Fundamentals
of Nutrition

What is a
Food Portion?

Your Nutrition Style

Your Activity Style

Physiology
of Nutrition
Lecture Series
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
Lecture 4
Lecture 5
Lecture 6
Lecture 7
Lecture 8

Lecture 5 page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Choosing the Right Vegetables and Fruits
Vegetables and fruits are not free foods - they do have calories. For example, 1 cup of starchy vegetables (such as beans or potatoes) can pack in over 200 calories! Similarly, just 1/4 cup of dried fruit (like raisins) has over 100 calories! And, if you eat several bunches of grapes or several handfuls of cherries a day, you can slow or even stop your weight loss efforts. By avoiding these particular vegetables and fruits and instead choosing the ones listed below, you will save calories while still getting all their health benefits. Canned vegetables and fruits, while often low in calories, contain less vitamin C, fiber, and other nutrients than their fresh varieties. Therefore, these are not recommended.List of Vegetables and Fruits With Portions/Calories/Fiber:

Choose 3 Fruits From This List:

Don’t Choose These Fruits:

Choosing Healthy Portion-Controlled Meals
The idea of portion controlled meals is to know clearly when your meal begins and where it ends. For dinner I recommend 3 to 6 ounces of skinless chicken or turkey breast, fish, or shrimp. Three ounces is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. So, you can have one or two palms worth. Then, eat 1 cup of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or starchy vegetables (such as corn, beans, or potatoes) AND 2 cups of steamed vegetables (from the vegetable list on the previous page).

If it is easier for you to prepare, you can warm up a frozen portion-controlled meal (such as Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers) in the microwave or oven. Just be sure that you are choosing an entree with less than 300 calories and less than 30% fat. Stay away from red meat and cheese-heavy dishes since these are the tastes you are trying to get away from.

At lunch have a sandwich of 3 ounces of skinless chicken or turkey breast or tuna fish on two slices of high fiber bread. In addition, have 4 cups of dark, leafy salad greens with seasoned vinegar AND a piece of fruit (such as an apple or a pear) for some healthy and filling fiber.

If you are having trouble with night-time stress eating, try having air popped popcorn, which only has 45 calories per 3 cups. I suggest keeping a meal replacement ready-to-drink shake can on hand so that you can have one whenever you are tempted to skip a meal or find yourself someplace where you cannot get a healthy meal (e.g. in your car, at an airport, in a shopping mall, etc.).

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