We strongly believe that by now most readers already know that there is no such thing as healthy or unhealthy food, but that we can only talk about proper and improper nutrition. One of the key points, when we talk about this, is the consumption of various (groups of) foods in appropriate quantities, which in turn results in satisfying nutritional and energy needs.
Many people have the perception that monitoring food intake is complicated and tiring, that it requires a constant weighing of food at every meal, etc. – but it doesn’t have to be that way! If you are a professional (competitive) bodybuilder you will indeed have to weigh your groceries and count your calories. Counting macronutrients is useful for making sure you not only gain, but don’t lose muscle mass you work so hard to put on in the gym. However, if you are not that serious about your weight or fitness goals you really don’t have to count calories in a such precise manner. There’s a way of measuring food portions using just your fingers, thumbs, and palm. In this article, we’ll teach all regular gym-goers how to count macros in a simpler and less demanding way.
How to use your palm to estimate and track intake?
We have also been using the method that we will describe in the article successfully with our clients for more than two years now. We took it from Precision Nutrition, the most respected nutrition coaching and education company in the world. The graphics you will see in this article are from their materials which are publicly available and free to use. Let’s go straight to the first one to get an idea of what it’s all about:
Your palm = a serving of protein.
Your fist = a serving of veg.
Your cupped hand = a serving of carbohydrates.
Your thumb = a serving of fat.
All you need is your hand only! Here it is shown which part of the palm, i.e. the hand, corresponds to the portion of a certain group of foods, and further down in the text, we will touch on some specific figures. Using your palm to measure portions is a good approach for most people who don’t need very specific amounts of food or macronutrients. Here are some of the advantages of using this method:
- The palms are portable. They go with you to business lunches, restaurants, social gatherings, etc.
- Your palm is always the same size, so it’s a consistent measure.
- Palms are proportional to the size of the individual. Bigger people need more food, and generally, have bigger palms, so they get bigger portions. Smaller people need less food, and generally have smaller palms, so they get smaller portions.
- Determining portions using the size of your palm can help you track food choices, nutrients, and total energy in a quick and easy way. That way, you don’t need to strictly weigh food, which is not really necessary for most people, especially after a period of getting used to it.
PRO TIP! Don’t go physically putting your food in your hands to measure (especially during this pandemic)! Use the image above as a guide to eyeball your food choices.
How many individual macronutrients and calories do these portions have?
In the following tables, we list some approximate figures, separately for men and for women. These are all average and approximate values, but we repeat that they are accurate enough to be useful in most cases.
For men
1 palm of protein is approximate:
~ 24 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 4.5 g fat, 145 kcal
1 fist of vegetables is approximately:
~ 1.5 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat, 25 kcal
1 cupped hand of carbs is approximate:
~ 3 g of protein, 25 g of carbohydrates, 1 g of fat, 120 kcal
1 thumb of fat is approximate:
~ 2 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat, 100 kcal
For women
1 palm of protein is approximate:
~ 22 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 130 kcal
1 fist of vegetables is approximately:
~ 1.5 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat, 25 kcal
1 cupped hand of carbs is approximate:
~ 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, 110 kcal
1 thumb of fat is approximate:
~ 2 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 90 kcal
An example of such a menu for a male person who needs to consume about 2500 kcal and about 165 grams of protein could be:
- 5 palms of protein-rich food
- 6 fists of low-starch vegetables
- 8 cupped hands of food rich in carbohydrates
- 7 thumbs of food rich in fat
And here is an example of such a menu for a female person who needs to consume about 1900 kcal and about 125 grams of protein:
- 4 palms of protein-rich food
- 6 fists of low-starch vegetables
- 6 cupped hands of food rich in carbohydrates
- 6 thumbs of food rich in fat
How to connect it all and start using it in practice?
We can use the following template as a simple and flexible meal-planning framework. In general, we can try to eat for each meal:
- 1-2 palms of protein-rich food (beef, fish, chicken, turkey, shrimp, eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, beans, lentils, legumes, edamame…);
- 1-2 fists of low-starch vegetables (asparagus, bean sprouts, beets, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, pea pods, leeks…);
- 1-2 cupped hands of food rich in carbohydrates – mostly complex carbs (whole grains, brown or wild rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, old-fashioned oats, beans, lentils, peas, sweet potatoes…);
- 1-2 thumbs of high-fat food (avocado, cheese, nuts, extra virgin olive oils…);
Now we’ll share infographics from Precision Nutrition of what it looks like on a plate for one serving of each. The serving of thermally processed proteins corresponds to the surface and thickness of the palm. A serving of vegetables corresponds to the total volume of a handful. We have also seen that a serving of carbohydrates corresponds to the amount of cooked sources of carbohydrates that could be grabbed with one hand. Finally, a serving of fat roughly corresponds to the length, width, and thickness of a thumb.
That plate will look a little different to everyone, depending on the number of servings of a particular food group, but this representation is still useful to give a general picture.
Summing up
How to measure your food correctly? There are multiple ways to help you track your intake and consistently eat right for your goals and needs. You can track your calories, count your macronutrients, or simply use your hands to measure your portions (as explained in this article). You will still get the right portions for your goals. Therefore, this system is much easier than counting calories and nearly as accurate.
We want to emphasize once again that with this method we measure food in the form in which we eat it. This determination of portions using the size of the palm refers to the estimation of the amount of food when we put it on the plate and go to consume it. This means that meat or pasta, for example, are thermally processed foods, while fruit or nuts are measured and eaten raw.
Using this method is a great start to getting on track! Let us know in the comments if this is something you would try!
