A Balanced Plate
A helpful meal planning tool is called “Create Your Plate.” This is an easy way to control portion sizes and limit starchy foods. Follow these seven steps to create your plate:
- Using your dinner plate, put a line in the middle of the plate. Then on one side, cut it again so that you will have three sections on your plate.
- Fill the largest section with colorful non-starchy vegetables.
- Spinach, carrots, bok choy, lettuce, greens, cabbage
- Tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans
- Mushrooms, peppers, turnips
- Cucumber, beets, okra, onion
- In one of the small sections, put grains and starchy foods.
- Whole grain bread such as whole wheat or rye
- Whole grain, high fiber cereal
- Cooked cereal such as oatmeal, grits, hominy, or cream of wheat
- Rice, pasta, dal, quinoa, tortillas
- Cooked starchy beans and peas
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, green peas, lima beans, winter squash, corn
- Crackers, snack chips, pretzels, popcorn
- In the other small section, put your protein rich food.
- Chicken or turkey
- Fish such as salmon, tuna, and cod
- Other seafoods such as shrimp, clams, oysters, crab, mussels
- Lean cuts of beef
- Tofu, eggs, cheese
- Add a serving of fruit, a serving of dairy or both if your meal plan allows.
- Choose fats in healthy amounts.
- To complete your meal, add a low calorie drink like water, unsweetened tea or coffee.
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