Constructing a Healthy Plate
Channel: Maya Adam
Date: 22/01/2016

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Transcript:
A healthy meal begins with a healthy plate and, before you put anything on that plate, it might be worthwhile to buy a set of smaller dinner plates, cups and glasses. Interestingly, many hardware stores sell these very inexpensively but they’re harder to find in fancy kitchen stores – mostly because small plates have gone out of style.

Michael Pollan: One of the reasons we like to obsess about nutrients is it's a way of distracting us from the quantities of food that we're eating, and we are eating more. I mean, the supersizing has made plate sizes bigger, soda sizes are bigger. I mean the portions from when I was a kid have been doubled. And the bigger the portion, the more you will eat.

So, size matters when it comes to your plate. But once you’ve found a reasonably sized plate, the first step in constructing the meal should be deciding “What is my vegetable component of this meal going to be?” We tend to start by thinking about the protein, when we’re planning a meal. If we can think of and plan the vegetables as the feature, the entire meal will likely end up being healthier. 

The plate itself should consist of about ½ plant-based food – ideally with a mix of different colored vegetables. Different colored vegetables contain different micronutrients, so eating a variety of them maximizes our nutrient coverage. In general, eating a variety of foods is also beneficial because it minimized the chances of getting sick from potential contaminants in any one food.

The remaining 1/2 of the plate should be equally divided into whole grains and lean protein-rich foods. These foods can come from animal or plant sources, but again, variety is good. Eating chicken every night of the week is almost certainly not the best way to stay healthy – or excited about your next meal.

Most of the time, the best drink to quench thirst and keep us hydrated and healthy is plain, clean water. The human body is made up of more than 50% water, so don’t forget to replace it during mealtime. Drinking water before each meal may even be helpful for weight management.

The variations are endless, but getting into the habit of creating a healthy plate, sitting down for mealtimes and taking time to enjoy our meals… these are the pearls of wisdom our great-grandmothers wore every day.

Course by Maya Adam, MD
Directed by William Bottini
Editing by William Bottini & Tamsin Orion
Special thanks to Michael Pollan, Tracy Rydel, and David Eisenberg