What’s usually on your plate, lately? A balanced diet is proven to be key to achieving better well-being. It doesn’t only help us grow and stay strong physically; it also takes care of our mental well-being—Mens sana in corpore, as they say, or a sound mind in a sound body. When our body receives quality and healthy food, it repays us with better performance, mindset, and overall feeling about our physical capabilities. Didn’t they teach us that carrots give us better eyesight when we were younger? Or that protein-rich food helps us lift heavy things?
In the spirit of Nutrition Month, we are giving you recommendations on how you can psyche yourself to eat better and healthy food. As adults, we easily take the quality of food we eat for granted. What’s worse, we sometimes do not care enough about it. We won’t tell you what to eat but maybe suggesting a healthy habit you can follow could lead you to better food choices.
This article will focus on Harvard University’s Healthy Eating Plate.
For starters, the Healthy Eating Plate is a concept created by Harvard Health Publishing and nutrition experts at the Harvard School of Public Health. The idea offers more accurate recommendations for creating a healthy diet. Healthy Eating Plate is divided into six portions: Healthy Oil, Vegetables, Water, Whole Grains, Fruits, and Healthy Protein.
Your plate must have these…
The concept suggests that half of your plate must be filled with vegetables and fruits. ¼ of your plate for whole grains (rice, wheat, quinoa, etc.) while the remaining ¼ is for protein-rich food like fish, poultry products, and other protein sources.
Just like in other countries, the Philippines loves seasonings. We either use them as a sauce poured over rice or fried viands. Sometimes, we use them as “sawsawan.” Healthy oil does not always have to be present in the Healthy Eating Plate. Especially if the contents of our plate already have sufficient healthy oils. But if there is none, it is recommended to add oil, in moderation, to our meal. Some of the recommended oil we could incorporate into our meal are olive, canola, corn, soy, peanut, and other oil that does not contain trans fats.
For the last portion of the Healthy Eating Plate, water is still the recommended source of hydration. Coffee or tea are good alternatives, but just like oil, these two must be taken in moderation. Skipping sugary drinks must also be considered since sugary beverages can lead to costly health problems. Drinking a can of soda a day alone increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes in adults.
The food we consume now could spell the difference between healthy living and a life plagued with diseases as we get older. Considering what we put in our bodies as early as now will reward us in the future. Make smart choices. Live healthily, and think about how you would like to spend your life when you grow older.
