A friend of the foundation, Tom Lynas, has kindly offered to write weekly fitness and nutritional tips for all our our readers. Tom is a qualified personal trainer, with a degree in sports development and holds a postgraduate degree in nutrition.
Hi,
This week I am going to talk to you about a quick and easy method to make sure you are not over eating. The “handful” method is a simple guide that shows you how much to eat based on your hand size. It’s specific to you and super easy to implement.
So how does it work?
This is what your plate should look like:
Protein: 2 handfuls for men, 1 handful for women at every meal.
Carbohydrates: 2 handfuls for men, 1 for women at every meal (customise to goals and needs).
Green veggies: At least 1 handful for everyone at every meal.
Fruit: 1-2 handfuls per day.
Fats: 1-2 handfuls per day.
A handful is the full distance from the heel of your palm to the tips of your fingers.
The amount of carbohydrates is down to you and your personal preference. Some people work really well with a lot of carbohydrates where as others will gain weight. A starting point is two handfuls for men and 1 for women.
I think leafy greens like spinach, kale, and cabbage should be eaten by the truck load. I recommend at least 1-2 handfuls for most meals. Green veggies fill you up with negligible amounts of carbs and calories, and they’re full of micronutrients.
Fats are great, but widely misunderstood. Most of the fat you need is already in your diet. You should be looking to get around 15% of your overall energy intake from fat.
An example of what this looks like would be a handful of nuts, half an avocado and whatever fats are in your meat. I consider 2-3 eggs to be a handful of fats. The most important thing is to be creative with your fat choices, make sure they are varied.
It’s a simple concept but one that works. Be sure to make adjustments to the portion size according to how it makes you feel. If you feel hungry after every meal? Try adding half a handful of fats. If you are gaining unwanted weight? Try reducing your carbohydrates.
You will need to have a play around with the formula, but once you have the perfect equation you can chuck all calorie counters out the window and simply use your hands to guide the way.
I hope this information helps you, if you want these updates sent straight to your inbox then please sign up to the email list.
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Have a great week,
Tom
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