What can you make your family for a healthy and tasty dinner? You can follow the plate method! This healthy eating plan works for everybody, including people with diabetes. Indeed, making nutritious, healthy meals will be a snap.
What’s a healthy plate?
It’s a way to control your serving sizes, where you don’t have to count. Use a 7-inch plate for children and a 9-inch plate for adults.
Divide the plate in half
First, divide the plate in half and fill one with vegetables. There are two types of vegetables: potatoes, corn, pea,s or plantains, and nonstarchy, like zucchini, jicama, cucumbers, carrots, or salad.
If you have diabetes, fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, then fill 1/4 with whole grains or starches like brown rice, corn, beans, or whole wheat pasta. Add lean protein like tofu, grilled fish, or chicken in the other quarter.
Adding a side of tortilla or bread?
It’s hard to resist, I know! The trick is to serve yourself a smaller portion of the other starches on your plate instead.
To complete your meal, add a drink like unsweetened coffee, tea, or a glass of milk, but remember that drinking 8 ounces of milk affects your blood sugar just as it would if you ate another tortilla or a slice of bread.
You can also choose water with a squeeze of lemon or lime. How you create your plate is up to you, you have many options as long as you remember to follow these healthy guidelines, and tara, you’re all set!
How can you use the plate method to make vegetable beef soup or other meals? Follow the same idea.
Fill your pot with low-sodium broth and lots of healthy vegetables like corn, cabbage, zucchini, carrots, onions, and some lean beef, but not too much.
Just like you’d put on a quarter of your plate for each person you serve, if you want, add your favorite type of bread on the side, and you have the right amount for a healthy meal. Mm-hmm, enjoy!
A healthy plate is an easy way to control portion sizes. Fill half your plate with nonstarchy vegetables, one quarter with lean protein, and one with whole grains for a healthy eating plan.
