My most common recommendation when I talk to patients about diets is to look at their plate each meal. I ask, if they separate all of the food on their plate, is half of the plate full of fruits or vegetables? Is at least a quarter of it comprised of healthy protein and fats? Do the carbs make up less than a quarter of the plate? Ideally, most of our meals are made up of fiber and micronutrient sources, and proteins that sustain us rather than grains and carbs that give us short bursts of energy, but don’t do anything to help us in the long term. We live in a world where we’re constantly being told to diet, and new fad diets are coming out every two seconds it feels like. However, this sticks to the basics and ensures you’re building a balanced plate.
Half Plate of Veggies: nutrient super load
Vegetables are among the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat! They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Why are these important?
- Vitamins and minerals: Vegetables are rich in vitamins like vitamins A, C, and K, which are important for healthy vision, immune function, and skin health. Minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium support proper muscle function, and bone health and regulate blood pressure. Great options to choose from that are especially high in vitamins and minerals include leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables (kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.), and root vegetables. The best way to get all the vitamins and minerals that fruits and vegetables have in store is to eat the entire rainbow every day!
- Fiber: A crucial part of any diet that supports digestive health and the removal of toxins from our system. Fiber feeds our microbiome, which in turn feeds us! Our gut microbiome takes fiber and turns it into things called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which our gut cells take and use for energy. They also help keep the pH in our gut good, so that we can fend off any nasty bugs that try to enter through our GI tract. Fiber also helps keep us fuller for longer (which is what semaglutide and the like are doing on a supra-physiologic level). Fiber is also important in preventing colon cancer!
What’s the easiest way to increase your fiber intake? Look for recipes that include vegetables, and increase the proportion! All I do is add more vegetables (and the corresponding spices) when I’m cooking to make sure I have more vegetables when I’m building my plate!
Quarter protein or fat: building blocks for a strong body
Protein is essential for the body to build and repair tissues (including muscles and bones). We also use protein to make enzymes and hormones and as an essential component of our immune system.
- Muscle repair and growth: As many of us know, protein is the building block of muscle. Proteins break down into amino acids, which are built up back into proteins throughout our body. Even if you’re not currently working on building muscle, your muscles are constantly repairing themselves, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough protein to at least maintain muscle health.
- Satiety: Since protein has to be broken down into amino acids before it can be used and that takes a while, we’ll tend to feel fuller for longer. It’s especially important to start our day with protein so that we have energy throughout the day, as well as support our brain function throughout the day.
A quarter plate of protein is often a good starting place to make sure you’re getting enough protein, but depending on activity level, you might need more! Make sure to chat with your health provider about protein requirements and if you should change how much of this takes up your plate!
Healthy fats as an added bonus
Fat is another important part of a healthy diet. Fat is often blamed for increasing our cholesterol levels, but more and more studies are coming out showing that carbohydrates are increasing our “bad” cholesterol, not the fats in our diet. Healthy fats are important for many functions throughout our body, including brain function, hormone production, hydration, and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
- Brain function: Did you know that your brain is about 60% fat? That’s quite a bit! But not all fat is good for our brain. Omega-3s are the best fats for our brain to focus and those can be found in fatty fish (my favorite is salmon), avocados, and nuts (I like to remember that walnuts kind of look like brains, so they have lots of good fats for my brain!). Your brain needs that fat for repair and building, just like our muscles need protein. Make sure to feed both your brain and muscles!
- Hormone production: Did you know your body makes sex hormones (like estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone), vitamin D, and other hormones from our fat? They all start as cholesterol and then become these hormones with the help of enzymes. If you don’t have enough cholesterol, your hormones can become imbalanced.
- Absorption: Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins, which means our body needs fat to absorb them effectively. If you’re taking these in supplement form, make sure you’re taking them with fat so you’re absorbing them. This is also why things like vitamin D are added to milk (other than to help with the absorption of calcium from milk), but the fat in milk, ensures that we absorb the vitamin D.
Make sure you’re getting enough healthy fats in your diet! My favorites are avocados, fatty fish, and ground flaxseeds. And make sure to avoid trans fats!
Quarter (or less) of carbs: energy powerhouse
Carbohydrates are our body’s preferred sources of energy, precisely because of how quickly they digest in the body, which is also why they’re demonized in today’s diet culture. However, whole/complex carbohydrates (things that look closest to how we find them in nature- think steel-cut oats rather than instant oatmeal) are great sources of nutrients and fiber as well.
- Nutrient-dense: Whole carbs are full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals (very similar to those vegetables we talked about above). They give us energy, support nutrient levels, and give us fiber.
Make sure to limit processed or refined carbohydrates to limit your blood sugar spikes- which are linked to insulin resistance, and instead focus on whole food sources like whole grains, sweet potatoes, and legumes. Whenever your blood sugar spikes, it’s going to crash, which can show up as anxiety, irritability, and being hangry. Help avoid those symptoms by focusing more on whole carbs, protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
Building a balanced plate, not dieting
By using the plate method to build meals, you can ensure that you are building balanced plates that sustain your body’s energy throughout the day and provide yourself with the nutrients your body needs. It should help you reach both your macro and micronutrient goals! As always, check with your healthcare provider to see if you need to tweak this plan for your needs.