Balanced nutrition plate: what a balanced diet looks like
Kyiv • UNN
Harvard University experts have developed the "Healthy Eating Plate" model, which is a simple guide for forming a daily diet. It offers a distribution of products to maintain energy and prevent diseases.
Harvard University experts have developed the "Healthy Eating Plate" model, which helps to understand how to properly form a daily diet. It is not a diet, but serves as a simple guide for choosing foods that support energy, well-being, and disease prevention. What should be on this plate - writes UNN with reference to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Half a plate - vegetables and fruits
Half of the plate should consist of vegetables, fruits, and berries. They provide the body with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and also support immunity and digestion. It is best to choose seasonal products and combine different colors, because each of them has its own beneficial properties. At the same time, potatoes are not included in the total amount of vegetables due to their high carbohydrate content.
A quarter of the plate - complex carbohydrates.
Another 25% of the plate is occupied by whole grain products: oatmeal, buckwheat, pearl barley, brown rice, quinoa. They contain B vitamins, as well as iron, magnesium, and antioxidants, and provide a longer feeling of satiety. Such products help to avoid sharp fluctuations in sugar levels and support intestinal health due to fiber.
Another quarter of the plate - protein products
The last part of the plate is occupied by proteins - fish, poultry, eggs, and legumes. Protein is needed for tissue growth and repair, strengthening immunity, and producing hormones and enzymes. Adding plant proteins to the diet helps to diversify nutrition and reduce the consumption of saturated fats.
Experts emphasize that a complete refusal of fats can harm the body. It is worth avoiding trans fats and an excess of saturated fats, instead choosing healthy sources - olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. Such fats support the work of the cardiovascular system, brain, and contribute to the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Also, for healthy eating, it is extremely important to consume enough water. It is necessary for all body processes: thermoregulation, digestion, metabolism, and concentration. Unlike sugary drinks and juices, it does not contain calories and does not burden the body.
The need for water depends on activity, weather, and health, so it is important to drink throughout the day and listen to thirst. Coffee and tea are advised to be consumed without sugar.
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