My Plate Concept- Healthy Eating Made Easy

My Plate is a quick guide for you to adapt to a healthy eating style and build it in your lifestyle because everything you eat and drink matters. The right combinations, portions, and quantities can help you stay healthy in many ways. It was designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

My Plate is divided into various colourful sections and each section denotes food groups like vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, dairy and focus on eating a combination and correct amalgamation of foods to get the optimum health.

A healthy eating style is all you need
My plate is a perfect guide to strategize and serve a combination of healthy food items from diverse food groups to make the overall meal wholesome and nutritious. My plate put the limelight on the easiest dietary guidelines to keep the overall health in fine fettle.

My plate sections

• Green = Veggies

The green section in my plate signifies ‘the vegetables’! This is one of the largest sections in my plate as veggies are the zest of a healthy body. Veggies are filled with essential nutrients and are extremely rich in fibre and low in calories that can make your meals nourishing while boosting your overall health. Here is a list of veggies that comes under this section

• Dark leafy greens including broccoli, spinach, and kale
• Orange and red vegetables including squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes
• Beans and peas such as kidney beans, lentils and pulses
• More vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes and other fresh veggies can be a part of this group
• Red= fruits

A balanced diet is vegetables in one hand and fruits in another! Fruits are an extremely vital part to make your diet well-proportioned. Fruits are rich in heart-healthy nutrients and filling your plate with the right proportions of fruits can lower down the possibilities of health complications while fuelling up your energy levels. Make sure to fill half of the plate with fruits and vegetables to maintain ideal health.

• Orange= grains

Choose whole grains and avoid refined grains, since whole grains are much better for health. In the body, refined grains like all-purpose flour and packaged cereals act just like sugar. Over time, eating too much of these refined-grain foods can make it harder to control weight and can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Whole grains provide more nutrients, like fibre, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains. Choose whole wheat, unpolished rice, bajra, ragi, jowar, quinoa, couscous, barley, buckwheat, and other millets in place of refined grains.

• Purple= Protein-rich foods

A diet with a variety of protein sources gives your body a broader range of the valuable amino acids (structural units of protein) it needs. Choose fish, eggs, beans or nuts, lentils, legumes, soy as protein sources. Avoid red meat and processed meat. Protein helps in muscle building, muscle development, gives you strong hair and healthy skin along with keeping you fuller for longer.

• Blue= Dairy

The dairy group includes milk, yogurt, and cheese. You should include fat-free, single, or double-toned or skimmed dairy to your diet. This group provides your variety of nutrients including- calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein, and more! Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, processed cream, and butter, are not part of the dairy group. If you are lactose intolerant or avoid milk (vegan or some other reason), switch to alternate sources like nut milk, soy milk, or include ragi, sesame seeds in your diet for calcium.

Words of wisdom that you should abide by

• Go Real with Food- Ditch packaged, processed foods for real, local produce like fruits and vegetables.
• Amp up the Fibre- Fibre-rich diet is a rescue to many health problems including digestion issues and high cholesterol. Eat at least 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day.
• Portion Control – Controlling your portions is a great way to enjoy a variety of meals including your favourite ones. Just be aware of the quantities and keep it to a minimum.

Footnote
My Plate focuses on giving way to an improved and nutritious eating style by combining various food groups to make your meals wholesome and nourishing and to keep the health hazards at bay.