Healthy Eating - One Plate at a Time

The Harvard School of Public Health recently published their version of the USDA’s “MyPlate” model for healthy eating. 

What’s the difference?  "Unfortunately, like the earlier U.S. Department of Agriculture Pyramids, MyPlate mixes science with the influence of powerful agricultural interests, which is not the recipe for healthy eating," said Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and chair of the Department of Nutrition at HSPH.  The Healthy Eating Plate is based on the latest and best scientific evidence which shows that a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins lowers the risk of weight gain and chronic disease.

The Harvard version is more specific about important choices to make within each food category.  The healthy plate recommends whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, 100% whole wheat) over refined grains (white flour and rice products),  healthier high-protein foods such as fish, poultry, beans and nuts, beneficial healthy fats (olive and canola oils, avocado, and flax seeds rich in omega-3 fatty acids), and choosing from a variety of fruits and vegetables (choose from a rainbow of colors; avoid over reliance on potatoes).  The Harvard version also emphasizes the importance of physical activity and reducing high-sugar beverages.

To learn more, visit Harvard’s site:  Harvard Healthy Plate information.

Your best chance of success to follow this advice is to eat most of your meals at home.  Most restaurants, even high-end ones, continue to serve an unbalanced plate with ½ protein, ¼ starch, and ¼ vegetables (at most!).   I recently traveled to Las Vegas and had my choice of famous restaurants to choose from:  Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Todd English, Mary Sue Milliken, etc.  While the food was wonderful, it was a real challenge to find vegetables or a salad that wasn’t heavily laden with dressing or butter.  Several restaurants offered broccolini as a side, and twice I received it overcooked and swimming in butter.  In the future, I will ask to have the vegetables prepared lightly steamed with no added butter or oil. 

If we don’t ask for healthier versions of restaurant meals, the industry will never change.  Unfortunately the majority of American diners expect to receive a large portion of meat or seafood for their entrée at a restaurant.  The sides such as grains and vegetables are treated as condiments to the main protein component, but a healthy diet includes just the opposite.  A good strategy is to split your meal with someone else or take half of it home for another meal, and order sides of steamed vegetables and whole grains.

In your own kitchen, you can easily make the change to include a large portion of vegetables accompanied by whole grains and a moderate portion of protein foods.  Don’t let the restaurant industry define your version of a healthy plate.