Many people who have been on diets at least once in their lives know how difficult it is to give up the usual foods and dishes that fall into the “forbidden” or “harmful” section of many nutrition programs. But it will hardly be more difficult to follow the rules of absolutely any diet if they relate to the size of the portion!

The Americans conducted some kind of comparative study, forcing a group of ordinary people and a group of doctors far from medicine to write down everything they ate in a food diary, estimating the size of the portion “by eye”. Imagine that the error in volume and weight ranged from 22 to 48 percent. At the same time, sometimes even doctors were mistaken by almost a quarter! What will be the output? Weigh? At home, you can do this, all the more so, having “practiced” enough, you will learn to quickly understand how much food is placed in a particular dish.

But you will not carry the scales with you all the time. Certainly not!

There are very simple, standard ways to determine the serving size of a product using ... hands:

One hundred grams of meat, fish or chicken are approximately the size of a woman's palm;

The palm size of a man is on average closer to 150 grams;

A portion with a woman's fist is approximately equal to a glass or 200 gr.;

Fit in a handful of one palm 2 tbsp. liquids, half a glass of salad, rice or cooked pasta;

A thumbnail serving is about half a teaspoon, or 5 grams, for example, you can measure butter like this;

A tablespoon is about the size of two thumbs put together.

Now let's try to find out what should be the "standard" portion of different dishes, which will be safe for your figure.

A serving of meat, fish should be approximately 100 grams (no larger than a woman's palm or a card deck in size)

A serving of pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts or raw pistachios should not exceed 40 grams (approximately 23 pumpkin seeds, seven to eight almonds, fifteen pistachios, 3.5 walnut kernels).

Eating grapes, you should eat no more than 20 berries (about 80 g).

Your serving of salad should fit perfectly in a glass, its maximum weight is 150 grams.

A saute (vegetable) serving should also be no more than what can fit in 1 glass and weigh about 150g or less.

A serving of cheese should be equal to three small slices, all of it - no more than 50 g.

If you want a cake, then one piece should not exceed the size of a deck of cards (about 100 grams).

A serving of pasta should fit in a glass and weigh about 120 g.

Puree (potatoes) can be eaten no more than 3-4 tbsp. spoons (i.e. 100 g).

A serving of olives should be 5 pcs. medium size, which will weigh about 20 g.

The “correct” serving of fried potatoes (although it is desirable to completely exclude this dish) should in no case be the same as it is served in fast food establishments. You can afford no more than ten slices.

One serving of soup should fit in a glass, its volume should not exceed 150 ml.

Health

Are you eating right, but still can't lose weight? Maybe it's not about what you eat, but about amount of food consumed.

Most people don't know what an acceptable serving size should look like. Studies have shown that we are bad at determining how much food we should have on our plate, and people often overestimate portion sizes and underestimate calorie content.

So how do you figure out how much to eat without endlessly counting calories or weighing everything on a scale?

Here is an easy way to determine adequate portion sizes of staple foods and how it looks in relation to the size of your hand.

Meat serving size

Meat: palm of hand

A serving of meat should be the size of the palm of your hand (not including fingers).

The steak in the photo weighs approximately 100 grams and is about the thickness of a deck of cards. A serving of this size protein can be taken with every meal, and we need to spread the protein intake throughout the day, as we are better at processing it in small portions. However, you should not consume more than 500 grams of red meat per week, and it is better to choose other sources of protein, such as fish and legumes.

Portion of fish

White fish: whole hand

White fish such as cod, haddock or pollack are low in fat and calories, so a serving can be as large as your spread brush (about 150 grams and 100 calories).

White fish contains small amounts of omega-3s and is a good source of selenium, which is important for the immune system and healthy hair and nails.

Oily fish: palm

Like meat, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, or sardines should be about the size of your palm. An oily fish fillet weighs about 100 grams and contains about 200 calories. One serving a week will provide you with enough omega-3 fatty acids.

Portion of salad

Spinach: two handfuls

This is how much raw spinach one person needs for one (80 grams) of the 5 servings of vegetables recommended daily. The same serving size will work for other lettuce leaves as well.

Vegetables should be eaten with every meal, and not a few leaves, but practically the entire package.

Portion of fruit

Berries: two palms

One in five servings of fruit a day is a handful of berries that fits in the palm of your hand.

This amount of berries contains approximately 90 calories, but other fruits, such as grapes, contain more sugar and about 161 calories.

