Appropriate Amounts

“All things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man. … And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess.”

—Doctrine and Covenants 59:18, 20

Eating Intuitively

Your body knows when and how much you should eat. It gives you signals to communicate what you currently need, such as a growling stomach when you need to eat or a full stomach when you have eaten enough. Learning how to listen to these signals can help you eat appropriately.

You should eat when you are hungry. Don’t ignore signals from your body and wait until it gets too late, as you might start to feel dizzy, lightheaded, or irritable (see hunger scale below). Putting off eating can also sometimes result in overeating later.

Try This

Pack healthy snacks to take with you on the go, especially if you are going to be away from your apartment for a long time.

Your body also sends you signals so you know when to stop eating. Eat slowly and pause periodically to assess your fullness. It can take up to 20 minutes for your body to send the appropriate fullness signals. Stopping eating when satisfied can help you to get the energy you need without feeling stuffed or uncomfortably full (see hunger scale below).

Try This

To help you slow down and be more mindful when eating, focus more on the food currently in your mouth rather than on the next bite. Pay attention to the flavors and textures. This simple tip will allow you to more fully enjoy your food and will make it easier to sense when you have eaten an appropriate amount.

Ideally, you should eat when you approach a level 3 or 2 on the hunger side of the scale. You should stop eating when you approach a level 7 or 8 on the satiety side of the scale.

Sometimes we may confuse hunger with stress, boredom, or other emotions. Learning how to listen to your body’s true hunger signals may take time and practice. (See miscellaneous section for tips on emotional eating.)

Portion Sizes

In addition to knowing when to eat and stop eating, it’s important to know how much of each type of food you should be eating. Ideally, each meal would consist of four main categories: vegetables, a carbohydrate, a protein, and a little bit of healthy fat.

The following method is a simple way to measure portion sizes that are tailored to your body. This can help guide you in planning out balanced meals.

Vegetables	Make a fist. Aim to have a portion of vegetables the size of your fist in most meals. It doesn’t matter what the vegetable is or whether it is fresh, frozen, roasted, steamed, grilled, or canned—it all counts! Vegetables are packed with nutrients.
Carbohydrates	Cup your hand. The amount you can comfortably hold in your cupped hand is how many carbohydrates you should ideally have with each meal. The best carbohydrates come from fruits, whole grains, starchy vegetables such as potatoes, and other grains. Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy and are essential in a healthy diet.
Protein	Look at your palm. Aim to have this much protein in every meal. This protein could come from meat, fish, eggs, beans or other legumes, nuts, tofu, dairy, seeds, or other protein-rich foods. The Word of Wisdom counsels us to eat meat sparingly (see Doctrine and Covenants 89:12).
Fats	Give a thumbs-up. Have a thumb-sized portion of healthy fats in every meal. These fats ideally come from sources like olive oil and other vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, butter, and nut butters.

Your hand is scaled to your individual body and provides the proper portion size you uniquely need.

Most missionaries will need between four to six portions of each group per day. Try to get one portion of each for most of your meals. If one meal doesn’t contain all the food groups, don’t worry. If you get close to those amounts throughout the day, you will be fine.

Depending on your unique needs and circumstances, you may need to adjust your portions. For example, men generally need more calories and nutrients than women. Young missionaries will generally need more than senior missionaries.

If you are walking or biking for extended periods of time each day, you may need more food than you are used to. If you are mostly sitting in an office or doing online proselytizing, you may need less.

If you are unintentionally losing too much weight, consider slightly increasing the number of portions you eat in a day to ensure you maintain a healthy weight and sufficient energy levels.

If you are consistently gaining excess weight, consider slightly reducing portions to help maintain a healthy weight.

Do not drastically increase or reduce your food portions for unhealthy and extreme body goals. Remember, your focus as a missionary is to serve the Lord and your fellow men and women. Listen to your body, and eat the appropriate amount that helps you maintain optimal energy levels and mental and physical condition so you can serve at your best.

Plate Method

One other simple method that can help guide you in knowing what and how much to eat is the plate method.

With this method, you will mentally draw a line down the middle of a plate. You will want to fill one half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. With that same half, you will mentally draw another line to separate it into slightly imbalanced sections. Fruit should fill the smaller section and vegetables should fill the larger section.

For the other half of your plate, mentally draw a line across the middle to split it into two equal parts (quarters of the plate). You will want to fill one of the quarters with protein and the other with grains.

Refer to the following image as a simple reference:

This is a simple way to make sure you are getting in the optimal amount of food and nutrients to feel energized and help you serve effectively.

Where is the fat?

Learning to identify what part of your meal is fat can be difficult, since you can’t always see it. When you cook with oil or butter, you’re adding fat to your meal. Meat and fish, depending on the cut, can also contain a fair amount of fat. Avocado and nuts are more visible sources of fat.

Important Note:

When eating with members, you might not have all these food categories provided at a meal. That is OK. You don’t need all categories for a healthy meal. Simply make good choices with what is provided. Be sure to express gratitude for the members’ generosity in providing food for you and your companion.