At least half your plate should be fruits and vegetables. The more you choose a whole food, plant based diet, the easier it is to control your portions because these foods help your stomach know when it’s full. If you choose foods that are calorie dense, be very careful with portions.

By Dr. Elizabeth George & Honor Zimmerman

There is an overwhelming stockpile of information about health and diet “do’s” and “don’ts”. There are millions of websites and sources claiming that they have discovered
the best way to look great and feel good with an effortless solution. But the truth is fad diets come and go, and are rarely sustainable or successful. Getting healthy and looking
great comes down to the decisions you make, what you put in your body, and the effort you put out. The smallest of changes in what you eat, how much you eat, and activity
level put you on the path to greater health, fitness, energy, happiness, and confidence.

Your body is your temple- that being said, give yourself what you deserve. Know what is in the food you choose to consume, don’t fill up on garbage. Snack foods are often full of chemicals, or sugar and salt that make you think you want more, but are lacking in nutrients and the fuel your body needs. The more healthy unprocessed foods you consume, the more your body will learn to enjoy the taste of nutrient dense foods.

If you prefer a diet with meat and dairy the webMD portion size guide (Figure 1) offers some helpful portion sizes to help adjust current habits. Many foods that come in a package as a single portion actually contain multiple portions. Get in the habit of reading the Nutrition Facts label on the back of any package- look specifically for how many serving are in the package. Eat the proper portion, and check in with your body. Wait 15 minutes before impulsively going for a second serving. After giving yourself some time to digest you may feel more satisfied than 15 minutes before.

Figure 1: Note the recommended serving for fats and oils is 1tsp NOT 1tbsp

The USDA and American Cancer Society recommend cutting back on red meat. PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) recommends a whole-foods, plantstrong approach to eating. Power Plate (Figure 2) encourages choosing from the four food groups – fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes. This provides a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein and all the nutrients needed for your body’s energy, growth and repair. The high fiber, low fat content in this diet will allow your stomach to know when you’re full and measuring portions isn’t really necessary. BUT if you start throwing in processed canned, packaged, boxed foods reading the label carefully and paying attention to portions becomes essential.