Never More Than Three

To wrap up our week of focusing on what we eat, let us take a moment to reflect on our protein intake.  When you sit down at the dinner table, how much chicken is on your plate?  How large of a serving of chili did you dish into your bowl?  Did your hamburger patty overtake your bun?

For a lot of people, protein can be there favorite part of a meal.  It is usually the main course, thus being the most flavorful and looked forward to item on the dinner plate.  Because of this, we can tend to lose focus on how much we are consuming.

The healthiest and most frugal thing you can do for your diet is to never consume more than three ounces of protein per serving (think the size of a deck of cards).  It may not sound like a lot, but protein, once allowed to settle in your system, is very filling.  Still feeling hungry?  You can never eat too much produce.

By sticking to your three ounce per serving rule, you will purchase a lot less meat, which in turn will naturally save you quite a bit a week on your grocery bill.  You will also become less concerned with the types of meat you are consuming because 6 ounces of lean white chicken breast in one serving is actually more unhealthy than 3 ounces of a dark meat chicken leg.  Even by cutting your bean and lentil servings down to the appropriate amount, you will make those bags of dried beans stretch even further.

Today I challenge you to pay attention to how much protein you heap onto your plate.  If you consume three ounces of protein, the correct portion of whole grains and a lot of vegetables, you will leave each meal feeling full and satisfied.  If you don't, allow your meal to sit for fifteen to twenty minutes, put away all the food, then decide if you are still famished.  Odds are, you won't be.

For more ideas on stretching your proteins, please check out Chicken Week and my Bean Series.

After all of this healthy eating, we need to reward ourselves.  Stay tuned on Monday for my One Minute Candy Bar!