Tips For Healthier Eating

What's On Your Plate? A Healthier Eating Guide

There has been much debate over the validity and usefulness of the new food guideline called MyPlate. Developed to replace, or at least augment, MyPyramid, MyPlate continues the personal approach (My), but dialed the complexity back several notches. This was intended to provide a more easily understood diagram, especially targeting children. With the simple diagram of a plate and cup divided between five food groups, children could take part in their own healthy eating patterns.

As simple concepts go, this is great. But, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Where are the oils? What kind of grains should you eat? Are any proteins a good choice? Is milk necessary at every meal?

By just putting a little more thought into the MyPlate graphic, we can come up with a more detailed nutritional guide. Let's take a look at the divided plate and see how we can improve it.

Vegetables

Divide your plate in half, and fill most of that half with very colorful vegetables. Bright colors equal nutrient rich foods. Do not include white potatoes in this portion of your plate, unless it's a small amount. Better yet, make those potatoes sweet potatoes. Remember, it's about the color.

Fruits

Fill the rest of that half of your plate with brightly colored fruits and berries. You want to choose a wide variety of colors in order to receive lots of nutrients. Bananas and apples are good, but they are not colorful. Branch out beyond these familiar fruits and explore all the colors you can find. Remember, frozen fruit and berries are a healthy option.

Whole Grains

You'll notice we changed the name from the MyPlate group called 'grains.' We want grains to be whole and as unrefined as possible. Limit refined grains (like white bread or white rice) to a bare minimum. An occasional cupcake is fine, but on a daily basis, keep your cereals, breads, pasta, and rice brown and whole for optimum nutrition. Whole grains should make up one-quarter of your plate.

Healthy Protein

Again, you'll notice a name change. The food group 'protein' is way too general. We want you to strictly limit your red meat and processed meats such as bacon and cold cuts. This one-quarter of your plate should be filled most often with fish, poultry, beans, and nuts. Occasionally lean meat can be served, but only occasionally.

Water

Yes, we've done it again. That glass of milk has been changed to water. It is not that milk should be totally avoided. However, one or two servings of dairy is sufficient, while water should be on the table at every meal. You will also want to have one glass of juice per day, but should avoid sugary drinks, including sugary fruit juices.

Healthy Oils

We have actually added a 'food group' to our plate. Now we have a little bottle of oil on the table. This signifies 'healthy oils' that should be included in our diet. Olive oil, canola oil, and other plant oils for cooking or salads is a good choice. Oils like butter should be limited, and saturated fats should be eliminated.

Stay Active

Many of the earlier food group guidelines added exercise, or staying active, as an important part of healthy living. Eating healthy is only part of the equation. Staying active, having a fitness routine, or just moving around, completes a well-rounded nutrition program, and that is why we added staying active back into our guideline.

MyPlate is a good tool to get kids and adults thinking about how their meal should look. But, it doesn't go far enough. Each individual should design their own plate with more specific, healthier choices laid out in more detail. You can call it My Own Plate, or My Own Pyramid, or whatever you choose. No matter what you call it, just start making healthier choices now to live a healthier life forever!