Healthy Plate for the Holiday
This holiday season is packed full of celebrations and dinner parties. We don’t often have the luxury of controlling what food is being served, but we can probably control our portion sizes and what food ends up on our plate. With all the many feasts ahead of us this month a simple guide can help us keep our eating from getting out of control.
What does a healthy plate look like? Imagine your healthy plate, now in your mind draw a line down the middle. Half or more of the plate should have some form of fruit or vegetable; excluding potatoes and corn. The most common thing probably will be some type of salad so load up on that. So right from the start, fill up half your plate with these fruit and veggies.
Now what to do with the other half? Imagine the other half of your plate, and divide it in half. One quarter is filled with starchy things like breads and pastas (whole wheat), potato or corn-based items, beans, dairy etc. And the remaining quarter is for your meats; like fish, lean poultry, lean cuts of red meat, or meat substitute.
Also, take a look at the size of your plate to allow for the appropriate size of food portions. Big plates allow for you to hold more food. More food equals more calories. Imagine your plate to be about 9 inches (little more that the width of a piece of paper) and use that as a guide for your portions.
This is a quick guide to a healthy meal and will hopefully help you enjoy your celebrations while keeping your calories in check. Enjoy your parties!
