The Healthy Plate for Portion Control

It is a fact that portion control is key to weight loss and healthy living. Eating the right amounts of food at the right times keeps the body’s metabolism burning constantly, which keeps the calories burned off. The problem is that people live in a society where excess and “supersized” portions are the norm. How in the world would a person control his or her portions, beyond having massive willpower?

Enter the healthy plate.

With the healthy plate, a person can be trained to eat the right foods in the right amounts. This, in turn, will affect their lives in a positive way.

The first step in creating the healthy plate is to take a regular plate (either the smaller lunch sized plate or the full size dinner plate) and visually divide it into half. One half of the plate is for the vegetables that will be consumed. For optimum health, a person should consume at least 5 servings of fruits or vegetables on a daily basis. Fresh and/or cooked vegetables can freely be placed on this half of the plate. Some suggestions include boiled asparagus, cooked carrots, raw or cooked broccoli, mixed greens for salad, pureed cauliflower, spicy collard greens, or marinated cucumbers. This is the side of the plate that can be full of color – and more color variety means more health!

The next step is to take the remaining half of the plate and divide it in half. Use one of the two quarters for the protein source. Protein will help the body build muscle and help increase the feeling of fullness. A person needs 10 – 20 percent of their daily intake to be protein. The most important thing to remember when choosing a protein is to ensure that the protein is a quality source – one that is not fried, drenched in creamy sauces, or dripping with fat. Think lean cuts of meat such as the tenderloin and the round, chicken breast, tofu, legumes, or seafood.

Use the other quarter of the plate for a healthy carbohydrate. Even though there are those who believe in the power of low carb diets for weight loss, a person needs healthy complex carbohydrates in the diet for sustained energy and for fiber. It does someone a great disservice to remove an entire food type from the diet, especially one that adds necessary vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Delicious healthy carbohydrates to add to this quarter of the plate include brown rice, whole wheat pasta, baked sweet potato, corn, and barley.

Each person should strive daily to make his or her meals the healthiest that they can be. The healthy plate option is an excellent method to follow when creating or ordering the next meal to ensure that health continues to flow.

Sources:

* Osterweil, Neil. The Benefits of Protein. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/benefits-protein

* Mayo Clinic Staff. Whole grains: Hearty Options for a Healthy Diet. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whole-grains/NU00204/METHOD=print

* http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/benefits/index.html