portion size -- milk? fruit? starch?

[MEB]

I have just started core and confused on portion sizes. I'm over 50, so sld have 3 servings of milk a day -- is that 24oz? seems an awful lot.

An apple, a banana, an orange, a grapefruit, a tangerine -- are these all 1 serving?

thanks for the help

[ema2two]

Yes, you should have 24 oz of FF milk or Yogurt or soy milk a day.

It may seem like a lot, but I have found I got used to it quickly. You can aim for two servings a day for awhile and work yourself up to it. Just remember that milk can be filling, so substitute the additional milk for something less nutritious that you would have eaten in the past, rather than continuing to eat all that you have been PLUS the additional milk.

For Fruits and veggies, most are 1/2 cup for a serving, or a medium whole fruit. Bananas are an exception and 1/2 banana counts as a fruit serving. Grapefruits may also be 1/2 of a grapefruit as a fruit, since they are large fruits, but I'm not 100% sure of that. Berries are 1 cup for a serving.

Serving size is an issue in terms of the nutritional composition of your food intake on core, and easy to lose sight of when you're not also using serving size as a portion control tool and weighing and measuring like on flex, at least that was what I found when I switched. I find it hard to meet the 8 guidelines for healthy eating without keeping track on paper (or on line), though journaling is totally optional for Core Plan.

[pookie]

You can have the milk in many forms, for instance cook your oatmeal in milk instead of water and have some sf/ff pudding made with milk. Also count the milk you have in your coffee/tea and of course the milk you have in your cereal

[HippoMommy]

A great way to get in a serving of milk is to cook some tomato soup (such as Campbell's) using nf milk instead of water. Or cook your oatmeal or other hot cereal in it. I have a 16 oz latte each day, made with nf milk. That's another great use of your milk.

[ema2two]

I love couscous made with Evaporated FF milk for breakfast with diced apple, or banana or pear in it! Quick and easy in the microwave.

I also love fruit smoothies in warm weather--milk and/or yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit in the blender. Add sweetener if the fruit needs it, or some extracts to jazz up the flavors, though sometimes fruit and milk is just the right taste!