CONSTRUCTING A MEAL

Constructing a healthy dinner plate

There are four steps to help you serve up a healthy food plate:

1. Choose a medium-sized plate or bowl, and avoid large ones

2. Fill half of your dinner plate with a variety of colorful cooked vegetables or salad

3. Then add lean protein foods such as meat, fish, chicken, eggs, tofu or legumes (chick peas, lentils, kidney beans, etc.) to take up one quarter of the plate

4. The other quarter of the plate is taken up by adding carbohydrate foods such as rice, pasta, noodles or starchy vegetables (e.g. potato, sweet potato, corn). Try to include low GI carbohydrate at each meal.

5. Add a serving of fruit, a serving of dairy, or both to your meal plan. This can be in addition to your meal or as a snack.