An Australian nutritionist has shared a helpful guide to portion control and revealed the ingredients you need to make a well-balanced salad and school lunchbox.
Mother Rebecca Gawthorne, 31, uploaded a photo of her salmon with rice and assorted vegetable dinner to social media and said vegetables should make up half the plate, followed by 1/4 of carbs, 1/4 of protein and few healthy fats (nuts) on top.
‘Do you struggle with portion control? I used to! I would either serve myself too much food and eat until I felt absolutely stuffed; or I wouldn’t serve myself enough food and then go back for seconds, thirds or tenths,’ the Sydney-based practitioner said.
Scroll down for video
An Australian nutritionist has shared a helpful guide to teach people how to portion their meals on a plate (Rebecca Gawthorne pictured)
Mother Rebecca Gawthorne, 31, uploaded a photo of her delicious salmon with rice and assorted vegetable dinner to social media (pictured)
‘I would also eat straight out of the packet or jar, which meant I would mindlessly eat multiple servings, instead of plating up one serving and putting the packet away.’
Rebecca doesn’t define her food habits with a label but does prefer to eat predominantly ‘plant-based’, focusing on organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, with a small amount of animal protein on the side.
For those wanting to perfect a balanced plant-based salad Rebecca suggested working in layers to ensure it’s a filling and health-conscious meal.
Rebecca doesn’t define her food habits with a label but does prefer to eat predominantly ‘plant-based’, focusing on organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, with a small amount of animal protein on the side
Rebecca frequently shares photos of the meals she prepares to inspire others to look more closely at the food they are eating (her fridge pictured)
‘Salads are such a healthy meal option and a great way to boost your plant intake for the day. But often I see people missing the key components of a salad like the slow burning carbs and protein that make them extra filling,’ she said.
She starts with coloured vegetables like spinach, cucumber and pumpkin and pairs them with high fibre carbohydrates like chia seeds, sweet potato and red kidney beans.
This is then mixed in with a plant protein like falafel, tofu and beans, before adding healthy fats like avocado, almonds and pumpkin seeds.
For those wanting to perfect a balanced plant-based salad Rebecca suggested working in layers to ensure it’s a filling and health-conscious meal (pictured)
Finally, for flavour and depth, Rebecca tops her salad with either lime, hummus, garlic or green herbs.
In a separate post the practicing nutritionist spoke about portion control in relation to children’s lunchboxes, and what kind of snacks we should be packing for our kids.
‘Giving your kids healthy and varied lunches that they will enjoy can be extremely challenging. Optimising kids’ health through nutrition is essential,’ she said.
‘Children need adequate nutrition not only for healthy growth and development, but to maximise learning, energy, and concentration. Over six hours of thinking, running around and creating can be draining for little ones, so it is important that during breaks, children refuel with healthy and nutritious food.’
There should be six separate additives to your child’s lunchbox daily, but what they are can change daily.
In a separate post the practicing nutritionist spoke about portion control in relation to children’s lunchboxes, and what kind of snacks we should be packing for our kids (pictured)
There should be six separate additives to your child’s lunchbox daily, but what they are can change daily
In the vegetables, legumes and beans section you can cut up carrot and cucumber to dip into hummus, which will provide an abundance of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and phytonutrients to ensure their immunity is maintained.
A tuna pasta salad includes carbohydrates and protein to help children grow and stay concentrated on their studies.
Aim to include grains, like Rebecca did in the form of apricot and coconut balls, to sustain energy throughout the day and increase dietary fibre intake.
‘Limit intakes of refined grain products (i.e. cakes, cookies, biscuits) as they are usually high in saturated fats, sodium and sugar,’ she cautioned.
Fruit, like cut up strawberries, is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, and inclusion of a natural yoghurt is a source of protein and calcium.