Portion Control

Portion control is something most people have a problem with, and small wonder. If you look at the size of a standard dinner plate for sale in any department store today and an antique plate from the early part of the last century, you'll notice our modern plates are bigger. Food in restaurants is heaped up, what used to be a large popcorn in the movies is now a small. And coffee sizes at your local chain kiosk? Seriously? I won't name the vendor but you know the one I'm talking about: their new coffee size in the US will hold a bottle of wine. Good for getting depressed in parks, bad for really understanding how much we're eating. 

Looking at the sizes and shapes of different people, it's hard to believe that a standard measuring unit should be equal between them, which is also confusing. My 6 foot 5 inch tall broad shouldered brother runs on more protein than I do, it just makes sense. So the best, most sensible way to control portions for individuals in my humble (and non-medical professional opinion) is going by the size of your hand. If you're lucky enough to be born with even one perfectly formed hand, you'll notice that your hand is custom measured to your personal frame and height. You can use this to guide portions or serving sizes:  

Palm of your hand= approximately 3 ounces

This is your personal serving size for protein, be it animal or tofu. The thickness of your hand will also factor in as a guide for you. Normally the recommended serving size for protein is about the size of a deck of cards, which may or may not be relevant to the size of your hand. Go by your hand for this and the rest. 

Clenched fist= approximately 1 cup

This is a good visual for measuring cereal, casseroles and soups.

One cupped hand= approximately ½ cup

This is a good serving size for fruit or white potato or rice.

Two cupped hands= round it over with green leafy goodness

This is your serving size for green leafy salad. Om nom nom nom.... 

Tip of your thumb= approximately 1 teaspoon

This is your portion for things like butter, margarine or oil. Heavy fats, basically. 

One entire thumb or two thumbs together if your thumbs are freakishly small = approximately 1 Tablespoon

Serving size for peanut butter, cream cheese or salad dressing. 

Look online for other options in interpreting your hands for serving sizes. This is a combination of a couple that made sense to and seem to be working for me. 

Signs of Stroke

Young people can have strokes, kids can have strokes. You and I are susceptible too. Strokes - they're not just for old people anymore.

There's different kinds of stroke - right side, left side, base of the head, small strokes, catastrophic strokes - but most of the time if you know the basics of what a stroke looks like and get to a hospital, your chances of survival and recovery go up. That's the main thing to remember.

If you watch "House" there was an episode with a photographer having a stroke who remembered a list of symptoms called "FAST" and self diagnosed at the beginning of the episode. (It was house, so stroke wasn't her only problem) F = face, is it lopsided? Is your smile crooked? A = arms, are you able to hold them up to the same level without effort, or does one sag? S = speech (I think, might also have been smile) - is it slurred or irregular. And the last letter stood for Time, that fast help could save her and that a clock was ticking on her life. Very poetic, very effective. But it doesn't list all the symptoms.

Vision trouble and sudden, painful headache are also symptoms, along with dizziness as well as weakness and trouble speaking. This could be a stroke, go seek help. It could be something else, but don't screw around with it. Hospitals are friends, they have doctors and drugs which are excellent for just this sort of thing.

Recipe - Tinker Toy Salad

Here's one of the healthy food recipes I've incorporated into my diet recently. The layout and approximate nutritional breakdown are from my "My Fitness Pal" page and the original recipe was from my fabulous friend Kim. I keep a bin of this in the fridge and add it to dinner or eat it for lunch. The ingredients change with availability and right now there's no blueberries in the bin but there are a few handfuls of cranberries. There's also no watercress and the cabbage is both plentiful and green. I'm not too hung up on exact calorie count, the goal is just to eat real food in reasonable amounts and avoid bullshit, which this does nicely. 


Now, why tinker toy salad, you may ask. First time I made this my husband (who believes all food is brown) looked across the table at me and asked what I was eating. Smart ass that I am, I asked what it looked like and he truthfully said it looked like children's toys. Hence the name. 

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Iron	Fiber
Cabbage - Red, raw, 1 head, small (4" dia)	176	42	1	8	25	12
Chinese Veg - Kale, 1.5 Cup	54	11	1	4	11	4
Co-Op - Watercress, 225 g	45	1	2	7	0	3
365 Organic - Pumpkin Seeds, 1/2 cup	360	10	28	18	30	6
Carrot - 7" Long Carrot, 3 carrot	90	21	0	3	6	6
Acme - Red Wine Vinegar, 6 tbsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bellino - Extra Virgin Olive Oil-First Cold Pressed, 4 TBSP	480	0	56	0	0	0
365 Organic - Lemon Juice 100%, 6 tsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
Aldi's Fit % Active - Dried Blueberries, 0.5 cup	46	8	0	0	0	0
Add Ingredient

Total:	1251	93	88	40	72	31
Per Serving:	156	12	11	5	9	4