Portion Control Made "Easy"

Like any nutrition plan, portion control is key with Clean Eating. As much as I would absolutely love to believe the people who say "eat whatever you want as long as it's good food," there is something to be said for the "calories in can't exceed calories out" mantra. While it's true that the quality of one's calories does count and that one shouldn't simply eat 1,200 calories a day of donuts and fast food, I know that at least my body doesn't respond well when I'm eating more than 1,800 calories a day--even if I only consume good, clean food. Unfortunately, this means that one really shouldn't eat more than 2 tablespoons of natural nut butters a day, no matter how good they are for the body. Same goes for olive oil and fruit. Sigh.

So here's the breakdown of Tosca's portion sizes that I've been trying to follow ever since stopping the detox.

• 5-6 Servings of LEAN PROTEIN. One serving can be any of the following options: 1 cup low-fat soy, almond, hemp, rice or lactose-free milk, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt cheese, plain, fat-free, sugar-free yogurt; 1 small handful of raw, unsalted nuts, 2 tablespoons of all-natural nut butters; 1 palm-sized portion of animal meats; 1-2 scoops of good-quality, sugar-and chemical-free protein powder (does anyone know of any good ones? I'm not sure about the one I'm using). Finally, beans or tofu, important for vegetarians, also fall into this category; however, I'm not sure what the portion size is. I'm guessing the palm of your hand, though.

• 6 Servings of COMPLEX CARBOYDRATES FROM FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. This includes 1 cupped handful or piece of fruit or 2 cupped handfuls of non-starchy vegetables

• 2-4 Servings of COMPLEX CARBOYDRATES FROM WHOLE GRAINS AND STARCHY CARBOYHDRATES. One serving can be 1 small handful of high-protein, sugar-free cold cereals, such as muesli and granola; 1 handful of cooked cereal (this translates to ½ cup dry); 1 piece of whole-grain bread or seven-inch wrap; 1 handful of quinoa (also can be counted as protein since it's a "complete" food), barley, brown-rice, buckewheat, couscous, or whole-grain pasta; 1 handful-sized serving of sweet potato, yam, banana, corn, carrots, squash, kidney beans, lentils, soybeans, etc.

• Sweeteners, such as honey, agave nectar, stevia, sucanet, and rapadura sugar (have NO clue what those last three are) should be used in moderation while any artificial sugars should be avoided completely.

• Healthy fats and oils, particularly olive, pumpkinseed and flaxseed should also be used in moderation

• Juice, commercial salad dressings and sauces, and anything fried or processed should be completely out of the picture