Healthy meals start with planning

Healthy meals start with planning

Your healthy meal plan is ready. Grocery shopping is done for nutritious food. But when you’re ready to fill your plate, how much is too much?

A healthy eating plan includes knowing how much food your body needs. And then eating that amount, no more and no less. Two measurements can help you do this: serving size and portion size.

Serving size

A serving is the amount of food or drink that people usually take in. You will see the serving size on the nutrition labels of your packaged food. The label also tells you things like how many calories or grams of fat are in that serving of food.

Fresh food, such as broccoli or meat, also has a serving size. Of course, fresh foods may not have labels, but you can often find out the serving size for these items on the internet.

Portion size

A portion is the amount of food you choose to put on your plate or in your cup. For example, a serving size of broccoli is 1 cup. You can dish out a portion of more than 1 cup.

The best portion size for you depends on how many calories and nutrients you need. You can figure out how many calories your body needs based on your weight and activity. Or you can start by measuring portions and tracking food intake to get an idea of ​​a baseline calorie intake.

With portion sizes in mind, you can rethink your plate to meet your specific calorie needs.

Here are some examples of how portion sizes can help you build a healthy plate at every meal.

Variety, the spice of dinner

On the left, there is an image of a restaurant meal of steak and starch. The food fills the plate, and many people feel they are getting their money’s worth. But that meal is 1,500 calories and all of them from two food groups.

On the right is an image of a steak dinner with more variety. The steak and starch portions are closer to one serving each. The steak only takes up a quarter of the plate. And the same with the brown rice. Vegetables fill the rest of the plate. Even after adding fruit, salad and skimmed milk, the entire meal is around 700 calories.

Lunch with some crunch

On the left, you see a typical restaurant burrito with side sauces. That meal has more than 1,000 calories. It is short on vegetables and fruit. And it is high in fat.

The photo on the right shows a regular sized burrito made with grilled chicken, fresh veggies and a whole wheat tortilla. Fresh salsa and avocado slices replace the bulk of guacamole and sour cream, complementing the serving of vegetables. You’ll get all that for less than 750 calories. If you remove the rice, it is less than 500 calories.

Bright breakfast

Eggs, sausage and white toast are staples on many dinner menus. But that’s a meal of no note. Although strong on protein, the typical dinner breakfast leaves little room for fruit, vegetables or whole grains. It also adds up. The meal on the left has about 700 calories.

The breakfast pictured to the right is only about 400 calories. It is also a great illustration of the plate method. Half the plate is fruit, a quarter is protein and the other quarter is whole grains.

Planning plates

It all comes back to the plate. Every meal is an opportunity to give your body a wide range of nutrients. And eating a healthy variety of food, over time and in the right amount for you, is one step towards living disease-free.

To help at mealtimes, various organizations have created models for how people would choose to fill their plates. In the United States, a general template calls for half the plate to be fruits and vegetables, and the other half to be protein and grains.

The layout of your plate will depend on how many calories you eat, your age, and physical characteristics such as height, weight and sex. It also depends on how active you are and if you are managing health issues. For example, people managing diabetes might have a model plate that focuses on vegetables and recommends water instead of milk.

Fill your plate

To get the most out of your body, fill your plate with foods that are rich in nutrients. Go for less processed grains. Choose a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. Fill a quarter of your plate with healthy protein. This could include beans, soy, seafood, and chicken or turkey without the skin. Or choose lean cuts of beef or pork and dairy, including yogurt, milk or cottage cheese.