Portion of vegetables

Vegetables: clenched fists

One in five servings of vegetables (80 grams) a day should be at least the size of your fist. It is also important to aim for a variety of vegetables in your diet and eat vegetables of different colors. Vegetables should take up half of your plate.

Serving of pasta per day

Pasta: clenched fist

This amount of pasta seems very small, but the pasta will expand in size as it cooks. This serving contains 75 grams and 219 calories. A serving of uncooked rice should also be the size of a fist.

Carbohydrates, which are important for maintaining energy, and fiber should take up a quarter of your plate (proteins the other quarter and vegetables half).

Additional calories will add sauce.

Serving of nuts per day

Nuts: one palm

Nuts and seeds are a good snack, they are filling and contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats, although they are high in calories. A good portion is what you can hold in the palm of your hand. Therefore, try to eat nuts and seeds separately, and not several at once.

Portion of potatoes

Potato: fist

A carbohydrate serving should be approximately 200 calories for women and 250 calories for men.

One 180 gram potato contains about 175 calories, but a baked potato can be twice as much, so you can split it between two.

If you are not trying to lose weight, you can eat a slightly larger portion.

Food portions per day

Butter: tip of the thumb

Any portion of fats, including butter, vegetable oil, peanut butter, should be no more than a teaspoon or the size of the tip of your thumb from the knuckle to the tip of the nail. In total, there should be no more than 2-3 servings of fat per day.

Chocolate: index finger

A piece of chocolate the size of an index finger (20 grams) contains approximately 100 calories and is an adequate treat.

Cheese: two fingers

A serving of cheese weighing 30 grams should correspond to the length and depth of two fingers. It contains about 125 calories and provides you with a third of the recommended amount of calcium. A serving of grated cheese can be the size of your fist.

Cake: two fingers

The cake slice should be two fingers long and wide (one end may be slightly wider if you cut with a wedge). This serving contains about 185 calories and is acceptable as a treat.

Calories, kcal:

Proteins, g:

Carbohydrates, g:

Lettuce is called a one- or two-year garden crop of the family Compositae. Information that lettuce was eaten is found in documents describing the existence of the ancient Roman Empire, until that time lettuce was grown for the sake of seeds, from which oil was squeezed out. The exact geographical place of origin of the first types of lettuce has not been historically established.

Lettuce has many varieties, the most common, leaf lettuce, has long tender shoots in the form of oak leaves, light green (light green) in color. Lettuce leaves are juicy, crunchy, with a fresh smell, can vary in shape and quantity, located on one root or head.

salad calories

The calorie content of salad is 12 kcal per 100 grams of product.

The salad has a rich vitamin and mineral composition, in which there are: vitamins, as well as,. The product contains coarse dietary fiber, which improves digestion, normalizes intestinal motility, fills the volume of the stomach and, without being digested, is excreted, collecting mucus and toxins from the intestinal walls. Substance lactucin, belonging to the group of alkaloids, not only gives the salad bitterness, but also actively reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood. Eating lettuce leaves will help improve the condition of hair and nails, has a beneficial effect on the skin, improves memory, vision and is a preventive measure against the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Despite the beneficial properties of lettuce, it can be harmful to the body.

Harm lettuce

The reasons for reducing the consumption of lettuce are the presence of diseases such as gout, colitis and enterocolitis, urolithiasis, hepatitis. Due to the high content of oxalic acid, the use of the product in case of kidney disease should be limited.

Salad is a unique product for weight watchers. After eating a large bowl of lettuce leaves, we get a full stomach and a minimum of calories (calorizator). Of course, a salad in its pure form does not give a feeling of fullness, so it is combined with other vegetables or protein foods. It is possible, without adhering to special diets, to consume a portion of lettuce leaves daily for lunch or dinner, thereby ensuring regular bowel movements, healthy peristalsis and burning fat accumulations. Diets or, for example, recommend the daily use of lettuce in the diet.

Selecting and storing lettuce

When choosing a salad, you need to pay attention to its appearance - the juiciness and greenness of the leaves, their elasticity, integrity and the absence of rot, dark spots. Often lettuce is sold with roots or in pots, such a product retains freshness longer, but in any case, a visual inspection should be carried out carefully.

salad in cooking

The name of the product speaks for itself, most often lettuce is used in salads. Even if it is a mixture of different types of lettuce leaves and an elementary dressing from any aromatic oil -,