The Portioned Plate
Why do we use it? For people that are just starting out planning their meals and need a basic guide, this is fast and easy to use. When eating away from home, it makes planning your meals easier and ensures you still get all the basic nutrients you need. You do not need to weigh foods or use measuring cups, but it still helps you keep the amount of carbohydrate you eat at each meal controlled and consistent. As a result, it makes medication management easier. Just remember not to fill a 15-inch plate. The recommended plate size to eat on in general is 9-inches for adults.
So how do we use it?
First, divide your plate into 4 equal parts. In 1 part put your carbohydrate. In another part put protein, and in the last two parts add nonstarchy vegetables. The end result should look like the picture above, in this case I have around 1 cup salad with a balsamic garlic dressing (low sugar, low sodium), and the other half is around 3/4 cup cooked quinoa and 3-4 oz protein from a baked chicken leg.
Sounds boring? Here's another example:
Eating out? Grab some grilled fish, lean beef or chicken tacos, and load up on the fresh sliced vegetables. In this case, there are four 3-inch mini tortillas, around 4oz grilled shredded chicken, and around a cup of mixed vegetables- cucumber, radishes, cilantro, onion, salsa and chilies.
You can also play around with other meal ideas for portioning your meals here.
Happy Eating!
Comments