Paleo Cookbook For Dummies (25 page)

Salsa

Sun-dried tomatoes

Tomato sauce and paste

Vinegar, all varieties except malt

100 percent unsweetened cocoa powder

Sizing Up Reset-Friendly Portions

Three variables determine how much you eat every day:

Your hunger level

Your energy level

Your exercise/activity level

Most people aren't aware of how much they eat in a day. During the 30-Day Reset, pay attention to portion sizes. After that, recognizing correct portions becomes second nature; you automatically know how much should be on your plate. For the 30-Day Reset, here's a basic template of serving sizes:

Protein:
Each meal should include a serving of protein. A serving of meat, fish, or poultry should be about the size and thickness of your palm (see
Figure 4-2
). That's about 3 to 4 ounces for women and 5 to 6 ounces for men. A serving of eggs is as many eggs as you can easily hold in your hand. That's about two or three for women and three or four for men. To gauge a serving of egg whites, double the number of whole eggs. (Remember, though that the yolk contains good stuff: B vitamins, zinc, and
choline,
which transports cholesterol through your body.)

Illustration by Elizabeth Kurtzman

Figure 4-2:
Protein serving size.

Non-starchy vegetables:
A serving of non-starchy vegetables should be at least the size of a softball. Fill your plate with at least two or three softballs' worth — whatever the amount you need to reach satiety. When it comes to these veggies, you can't eat too many!

Starchy vegetables:
Starchy vegetables
are your more carbohydrate-dense options such as sweet potato, jicama, kohlrabi, or squash. A serving of starchy vegetables should be about 1 cup for women and 1
¹
⁄
₂
cups for men.

Fruit:
A serving of fruit is half an individual piece (for example, half an apple or half an orange) or a tennis-ball-size serving of berries, grapes, or tropical fruits. That's a closed fistful if they're diced — about half a cup.