Portion Control In A Well Balanced Meal

Portion control is really everything when you are looking to create a meal that will satisfy you and keep you lean and trim. The philosophy of more is better falls short when you are trying to get those abs and look good for the summer. Dinner meals are one of the most important meals that people seem to mess up and over indulge. Typically this meal comes 4 to 5 hours before you go to bed and you really can't burn off the calories that you've taken in from the meal. So to avoid having the calories turned into fat, keep these tips in mind when planning out your dinner meal.

Protein Source
A male should look to consume 8 oz. (1/2 pound), female 4 oz. of lean cuts of meat with dinner. This will represent 1/2 of your entire meal or half your plate. Lean cuts of beef, chicken, turkey, Salmon, Basa, are all good choices to make when looking for a dinner protein source. Mixing it up on a nightly basis is good so that you get protein from a wide range of sources.

Carbohydrates
These are the killers that most people in North America over indulge on and it's a major player in why we have an obese society. Carbs are a great energy source and your body can easily convert them into energy to be used during physical activity. The problem with consuming them later in the evening is that you don't have time to burn them off and your body will store them as fat to be used later. Keeping carbs to a minimum is must during dinner and make sure they are form whole grains. 1/4 of your plate should be carbs, so 4 oz.of carbs from sources such as brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, or wild rice. Avoid white potatoes at all costs.

Vegetables
These will make up the final 1/4 of your plate and they are go important as part of a well balanced diet. Eat your colors and pick a wide range from red tomatoes to green broccoli to orange peppers. Mix them up as they'll keep you young.