One of many strategies we utilize to educate our clients on proper nutrition is portion control.  Portion control is a major factor when it comes to reaching your goals with fat loss and habit modification.

Many times people will go over their calorie goals by overeating.  Most restaurants serve you 2-3 times a proper portion size and I believe it goes back to the psychology if the plate is full I am getting a good deal.  This can cause some problems with overeating and conditioning the body to consume more food.

Portion size matters, research has shown that people consistently eat more food when offered larger sized portions. So portion control is important when you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off.

A simple strategy we use is from Precision Nutrition.

It can be very simple to complete and it works like this:

• The palm of your hand indicates the portion of protein you should consume
• The size of your fist indicates the portion size of veggies
• The cupped had will indicates the portion size for the carbs
• The size of your thumb indicates the portion size for fats

Here’s a quick way to remember: P = Palm = Protein (PP), Fist = Fiber = Veggie, Cupped Hand = Carb (CC) and Thumb = Fat

With women we shoot for the above portion size and for men we would double the portion, so it would be two palm size portions of protein instead of one.  This is a simple and effective way to help control overeating.

The next time you are out at a restaurants try to use this technique to help with your urge of over eating.  If you would like some more specific nutritional help request a free consult.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
·  4 cups of very thinly sliced seedless cucumbers (i used mini cucumbers)
·  ¼ cup of finely sliced red onion
·  ¼ cup of fined diced red pepper
·  ¼ cup of rice wine vinegar
·  1 teaspoon of honey
·  1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
·  ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
·  ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
·  ½ teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:

1. Add VERY thinly sliced cucumber, sliced red onion, diced red pepper, and sesame seeds to a medium size bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl mix together rice wine vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and sea salt.

3. Serve immediately or cover and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two to let all the flavors meld.

Ingredients:
·   4 x 4 ounce salmon fillets
·   Salt & Pepper to taste
·   ½ cup pecans
·   3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
·   Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
·   1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
·   1 tsp. smoked paprika
·   ½ tsp. chipotle pepper powder
·   ½ tsp. onion powder

Directions:

1. Place salmon fillets on a baking sheet and season with salt and black pepper.
2. Combine pecans, maple syrup, vinegar, paprika, chipotle powder, and onion powder in a food processor; pulse until texture is crumbly.
3. Spoon pecan mixture on top of each salmon fillet, coating the entire top surface. Refrigerate coated salmon, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
5. Bake salmon in the preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork, 12 to 14 minutes.

Ingredients:
·    1 pound pancetta, diced
·    2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
·    1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
·    3 garlic cloves
·    4 center-cut pork chops, each about 2 1/2 inches thick
·    Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
·    3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, combine the pancetta, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground. Set aside.
3. Make sure the pork chops are at room temperature, then liberally season them with salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Heat the canola oil in a large oven-safe skillet or grill pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the pork chops for about 2 minutes on each side.
5. Stick the pan in the oven to finish cooking the pork, 5 to 6 minutes. Depending on your oven, of course, and the thickness of your chops, this should result in a medium to medium-well chop, still slightly pink in the middle. If you prefer a more well-done chop, add a minute or 2 to the cooking time.
6. While the pork chops are in the oven, heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the pancetta and herb mixture. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook the pancetta, stirring continuously to break up any large chunks, until all the fat is rendered and the pancetta is crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Serve the pork chops topped with the crispy herbed pancetta and rendered fat.

Serve while hot and bubbling!

Servings: 8

Ingredients:
·        1/2 cup dry quinoa, pre-rinsed
·        1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
·        1 cups salsa, no-sugar added
·        1 cup corn kernels
·        1 teaspoon chili powder
·        1 avocado, peeled and small diced

Directions:

Add 1 cup water and quinoa to a medium pot and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until most moisture is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered quinoa on burner for 5 minutes.

Add to cooked quinoa, black beans, salsa, corn, and chili powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine then add diced avocado and gently toss. Add salad to a serving dish and serve. Salad can also be enjoyed cold.

Ingredients:

10 stalks asparagus, trimmed and chopped
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
2 slices Canadian bacon, diced (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup liquid egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters
¼ cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
⅛ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Bring asparagus and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the asparagus is slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the water has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add Canadian bacon and oil to the pan and stir to coat. Pour in egg substitute, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the egg is starting to set, about 20 seconds. Continue cooking, lifting the edges so the uncooked egg will flow underneath, until mostly set, about 30 seconds more.
Sprinkle cheese, salt and pepper over the omelet. Lift up an edge of the omelet and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon water under it. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until the egg is completely set and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Fold over using the spatula and serve.

Nutrition Information
191 calories; 8 g fat(2 g sat); 3 g fiber; 9 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 87 mcg folate; 20 mg cholesterol; 3 g sugars; 1,270 IU vitamin A; 9 mg vitamin C; 161 mg calcium; 4 mg iron; 861 mg sodium; 618 mg potassium
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (25% daily value), Folate (22% dv), Iron (22% dv)
Carbohydrate Servings: ½
Exchanges: 1½ vegetable, 3 lean meat