Serving Size

Here’s an important thing that everyone should either be aware of, or keep in check. . .

Serving size.  I often tell people that, while carb cycling, I’ll eat scoops of peanut butter straight out of the jar, but what determines a “scoop”?

Obviously, the leveled off Tablespoon is the proper “scoop” as this keeps your measurement accurate so you know for a fact you’re having half of a serving of Peanut Butter.  (A serving is typically 2 Tablespoons.)

So why is this important?  How many calories are in the larger, unmeasured scoop?  If you were tracking your calories, how would you track that?  2 Tablespoons?  3 Tablespoons?

This is why it’s incredibly important to properly measure things out before you eat them–  Especially high calorie foods like peanut butter.  If you underestimate the spinach you’re putting in your smoothie, that’s fine. . .   That’s a difference of up to 20 calories if you don’t level it off.  However, not leveling off a scoop of peanut butter could add anywhere from 30 to 200+  extra calories.

Measuring your food may seem daunting at first, but once you settle into a rhythm, you’ll find it’s quick, easy, and helps you reach your goals a lot faster!