The exercise physiologist behind the viral 7-minute workout shares the trick he uses to eat the perfect portions

You could say Chris Jordan eats with his hands.

As the director of exercise physiology at the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute and the person behind the popular 7-Minute Workout, Jordan is known for his health and nutrition prowess.

One aspect of eating right, Jordan says, is eating the right amount. To make sure he’s not overindulging, Jordan eyeballs his food using his fists as a measuring hack.

In other words, while he still uses a knife and fork to feed himself, Jordan aims to eat about “3-5 handfuls of food” at each meal, he says.

Jordan suggests sizing up your plate “using your own hand as a guide.” The breakdown should looks something like this:

Protein – 1 handful Fruits and vegetables – 1-2 handfuls Whole grains – 1-2 handfuls

By those guidelines, here’s what a serving of rice might look like:

Knowing how difficult nutritional advice can be to follow, I decided to try Jordan’s advice out at dinner.

I made oven-baked potato wedges (which I figured could count towards my “whole grains” category), baked fish (my protein), and minty green beans (my vegetables).

On my plate, you can see I have about a fist-and-a-half of potatoes, a fist of greens (I later helped myself to another serving, bringing my total to 2 fistfuls of veggies), and a fist-and-a-half of fish.

That all added up to about 5 handfuls of food, right in line with Jordan’s advice. The tip proved to be a simple way to make sure I had a fairly balanced meal.