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S06

Making Healthy Food Choices With a Healthy Plate

• REDUCES HEALTH RISKS—Beforeyoueat,thinkaboutwhatgoesonyourplateorinyourcup,glass,orbowl.Vegetables,wholegrains,low-fatdairyproducts,fruits,andleanproteinfoodsareallgreatchoices.Eatingthesefoodscanreducerisksofdevelopingdiseasessuchasobesity,heartdisease,diabetes,andsometypesofcancer.

• IMPROVES PORTION CONTROL AND FOOD CHOICES—Foodportionsandfoodchoicesareveryimportantforreachingandkeepingahealthyweight.

Whycreateahealthyplate?

one quarter plate • grain & starchy vegetables one quarter plate •

lean m

eat /

pro

tein

one half plate • non-starchy vegetables & fruitsFill ½ of your

plate with non-starchy vegetables

and fruit

Fill ¼ of your plate with

whole grains and/or starchy

vegetables

Fill ¼ of your plate with lean

protein (a 2–3 oz. cooked portion)

Drink more water

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•Chooseavarietyofvegetables,especially

dark-green,red,andorangevegetables.

• Non-starchyvegetablesarelowincaloriesandfulloffiber,vitamins,minerals,andantioxidants.Examplesofnon-starchyfiber-richvegetablesincludecarrots,broccoli,cauliflower,greenbeans,asparagus,andpeppers.

• Vegetablesandfruitscanbefresh,canned,orfrozen.Eatonlysmallamountsofdriedfruitsasthesecanbehighincalories.Driedfruitsarehealthyquicksnacks.

Fill ½ of the 9-inch plate with NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES and FRUITS.

HowtoBuildaHealthyPlate

Choose a 9-INCH OR SMALLER PLATE.

Usearulerandmeasureacrossyourplate.Usea9-inchplateorsmallertopreventoverfillingtheplateandeatingtoomuch.

• Shopforvegetableswithoutaddedsalt,butter,orcreamsauces,anddon’taddthesewhencooking.Limitfruitwithaddedsugarsorsyrup.

• Selectwholefruitoverjuice,butifyouchoosejuice,lookfor100%fruitjuice.

• Enjoyawiderangeofcolorfulvegetablesandfruit.Selectwhatisinseasonforvarietyandflavor.

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Fill ¼ of the 9-inch plate with WHOLE GRAINS and/or STARCHY VEGETABLES.

• Consumeatleasthalfofallgrainsaswholegrains.Eat3ouncesormoreofwhole-graincereals,breads,crackers,rice,orpastaeachday.Oneounceisabout1sliceofbread,1cupofbreakfastcereal,or½cupofcookedriceorpasta.

• UsetheNutritionFactslabeltochoosewholegrainsthatareagoodorexcellentsourceofdietaryfiber.· Goodsourcesoffibercontain10–19%

oftheDailyValueperserving.· Excellentsourcesofdietaryfiber

contain20%ormoreoftheDailyValueperserving.

• Checktheingredientlistandlookforthefirstorsecondingredienttoincludethewords“whole”or“wholegrain.”

• Examplesofwholegrainsincludewhole-wheatpasta,whole-grainbreads,brownrice,andwhole-grainhotandcoldcereals.

• Examplesofstarchyvegetablesincludepotatoes,corn,peas,wintersquash,yams,andlegumes(kidney,garbanzo,andblackbeans).

HowtoBuildaHealthyPlate

Fill ¼ of the 9-inch plate with LEAN PROTEIN CHOICES (about 3 ounces cooked or the size of a deck of cards).

•Examplesofproteinfoodsincludeseafood,beans,peas,andnuts,aswellasleanmeats,poultry,andeggs.Limittooneeggperday.

•Eatseafood(fishandshellfish)orothermeatless

proteininplaceofmeatorpoultryatleasttwiceaweek.

Selectsomeseafoodthatishigherinoilsandlowerinmercury(salmon,trout,andherring).Meatlessproteinsourcesincludesoy(tofu,tempeh,edamame)andlegumes(kidney,garbanzo,andblackbeans).

• Selectleanmeatsandpoultry.Choosemeatcutsthatarelowinfatandgroundbeefthatisextralean(atleast90%lean).Trimordrainfatfrommeatandremovepoultryskinbeforecookingoreating.

• Trygrilling,broiling,poaching,orroasting.Thesecookingmethodsdonotaddextrafat.

• Drainfatfromgroundmeatsaftercooking.Avoidbreadingonmeatandpoultry,whichaddscalories.

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Include HEALTHY DAIRY selections.

• Increaseintakeoffat-free(skim)orlow-fat(1%)milkandmilkproducts,suchasyogurt,cheese,andfortifiedsoybeverages.

• Choosefat-freeorlow-fatmilkoryogurtmoreoftenthancheese.

• MAKE THE BEST CHOICESwhenyouprepareororderfoods.

· Selectfoodsthataregrilled,broiled,baked,boiled,roasted,poached,stir-fried,orsteamedinsteadoffried.

· Addflavortofoodswithherbs,spices,andlow-fatseasonings—avoidusingsaltorseasoningscontainingsodium.

· Includevegetables,fruits,wholegrains,fat-freeorlow-fatdairyproducts,andproteinfoodsthatprovidefewercaloriesandmorenutrients.

· Avoidpreparingororderingfoodsthatarecreamy,fried,breaded,battered,orbuttered.Usesmallportionsofdressings,syrups,dips,andsauces.

· Eatfewerfoodsthatcontainsolidfats.Themajorsourcesofdietaryfatarecakes,cookies,icecream,andotherdesserts(oftenmadewithbutter,

margarine,orshortening);pizza;cheese;andprocessedandfattymeats(likesausages,hotdogs,bacon,ribs).

· Limitfoodscontainingpartiallyhydrogenatedoils,amajorsourceofunhealthytransfats.

· Cutbackonfoodsanddrinkswithaddedsugarsorcaloricsweeteners(sugar-sweetenedbeverages).Choosewater,fat-freemilk,100%fruitjuice,orunsweetenedteaorcoffeeasdrinksratherthansugar-sweeteneddrinks.

• DO NOT SKIP MEALS.Skippingmealscanleadtocravings,lowenergy,andover-eatingatthenextmeal.

• EAT SLOWLY!Ittakesabout20minutesforourbrainstoregisterthatwearefull.Taketimetoenjoythetasteofthefoodsonyourhealthyplate.

KeyPoints:

•Whenselectingcheese,chooselow-fatorreduced-fatversions.

•Ifyouarelactoseintolerant,trylactose-freemilk,drinksmalleramountsofmilkat

atime,ortryfortifiedsoybeverages.Youcanalsoaskyour

dietitianaboutanenzymesupplement.