Is it difficult to implement a balanced diet? Learn 10 tips for healthy eating and eat right nutrition easily

It is often said that a balanced diet is very important for health. So what exactly does a “balanced diet” consist of? In order to express the specific content, various tools have been devised, the most clear and easy to understand of which is "MyPlate" published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011.

My Plate makes food choices clearer

On the round plate, foods and nutrients are differentiated and arranged by color, making a balanced diet clearer and easier to understand through visual expression. Half of the plate is made up of vegetables and fruits, and the other half is made up of grains such as rice and bread, as well as proteins such as fish and meat. The circle in the upper right corner represents a cup containing milk and dairy products (Dairy).

When using "My Plate", 10 specific healthy eating tips are also introduced, such as how to choose foods in order to intake balanced nutrition. This includes preventing lifestyle diseases, including obesity, by taking in vitamins and minerals from a large amount of rich fruits and vegetables, and reducing the intake of fat, sugar, and salt. Prevention of lifestyle diseases is also a hot topic in Japan. If grains are the staple food, protein is the main dish, vegetables are the side dishes, and milk, dairy products and fruits are consumed directly, I believe that "My Plate" can also be applied in Japan.

10 tips for a healthy diet

This article is compiled from the "10 tips Nutrition Education Series" published on the website (www.choosemyplate.gov) managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

1. Understand the amount you need for a day

By using BMI and the formula "body weight x 0.4 units" to calculate the calories needed for a day, you can easily control your intake.

2. Enjoy your food but also pay attention to the amount

Eat only what your body needs. Also, eating too fast can easily lead to overeating, so you need to be especially careful.

3. Be careful not to overeat

Choose smaller plates or cups and carry your own serving size. When eating out, you can choose smaller portions, share food with others, or take leftover food home, etc., and try to avoid eating too much.

4. Learn more about what foods to eat

Consciously choose and consume vegetables, fruits, whole grains, zero-fat or low-fat milk, dairy products and other foods rich in calcium, potassium, vitamin D, dietary fiber, etc.

5. Make half of your diet vegetables and fruits

Actively consume brightly colored vegetables such as red, orange, and green. In addition, you can also add fruits to dishes and desserts and eat them more.

6. Choose zero-fat or low-fat (1%) milk and dairy products

Choose zero-fat or low-fat (1%) milk and dairy products. Compared with regular milk and dairy products, they have lower calories and less saturated fatty acids, but can provide the same amount of calcium.

7. Replace half of your grains with unrefined grains

Half of the rice and wheat used as staple foods can be replaced with unrefined brown rice and whole wheat flour, which contain richer vitamins and minerals.

8. Learn more about foods you should eat less

Stop consuming foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt, such as cakes, biscuits, ice cream, sugary drinks, pizza, sausages, bacon, etc. every day, or try to reduce the amount of food you eat if you still want to.

9. Choose foods low in salt

When purchasing soups, bread, frozen foods, canned foods, etc., check the nutrition information on the labels and try to choose foods with less salt. Also add less salt when making homemade foods.

10. Replace sugary drinks with water

Flavored drinks and sports drinks contain too much sugar and can easily lead to excessive calorie intake. When drinking fluids, try to drink only water.

This article is excerpted from the book "Super Illustrated Nutrition: Building the Basics of Nutrition from Scratch" published by Taiwan Dongfan