What is a Healthy Plate?

Most people think they need to be told in order to have success with losing weight, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood pressure, or whatever clinical outcome they hope to achieve.

Yet, when health care providers comply by handing out just such a specific diet plan dictating EXACTLY what, when, and how much to eat—the joy is only momentary. Within days, most people find that such a restrictive diet cannot be continued.

How do you watch others enjoying fabulous foods at a party while you bring forth your baggie of veggie sticks and a boiled egg? How do you prepare your family’s favorite spaghetti dinner while you sit back and cheerfully dine on a turkey patty, ¼ cup of cottage cheese, and half of a canned peach? (I would be fighting back the tears…)

The solution? Teach yourself to use your plate as the basis to change your food choices and your life.

Step 1:

Mentally divide your plate down the center. Now divide the right half into two smaller sections.

Step 2:

At meals, fill the large half with vegetables and perhaps some fresh fruit. The vegetables can be raw, like a salad, cooked, or both. Pile on as large a serving as you desire. Remember: NO ONE IS WALKING AROUND THIS EARTH, REALLY FAT, BECAUSE THEY CANNOT CONTROL THEIR INTAKE OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Our fruit and vegetable intake is just NOT the problem.

Another bonus is eating fresh fruit and vegetables may help LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE. Furthermore, fruit and vegetables contain NO CHOLESTEROL.

Step 3:

Serve yourself a “palm-sized” portion of protein—perhaps a grilled chicken breast, some lean roasted beef, or a vegetarian protein entrée such as curried lentils or black bean chilli.

Step 4:

This is the challenging part. Using your fist as a measurement guide, serve yourself at most a fist-sized portion of rice, pasta, corn, potatoes, bread roll, or whatever starchy food that suits your mood. Your plate should look like this:

That’s it! You now have the power to select healthy meals whether you are on your lunch break at work, out with friends or home with family.