Food on the Plate

Deciding what to put on your plate is one of the most difficult things. How much should I have on there? What counts as a vegetable or not? This diagram is a perfect fit.

Water is the most important thing you could consume in order to reduce diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. When you drink coffee, go with less sugar and stick to only one to two mugs a day. Only drink 100% juice. Cocktail juices are full of sugar which contradicts the intake of the juice. Look at the nutrition label and make sure it is from 100% juice or 100% juice concentrate.

Whole Grains are beneficial to your digestive system and is a main source of energy. Stick to WHOLE GRAINS (I have a previous post on grains). Do not follow those fad diets that cut out carbohydrates completely. You must have them in order for you to stay healthy and strong.

Healthy Protein is what builds and repairs our bodies. Stick with lean meats rather then a big steak. Red meat is high in cholesterol and over consumption of it will greatly increase heart problems and unnecessary calories.

Fruits are the sweet part of the meal. The peals of fruits give lots of fiber which again helps your digestive system. They also provide a lot of vitamins and minerals that you can not get from any other kind of foods. Fruits also provide healthy sugars which supply your body with energy.

Vegetables are the hardest things for people to eat. They usually don't taste good and provide a lot of trouble especially with children when it comes to consumption. A trick is, butter and salt (limited of course) to lighten that tough taste. Some vegetables are better raw, some are better steamed or cooked. (when cooking them make sure you don't cook them so that they lose their bright colors otherwise all the good stuff is now in the water). Potatoes and corn are not a vegetable. They are infact grains so do not count them as a vegetable on your plate!

Oils are essential to your body. Do not forget them. They help with the digestive system and absorb some vitamins that can only be taken in from those oils. Canola oil and virgin olive oil are the best oils. There are now butters that use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I recommend choosing those instead but of course limiting your intake of butter.