Here are some ideas to visualize portion
sizes:
1 medium
fruit = your fist
1 ounce of cheese
or meat = your thumb or a pair of dice
3 ounces poultry,
meat or fish = palm of your hand, a deck of cards or
a cassette tape
1 cup pasta, rice or potatoes = a tennis ball
or your fist
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