Healthy Eating 101: How to Fill Your Plate

Courtesy of eatdrinkbetter

If you are motivated to start losing weight this 2011 but clueless as to how you're going to go about getting the job done, then the absolute best place to start with is your plate.

This is where you are have the most control: what goes on your plate, and how much food you're going to put on it is all under your command. Of course, if you're serious about losing weight than I could bore you to pieces and preach about how important it is to choose the right foods, but instead of lecturing let's assume fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein are the categories to choose from.

If you encourage yourself to make a conscious effort to eat nutrient dense foods every meal, and every day; (nutrient dense foods are full of vitamins and minerals but low on calories) then you will see changes.

7 day plate challenge:

Divide your plate into half.

Fruits & Vegetables

Fill this half with fruits and vegetables. Don't get too hung up on preparing them a certain way, you're probably too busy, or you may just be lazy (we have something in common). The best way to cook fruits and vegetables is with as little water and heat as much as possible, and the reason is because fruits and vegetables are filled with water soluble vitamins. If you drench them in water, or even cook them over a blasting flame, then you are slowly killing off the vitamins.

It brings me to the point--why eat right if the "healthy food" isn't helping you?

Steaming is great solution because the food comes in very little contact with water and the heat is gentle.

Now, there are exceptions because sometimes some vegetables need be roasted or sauteed. This is fine, go for it. I myself don't steam everything. The point is to make an effort to steam as much as you can.

Don't go out buying a steamer, use your microwave!

Broccoli with Lemon and Toasted Garlic

• Rinse broccoli florets under cold water, shake off most of the water but leave a small trace. Put into a microwaveable container and partially cover with a lid and microwave for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and saute thin slices of fresh garlic until lightly toasted.
• When the broccoli is ready, toss with the garlic olive oil, squeeze fresh lemon juice, and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
• To keep things exciting, try sprinkling toasted pine nuts and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese for dinner the next evening.

Divide one half of the plate into half again.

Lean Meat/ Protein

Opt for lean cuts of meat, ones that are 90% lean or higher. Typically , cuts that have the word “loin” or “round” are naturally lower in fat.

Try pork tenderloin (it has a very nice price), flank steak, all types of fish (salmon is great but so are the less expensive kind, like catfish and tilapia), all kinds of beans (if using canned, always rinse with cold water to get rid of extra salt), and even nuts. However, when it comes to eating nuts, you have to be mindful of portion sizes because they are higher in calories. Just don't eat the entire can.

And of course, chicken breast is the most common and versatile choice for lean meat/protein. Buy it skinless and boneless, or, to save money you can buy it with the skin on and pull it off your self.

Grains

I'll say it again, go for whole grains as much as you can. The benefit lies in the fiber in these whole grains; it hasn't been stripped, unlike regular processed grains (white rice, white bread), and this means all of the vitamins and minerals are left intact. Plus, this fiber cleans excess gunk out of your colon and helps to absorb some fat and other debris that can lead to diseases.

Some good choices are : brown rice, whole wheat tortillas, quinoa, whole grain sandwich bread, chapatis (Indian flat breads), buckwheat flour or noodles, soba noodles, farro (Italian grain), and rolled oats.

Fill your plate with these kind of ingredients and eat this way for the next 7 days. You're going to feel much cleaner and lighter, I guarantee it.

Priyanka

Dînez avec nous: The French Diet Plan

Image from Scottsdale College

I hate the word diet. I'm still cringing from just using it in the title--but it was the only way to get your attention.

Do me a favor. Close your eyes and muse on this for the next thirty seconds:

Sticky Merlot jam hidden in the center of warm flaky croissants just freshly baked with golden knobs of butter.
Crispy baguettes smeared with pungent Camembert cheese.
A fancy slice of Opéra, an exquisite almond spongecake soaked in coffee syrup, layered in between aerated masses of butter cream frosting, and a thick coating of dark chocolate ganache glued on the surface. It's comparable to satin.

You think you could eat these things and keep healthy?
Of course you can. The French do it all the time. There's a term, "French Paradox", that was created back in 1987 by a French scientist Dr. Serge Renaud, who discovered that the French had the lowest cases of heart disease and still ate a diet high in saturated fat.

Before I go on, let's agree on something here. There is more than enough information in the world that tells you what you should or shouldn't eat to lose weight. But, you and I know that not all advice is not good. In fact, anyone can call their self a nutritionist but it doesn't mean that they have a college degree in human nutrition.

You don't need another best selling diet book that gives you a list of "secrets", which claims to be a magic bullet solution to all of your weight loss miseries. You don't need to hear about the latest craze about a new diet pill that sheds 10 pounds off of you in one week and also claims to be safe.

You need the truth. What are you really suppose to eat? Which foods do the best job in nourishing YOU? Once you have figured this out--you shouldn't need to depend on a diet book, a plastic container full of pills, or even flavorless food your canine wouldn't go near to lose weight.

With that said, you can always look to healthy people and learn from them. Be a sponge and always be the student that learns. With food, and everything else in life.

So check this out. I mentioned that the French have one of the lowest cases in heart disease yet also the highest intake in saturated fat.

17% of people in France are obese, and 34% American people are obese.

What can we learn from the French?
Here are three simple truths to a French person's diet:

1.) Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
44% of the French do this. Only 24% of American do this.

Why do this?

Fruits and vegetables are packed with fiber that sweeps the debris from your colon, vitamins and minerals your organs, tissues, and blood need to thrive, but the best part about fruits and vegetables is that they keep you full a hell of a lot longer.

2.) Have less than 1 sweetened beverage per day.
70% of the French do this. Only 37% of American do this.

Eat too much sugar than your body can digest then some will be stored in your muscles for later use, but if you've gone overboard, then it will be stored as fat.

For those of you that cut out sugary drinks, you've probably noticed the rapid loss in your belly fat. This type of fat burns faster (maybe the last 5 or 10 pounds are difficult) but it also builds just as quick.

3.) Walk 30 minutes per day.
65% of the French do this 7 days a week. Only 50% of American do this 5 days of the week.

Walking is the easiest exercise to do. If it's difficult to commit to a half hour everyday then start walking while you talk on your cell phone, park further away than you normally would at work, or break it up into three 10 minute sessions a day. Do what you have to do to make it happen.

Have belief. Believe in yourself, and I know you will be right where you want to be.

Priyanka

Source:

Lynda, Powell, Kazlauskaite Rasa, Sima Carolyn, and Appelhans Bradley. "Lifestyle in France and the United States: An American Perspective." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 110.6 (2010): 845-47.