The Great Plate

The Great Plate concept is designed to be an easy way to control portion sizes and create a healthier meal, simply by dividing a 10-inch size plate into three sections.

* Half of the plate is filled with non-starchy vegetables such as green beans, tossed salad or carrots.
* A quarter is filled with lean protein such as skinless chicken, non-fried fish, tofu or lean cuts of beef or pork.
* And the final quarter is filled with whole grains or starchy vegetables such as whole wheat bread, pasta, rice, corn, peas or potatoes.
* There are also recommendations for food categories that are not always present in every meal such as fats and fruits.

The "Great Plate" also addresses one of the biggest challenges people face when it comes to eating healthier—understanding portion sizes. Most don't realize that portions have changed dramatically over the last two decades. What we think is one serving is, in actuality, closer to two or even three servings. For example, 25 years ago, your average bagel had a three-inch diameter and contained 140 calories; today, the average bagel has a six-inch diameter and is 350 calories. Your average order of French fries was 2.4 ounces and 210 calories 25 years ago, but today it is 6.9 ounces and 610 calories.

For more information:

University of Michigan - Michigan Today

How is your diet? Do you like the Great Plate? It is a good reference in nutrition and balanced diet. Does your plate look this way?

I hope so... :)

Tags: Balanced, Carbs, Diet, Good, Meat, Nutrition, Protein, Substitute, Veggies

Comment by SpinDiva on June 1, 2009 at 3:15am: This is such a great idea. I think this could be adapted to be used by kids...very creative. I'll have to share this with some of my clients, see if it helps them with their nutrition goals. Thanks Susana.

Comment by Susana on June 1, 2009 at 9:08pm: Thank you both!

Yes, The Great Plate looks... GREAT! But I am confused about My Pyramid that used to tell us to eat more grains than anything else...

Any thoughts on that???

Comment by SpinDiva on June 2, 2009 at 2:46am: I always thought the original pyramid was way off. When I first started paying attention to what I needed to eat I realized that eating 6 servings of "grains" seemed like it was too much especially since visually, it looked like anything would go not just whole wheat. The new pyramid makes more sense and its more balanced. But again, it's looking at a day's worth of what we should consume. The plate is kind of neat for individual meals, I think particularly for people who have trouble with one meal -- like me with Dinner. I can do great all day and totally blow it at dinner time.

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