Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone’s week is going well!
The topic for this week is “Portioned Plate”. Often individuals over complicate making healthy meals and struggle to practice portion control. Many will say “Eating healthy takes too much time and energy… It doesn‘t fill me up…It doesn’t taste as good”…The list goes on. However, it doesn’t have to be that challenging. If done right, eating a portioned plate should fill you up because you are getting a variety of nutrients across all food groups. It should also be time efficient and taste just as good if prepared appropriately. It also can support with portion control which can help with weight management, increased energy, and improved blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. With all of these health benefits, what are you waiting for?! Here are some tips to create a portioned plate:
Start with making half of your plate fruit and vegetables, with an emphasis on more veggies.
If you are focusing on managing your blood sugar, consider just filling up on veggies and skipping the fruit since you will be filling the other half side of the plate with carbs.
Now that you have one side of the plate filled up, it's time to add to the other side. Make this side of the plate half carbs and half protein.
Consider opting for more complex carbs such as: quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, whole wheat pasta or bread, etc. We want to try to consume more complex carbs over simple carbs, because they contain more nutrients. They are also higher in fiber and digest slower, which helps to manage blood sugar spikes and supports with weight management.
Consider opting for lean protein such as: chicken breast, fish, lean beef, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds, beans, peas, non fat Greek yogurt, etc. We want to aim to have more leaner protein, because it contains less fat and cholesterol. Therefore, it can support with weight management and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Consider adding a little healthy fat to your meal. This can keep you fuller longer, add some flavor, and support heart health. Some examples include: putting olive oil and vinegar or a vinaigrette dressing on your salad; topping your meal with some avocado or guacamole; opting for fish, nuts, or seeds as your lean protein; cooking your veggies or protein with olive or avocado oil; etc.
Wellness Wednesday Weekly Activity:
Consider trying to make at least one of your meals using the "Portioned Plate Method" this week.
If you are eating with others, it might be helpful to share these graphics below and the tips mentioned, so they have a better understanding of why you are preparing meals this way.
If you have kids, consider encouraging them to serve their own plate using the portioned plate method. That way they will have a more balanced meal, but they get to choose how much of each food group they want to fill up on. This will support them with learning portion control and teach them to listen to and trust their mind and body.
If the portioned plate is new to you, consider journaling your meal, what went well, what you learned, and how it made you feel.
Please feel free to comment here or message me directly with any successes or challenges you experienced while practicing the portioned plate method. I'm here and more than happy to support you in any way that I can!
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you have a happy and healthy rest of your week!
