How to Build a Healthy Plate

Eating healthy foods does not necessarily mean you are building a healthy plate, because your meals also need to be balanced. In other words, foods should appear on your plate in certain proportions. With a few conscious choices, you can build a healthy plate.

What Is a Healthy Plate?

The way to look after your health and quality of life runs through healthy, balanced eating. Even when you eat healthy foods, it is very important that the foods in your meals are balanced, because healthy eating is based on variety. Each food provides different proportions of protein, carbohydrate and fat, and the vitamins and minerals we get from food also differ.

Considering that our body needs all macronutrients and micronutrients, the importance of variety becomes clearer. For this reason, we can say that a healthy plate is a colourful plate.

What Should a Healthy Plate Look Like?

When you build a healthy plate, the meal you are preparing it for also matters. You may need to give weight to different nutrients across the meals of the day. For example, you might include carbohydrate at breakfast and prefer not to have it in the evening. This is entirely personal, because every body and metabolism is different, which is why eating plans are prepared individually. The amounts below are general guides only.

A Healthy Plate for Breakfast

Breakfast is an important meal, so whatever the time, it helps to start the day with breakfast. A healthy breakfast eaten regularly can help you:

• Take in more vitamins and minerals
• Manage your weight more easily
• Keep blood sugar steadier
• Feel more energetic during the day

So how should a healthy plate be built at breakfast?

At breakfast you need protein, fibre and fat. Fat often frightens people, so it is removed from the eating plan altogether. But this is a mistake. Our body needs fat just as it needs other nutrients, and fat matters during weight management too. Rather than giving up fat completely, choose healthy fats.

A healthy plate at breakfast:

• Half of your plate can be high-fibre carbohydrates. You can choose wholegrain bread or oats. An orange can also provide some of the fibre and carbohydrate you need at breakfast. About 50 grams of carbohydrate at breakfast is a common general guide.
• To eat healthily, include protein at breakfast. Protein sources such as cheese, milk, eggs and smoked meat are staples of a healthy plate. At least a quarter of your breakfast can be protein. Eating enough protein helps you feel fuller.
• The amount of fat at breakfast is about 5 grams. You can meet this with 1 dessert spoon of olive oil, or with 5-8 olives. 2-3 walnuts also provide a similar amount of fat.

The Lunch Plate

Lunch is the meal that supplies the energy you need in the middle of the day. Many essential nutrients should be taken in this meal, and it can be fairly energy-dense. Eating foods that keep you full for longer can also help you eat less in the evening.

A healthy plate at lunch:

• Choose higher-protein foods at lunch. They keep you full for longer and give you the energy you need.
• Make room on your plate for fresh vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes and peppers. Seasonal vegetables are a good choice.
• Carbohydrates such as bread or wholegrain sandwich bread should also have a place on your plate.

Depending on your working conditions, you may not have much time at lunch or be able to eat healthy meals. A sandwich containing the foods above can also provide the nutrients you need at lunch. A sandwich made with wholegrain bread, tuna and salad leaves is a very good choice for a healthy plate.

A Healthy Plate for Dinner

Because we are less active in the evening, eating light foods that are easy to digest and do not cause indigestion can make weight management easier and support a comfortable night's sleep.

• For a healthy plate at dinner, give weight to vegetables. Boiled or grilled vegetables, vegetables cooked in olive oil, and salads are all suitable. Vegetable soups are another option.
• Your dinner plate should also contain protein, but you do not need to get it from animal foods every day of the week. Plant proteins can meet your protein needs as well.
• For healthy eating and a healthy plate, do not make dinner carbohydrate-heavy. Give priority to vegetables and protein and keep carbohydrate portions small.

This article is for general information only; please consult your doctor and dietitian about your own situation.