What's On Your Plate?

Choose MyPlate

I've been mostly talking about fitness and running lately.  And while I may have amused you or somehow caught on with the pep talks about choosing a more active lifestyle,  I have not forgotten something that is closer to heart.  Food of course!  As they say, the way to a man's heart and I daresay a woman's heart as well is through their stomachs.  I don't know about you, but I do love eating!  Who doesn't?  

But while most of us love to eat, the experts say that we should eat mindfully.  After all, our mouth and stomachs, and consequently our whole body are not dumping sites for whatever we can chew and swallow as long as they taste good.

Eating mindfully first starts with a conscious effort to take a better look at what we ingest.  It's a mindset change, at least for me.  I used to eat for the pleasure of it, thinking that if it tastes good, then it must be good.  I never realized how far away from the truth I was until I was diagnosed with essential hypertension.  With no known underlying causes, the only culprits I could think of are two things: the food I eat and my level of physical activity.  I don't smoke, do drugs or take alcoholic drinks so those are out of the picture for me.  But what I do encounter on a daily basis, specifically, thrice a day are those innocent looking but delectable things on my plate.

The diagram above is, I think a better way of applying the food pyramid.  It's easier to visualize things when you imagine your actual plate.  What does this plate diagram tell us?  Here are some of the things I could infer without reading through the articles at the website:

• Every meal should include one representative item from each of the basic food groups (obvious enough, right?) if we are to aim for a healthy meal.
• More fruits and vegetables are required (in fact, half of the plate).
• Protein and grains are of equal importance next to fruits and vegetables.
• Dairy is on the side.  (What!? No coffee?)
• If you would sum it up, a good meal, based on this diagram is more than 50 % from plant-sourced foods rather than food derived from animal sources.

Notice there was no mention of seasonings or spices?  Well, for cooked foods, you can't possibly forgo that so I would assume, it's because one has to use those sparingly, or it's something you can do without, depending on your preferences.  If one has other medical conditions, a modification of the plate content may have to be determined based on the advise of a nutritionist or physician.

On Choose My Plate, you'll have a better understanding of this plate principle and what to actually put on your plates.  If you're also into weight loss or maintaining healthy weight, then it's also important to consider portion sizes or how much you put in your plate.  Web MD gives creative visuals for that instead of you always carrying  measuring cups and spoons to monitor portion sizes.  Imagine doing that when you dine out!

What I do like about the guidelines from these sites is that they don't take the fun out of eating by taking out certain food items.  What they do focus on is eating the right types of food and in the appropriate portions.  In short, enjoy the good foods but do not overindulge.

For good health, it's always worth it to make that extra effort to really eat mindfully and make a good habit out of it.