Trying to lose weight is not about no longer eating the foods that you like. Trying to lose weight should be an experience of enjoying food from all food groups, but in the right portions.
What are the food groups and how many portions should I have per day?
Grains and Starches (1-2 servings per meal or about 6 servings per day)
1 serving:
- 1 slice of loaf/toast
- ½ small Arabic bread (or ¼ large Arabic bread)
- ½ regag bread
- ½ khameer bread
- ¼ Iranian or Afghani or naan bread
- 1 (6 inch) tortilla, paratha, roti or chapatti
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- 1 (6 inch) pancake
- 1/2 cup of cereals (hot or cold)
- ½ regag bread½ cup cooked pasta, couscous, barley, freeka, burghul, quinoa
- 1/3 cup cooked rice
- 1 medium size potato (80g)
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Fruit (Aim to have 2-3 servings perday. Can be taken with meals or as snacks)
1 serving:
- 1 small sized fruit(e.g. apple, orange, pear, banana)
- ½ large mango
- 2 plums or apricots
- ½ cup fresh/frozen fruit
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- ¼ cup dried fruit (e.g. 2-3 dates, 5 apricots or prunes, 3 figs)
- 1 melon wedge
- Handful grapes or cherries
- 1/2 cup fruit juice (no sugar added)
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Vegetables (2-3 servings per meal or 3-6 servings per day)
1 serving:
- ½ cup fresh or frozen vegetables (e.g. carrots, cucumbers, peas)
- ½ cup cooked leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach, molokhiya)
- 1 cup raw leafy vegetables (e.g. lettuce, spinach, rocket leaves)
- 1 cup vegetable juice
Protein (1 serving per meal or 2 servings per day)
1 serving:
- 2-3 ounce (60-90 g) cooked fish, poultry or lean meat (size of the palm)
- ¾ cup legumes (lentils, kidney beans, black-eye peas)
- ¾ cup (150 g) tofu
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- 4 tablespoons of hummus
- 1 cup vegetable juice
- 2 medium size eggs or 3 medium size egg whites
- 2-3 ounce (60-90 g) soy or bean burger patty (size of the palm)
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Dairy (Aim to have 2-3 low fat or fat-free servings per day)
1 serving:
- 1 cup (240 ml) low fat milk or low fat powdered milk (or 3 tablespoon powdered milk
- 1 cup fortified soy milk
- 1 cup low fat laban
- ½ cup low fat evaporated milk
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- 30g hard low fat cheese (size of your thumb)
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 2 medium size eggs or 3 medium size egg whites
- 150g of low fat greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons of low fat labneh or low fat cream cheese
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