Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday – Joy Bauer Fights Supersize Portions!

NBC is celebrating its third annual Healthy Week. The network is dedicated to spreading the word on all things health & wellness.

After all, 35 percent of American adults are considered to be obese and that’s a number that needs to go down! Or, as predicated by 2030, more than half of Americans could be obese.

As part of NBC’s call to action, nutrition expert and “Today” show contributor Joy Bauer took part in “Healthy Week’s Small Plate Movement.” An enormous dining table complete with massive plates was set up in New York’s Union Square park to highlight America’s need to downsize their meals.

“In the last 50 years, our plate size has increased about 36 percent and it continues to grow. Our waistline is growing as well, so this whole movement is about down-scaling your plate,” Joy tells Healthy Hollywood.

For instance, if you switch from a 12” plate to a 10” plate, you will eat over 20 percent less food at mealtime. In other words, this simple plate makeover could equal a weight loss of close to 20 pounds in a year’s time.

“At home we’re serving bigger portions, so now we’re expecting bigger portions and plates have grown bigger, so we need a reality check and start to downscale our plates and our portions,” adds Joy.

Say goodbye to the super-sized meal plan! America’s obesity epidemic clearly shows ‘bigger is not better.’ Joy tells Healthy Hollywood the simplest weight loss tip is for people to simply buy smaller plates.

As for how much to eat of each food group, Joy says the recipe is simple, adding, “Here’s the easiest thing to know – vegetables unlimited. You can never eat too many vegetables so pile them on. When it comes to protein (meat, fish and chicken) a serving size should be no bigger than your palm to your extended hand.”

In terms of a side starch, such as potatoes, rice or pasta, Joy says a tennis ball size serving is perfect.

Healthy Hollywood recently spent an afternoon with Joy at her home chatting about healthy snacks. Joy says it’s important to have a protein-packed snack in the afternoon to avoid a midday energy crash. I got to sample a number of her yummy go-to treats, but my favorite was her green tea smoothie. The combo of caffeine from the tea and protein from the yogurt keeps you alert and focused. Plus, it’s less than 200 calories.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients —

1 green tea bag

1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

1 cup frozen mango chunks

3-5 ice cubes

Brew the tea bag in 4 ounces hot water for 3-5 minutes; remove tea bag and cool to room temp.

Blend tea, yogurt, mango and ice until smooth.

For recipes/tips from Joy, check out www.joybauer.com and for more on NBC’s Healthy week, including healthy tips from the network’s stars, head over to www.facebook.com/healthyatnbcu.

— Terri MacLeod