Make your food selection colourful by using the Eat-Well Plate
Anytime I am at a restaurant with either friends or in a meeting, I try to pick the healthy foods, filled with fibre and of course, foods rich in colour! The biggest benefit of healthy picks is that most times, they tend to be friendly to the wallet, as opposed to the steak, fries and milkshake option.
I have found it to be more useful to know the benefits in different foods; those that promote calmness, and ease sleep, those that help to boost energy when dealing with pressures, anxieties and stress, and the ones be avoided altogether. Years ago, I found a great book called Stay Calm Stay Healthy by Linda Blair; which opened my eyes to how our daily food plate should look.
Not the best pixels :)
The UK Food Standards Agency introduced the “eat-well” plate which is a simple guide I use to balance my meals. Click on the link to download the chart , you will thank me later! ;-)
You don’t have to worry about getting it exactly right, but if you put in the effort and remain consistent, you’ll be on the right track. In summary, this is what it says:-
- Fruit and Vegetables 33%
- Bread, Rice, Potatoes, Pasta and other starchy foods 33%
- Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans and other non-dairy sources of protein 12%
- Milk and dairy foods 15%
- Foods and drinks high in fat and sugar 7%
Food for thought
Another tip is that I try to always to take note of what I ate for breakfast and throughout the day. This informs my decision for what I’ll have for dinner, and once you keep track of what you are eating, you’ll naturally be mindful of what goes into your body. This is basically keeping a daily mental food diary. Once you realise what you are consuming on a daily basis, you can work out where the adjustments need to be made. Check out this balanced plate below...
Only thing missing is a glass of water! Water is life.
"There is no healthy diet, that will do what healthy eating does"- Wellness Enthusiast
Yours in Wellness,
