How to Create a Healthy Plate at Meals

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Every thing about How to Create a Healthy Plate at Meals | Vahrehvah :

Vijaya Botla RD, LDRegistered & Licensed Dietitian

In AAPI’s Be Fit. Be Cool. Childhood Obesity Awareness Campaign we talk about the importance of the 5-2-1-0 motto of eating at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruit daily, limiting recreational screen time to less than 2 hours, at least one hour of physical activity and eliminating sugary drinks and consuming more water instead.

But how do we take the healthy recipes that the VahChef has been creating and include them into our daily meals? The key to eating the right portions of food at each meal can be hard if you don’t have the right tools to guide you. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) helped create the “Healthy Food Plate” which shows what a typical plate of food should look like at your meal.

Below is an illustration of the Healthy Food Plate for you to use and incorporate into your daily meal planning:

So from this picture we can see that a plate of food should consist of half fruits and vegetables and the other half should be grains and a protein. Some form of dairy should be included in 2 of your meals per day and of course water should be consumed at all meals and throughout the day to prevent dehydration and help make you feel fuller without adding extra calories. Let’s plan 3 meals using the My Healthy Plate model and some of VahChef’s healthy recipes:

Breakfast:

• Vahchef’s Healthy Mixed Vegetable Omelette (this has your serving of vegetables and your serving of protein); note this recipe makes 2 portions
• 1 cup sliced strawberries (one serving of fruit)
• One slice wheat toast (one serving of grains)
• One 8 ounce glass of fat free or lowfat milk (one serving of dairy)
• Water

Lunch:

• Two 6 inch (15 cm each) rotis/pulkas (grains serving)
• 1/2 cup VahChef Healthy Butter Chicken (protein serving)
• 2 cups salad made with lettuce or spinach, tomatoes, carrots and radishes with fresh lemon and pepper (2 vegetable servings)
• Water to drink

Dinner:

• One cup cooked VahChef Healthy Mixed Vegetable Rice (grain serving)
• 1/2 cup dhal or lentil curry (protein serving)
• 1 cup raita (nonfat or lowfat yogurt with fresh chopped onion, cucumber, carrot or vegetables of choice)
• 1 cup Rainbow Salad (one serving of vegetables)
• 1 cup of grapes (one serving of fruit)
• Water

This sample menu is providing all the servings of your fruits, vegetables, protein, grains and dairy that you need per day and you are not depriving yourself of delicious and filling choices at each meal! Remember this is a lifestyle change, not some fad diet that you will do for a short time and then go back to your old eating habits.

The VahChef has created some wonderful healthy recipes that we can easily prepare and add to our daily menus so enjoy the taste of eating right! Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov to get more ideas about the Healthy Plate as well as great tools to help keep you motivated and successful. Good luck!  

*The opinions stated in this article are those of the dietitian and do not necessarily reflect those of AAPI.