I read in the book "Mindless Eating" about the Idaho plate method in which you split your dinner plate in half and fill that half with non-starchy veggies, the other half of the plate, you cut in half and can have your protein on one side and your starch on the other side. So, you have half a plate of veggies, one quarter of your plate meat and one quarter starch. I try to follow that way with my family. I feel it's a really good balanced way to eat. My only problem is finding veggies that my kids will eat. You can only have green beans so many times a week!! (that's about all they like). They have a website
www.platemethod.com. You can request a complimentary copy of the guide without having to purchase the placemat. I was going to get a placemat, but the shipping was way too much for what it was, I thought.
Also, the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink is a very good read. It's not a diet book, but is about the psychology of why we eat like we do. He's a professor at Cornell Univ. and does all kinds of interesting studies.
Best Wishes, Donna