Balanced diet plate

The core of a balanced diet plate has never been a rigid formula that requires you to accurately copy "25% grains and potatoes, 35% vegetables and fruits, 25% high-quality protein, and 15% healthy fats" for each meal. Rather, it is a set of dietary reference frameworks that can be flexibly adjusted according to your physical condition, eating habits, and current needs. The core goal is to make you eat comfortably and nutritiously, rather than creating dietary anxiety.

When I first became a registered dietitian, I memorized the plate ratios published by the Harvard School of Public Health by heart. When I made a plan for my first consultation client, I even marked the weight of each food in grams for each meal. As a result, after three days of implementation, people came to complain to me, saying that they didn’t have time to steam 120 grams of sweet potatoes while rushing for the subway in the morning. They also had to check whether they exceeded the amount of refined carbohydrates when chewing a meat bun. I almost became obsessive-compulsive disorder after eating. It was then that I realized that the standards in the book were for reference for the group and fell on each specific person. There were so many rigid rules that must be followed.

Later, after seeing more cases, I discovered that there is no one-size-fits-all dinner plate template. Different institutions and different groups have different emphasis on the dinner plate standards. For example, the 2022 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents is more suitable for our Chinese eating habits than Harvard's. It slightly increases the proportion of cereals and potatoes, and specifically states that it must include whole grains and mixed beans. After all, we have been eating rice and noodles for thousands of years, and suddenly half of it is whole grains, and your stomach can't stand it. There is also a high-protein meal plate commonly used in the fitness circle, which increases the proportion of high-quality protein to 35% and reduces refined carbohydrates to 15%. It is suitable for people who are in the muscle-building period and exercise a lot. However, if you are an ordinary person who usually sits in an office and takes less than 3,000 steps a day, eating this way will easily lead to constipation and increase the burden on the kidneys. It is completely unnecessary. Vegetarians also have special adapted plates. By replacing the protein with soy products, mushrooms, quinoa, etc., they can still meet their daily nutritional needs. It does not mean that you have to eat meat to be balanced.

One of the hotly debated topics on the Internet right now is "Should refined carbohydrates be completely eliminated from the dinner plate?" Supporters of the low-GI diet say that refined carbohydrates raise blood sugar quickly, make you gain weight, and damage your skin. Others believe that there is no need for ordinary people to talk about refined carbohydrates. I stand in the middle. There is really no need to be black and white. You have to have a three-hour meeting this afternoon. Eating white bread is more useful than chewing oatmeal. You have just finished a half-marathon and drinking a bottle of Happy Water to replenish sugar is faster than anything else. Why bother with yourself for a standard. My own experience is that as long as 80% of the meals in a week roughly meet the proportions of the dinner plate, and the remaining 20% ​​can be eaten whatever you want, it will not affect your health at all.

Oh, by the way, you really don’t need to go out of your way to buy a food scale. I never recommend this to my clients. Just use your own hands as a reference: the size of your fist is the amount of staple food. If you like to eat polished rice, add less. If you like to eat whole grains, add more. Don’t get stuck. ； A palm-sized portion of protein, fish, shrimp, eggs, soy products, and lean meats all count ； Two fistfuls of vegetables, half of which are dark green is best ； Then add a fingertip-sized amount of oil, or half an avocado, or a handful of nuts. It's very simple and can be used to bring meals to work or order out.

I previously adjusted my mother's diet. She has diabetes, so I replaced the refined rice on her plate with half germ rice and half mixed beans. The proportion of vegetables was increased to two-thirds. The egg whites were steamed fish and hard-boiled eggs instead of the braised pork she used to eat. Her blood sugar is very stable now, and she doesn't feel uncomfortable eating. Everyone says this dinner plate is very useful. My sister’s children used to only like to eat white rice and fried chicken, so my sister mixed chopped carrots and corn into the rice and formed small rice balls. On the dinner plate, she put boiled broccoli and cherry tomatoes cut into long strips, as well as oil-free chicken tenders made in the air fryer. The children now eat their meals and no longer have to chase after them.

Last week, I went to make skewers with my friends and ordered twenty skewers of grilled lamb, two plates of grilled leeks, and a bottle of ice soda. It was so delicious that I didn’t count the calories when I got home. After all, I climbed a mountain for a long time that day, so this was just enough to replenish my energy. Eating is a happy thing in the first place. The balanced diet plate is to set up a comfortable frame for you, not to draw a circle that you cannot cross. You cannot compete with yourself over a few grams of weight, right?