Small plate trick?

Fuhgiddaboudit. I need a BIG plate when it comes to staying slim.

The headline you just read is not an error. I mean big plate, big time ;-). I never took to the “small plate” trick.

I’d just go back for seconds.

Sound counter intuitive? I can explain. I’ve even got pictures to prove it.

Obviously, whoever invented the “small plate trick” doesn’t eat the volume of high quality, nutrient-dense food that I do.

Let your appetite be your guide

I mean mountains of colorful veggies, big chunks of fruit, steamy potatoes,  whole grains and legumes in piles. And a flavorful dash of nuts, seeds, and condiments.

This allows me to eat highly satisfying quantities of all kinds of goodies.

Edibles that fill my belly, satisfy appetite, and just plain make my body systems work better.

I’ve already shown you a food diary for a couple of days in my (Food) Diary of a (Totally) Sane Fit Coach: A day-in-the-life of my eats. That particular post has gotten a lot of attention – I mean, who doesn’t like to look at all of that colorful food – not to mention eat it?!

So I figure, while I have your attention, I can elaborate upon why this way of eating serves me so well when it comes to staying trim.  Without going hungry.

Let’s Start With My Breakfast

This satisfying display – I took the snapshot of my bowl (see above) before diving in – is a heap of old fashioned rolled oats with raisins, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, walnuts, and a sprinkle of grainy sugar with a splash of almond milk.

This was a true “grand slam” breakfast with all the macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) along with a powerful dose of the phytonutrients and color: vitamins and minerals. And it has probably just about 450 calories, give or take, including my morning java.

And as it is SO full of fiber (another essential phytonutrient!), it was very satisfying, and lasting.  Not to mention a boatload of fun to eat.

I hope this inspires you to make your breakfasts more deliciously fun!

How about lunch? I kept the camera on the kitchen counter so you wouldn’t miss out.

My Big Plate Lunch

It takes a little bit of chopping but is SO worth the effort when it comes out as delicious, satisfying, and filling as this!

My lunch sounds simple:  salad and sandwich.  But I’ve got no fewer than 10  veggies and fruits involved here.  Carrots, cabbage, apples, broccoli slaw, jicama, cilantro, celery, purple onion, avocado, edamame…hope I didn’t leave anyone out!

Oh, and there are garbanzo beans in there as well.  And some sunflower seeds sprinkled on top.

And we never got around to the oranges.  Too full.

When you eat like this, you can ease up on worrying about the calories.  The content takes care of this for you.

With so much fiber, high water content, and satisfying quantity and quality, you can focus on nutritional density and less on caloric density.  The calorie count of this entire meal is somewhere between 500 and 600 calories.

Oh, and dinner? Well, we needed TWO plates each.  The pile of salad greens just wouldn’t fit on the plate with the steamed veggies and brown jasmine with wild rice and barbecued tofu.

There you have it!  The details of the big plate trick.

All I need now is a blog you can scratch and sniff!