LOW-CARB RECIPE IDEAS

Eating quality food, regularly, in the right quantity and ratios is key in having your body perform at its best and will dramatically improve your chance of reaching health goals.

You don’t need to count calories or macros to get the right portions for your goals. Instead, just use your hand to measure.

This approach will dramatically simplify the eating and tracking process, and it’s nearly as accurate as the calorie and macro approaches.

Here’s the general idea:

A portion of protein = 1 palm

A portion of vegetables = 1 fist

A portion of carbs = 1 cupped hand

A portion of fats = 1 thumb

This handy portion-measuring system works well for many reasons.

1. Hands are portable. They come with you to work lunches, restaurants, social gatherings, and even Grandma’s house.
2. Hands are a consistent size. This provides a consistent portion reference.
3. Hands are proportional to the individual. Bigger people generally need more food, and tent to have bigger hands, so therefore get larger portions. Smaller people generally need less food, and tend to have smaller hands, so therefore get smaller portions.

Plus, the hand portion-measuring system provides appropriate amounts of nutrient-dense foods and their specific macronutrients.

Not all food is created equal. Different foods have different ways in which they affect the body. The more processed the food, the more stress it gives the body, and the more your blood sugar goes out of balance. Being hangry or constantly reaching for coffee are general ways in which this plays out. Eating more unprocessed whole foods will give your body more nutrients, decrease stress hormones and balance out your blood sugar. This will help your body perform at its best and create an environment that’s beneficial to functioning better on all levels.

The majority of people over or under eat on a daily basis without even realizing it. Being conscious of what you are eating and in what quantities is crucial in your health and wellness journey. The steps below will give you a clear guideline for what your plate should look like.

The way in which we combine food categories has a drastic effect on how our body looks and feels. Incorrect amounts can lead to more stress, more inflammation and unbalanced blood sugar levels which can lead to aching muscles and joints or lack of focus and energy crashes.

When the correct ratios of the food categories are eaten together they actually slow down the absorption of nutrients, which leads to a slower release of energy. This keeps blood sugar stable, keeps stress hormones from elevating to high which keeps us focused for longer periods of time with less crashes.

Upon waking your blood sugar and stress hormones start to rise. Eating breakfast followed by a meal every 3-4 hours helps blood sugar remain stable and stops your stress hormones from being too elevated. This is important as the cascading effect of this has.