The more you eat, the thinner you get? Losing weight by relying on the "healthy plate", is it popular among everyone?

Those who are trying to lose weight must have heard of the “healthy weight loss plate” (my plate), but is this concept applicable to everyone? Recently, a slightly adjusted version of the healthy weight loss plate has been circulated on the Internet, which is different from the regular healthy weight loss plate in design concept. Nutritionists remind us that when it comes to weight loss, exercise cannot be ignored. Therefore, when using the "Healthy Weight Loss Plate" method, it is necessary to pay attention to sports nutrition assessment in order to achieve an ideal fitness body.

Before deciding to adopt the "Healthy Weight Loss Plate" plan, that is, before calculating your food intake using your lunch box, first think about what a "Healthy Plate" is. Nutritionist Su Yanchen said that the first thing to mention is the ancestor of this original concept - the "Dietary Guidelines". This term may sound unfamiliar to some people, but it is an important dietary recommendation from the government to prevent nutritional deficiencies and promote health among the people. Use clear pictures for people to refer to and follow. Taking Taiwan as an example, it uses a vibrant fan-shaped image of moving towards a broad road, while Japan is a spinning top shape, Canada is a rainbow and circular map, and China is full of ancient temple flavor. Although the pictures are beautiful and the content is similar, they always lack the flavor of being easy to understand.

Balanced healthy meals: my plate

In order to successfully integrate art and nutrition, Harvard Medical School decided to remove the colorful and colorful elements, return the guidelines to their basics, and designed the now globally popular "My Plate" in 2011 based on the optimal proportions of a healthy diet. The concept is very simple: half of the meal should be fruits and vegetables, with an appropriate amount of starch and protein. As long as you follow this dietary proportion, you can eat healthy and balanced meals without having to do any calculations.

However, can this simple diet concept really be suitable for people of all ages? Taking athletes as an example, according to the nutritional recommendations of the Olympic Association, such lunch boxes actually only account for one-third of the correct answers. Taking endurance sports as an example, sports nutrition is divided into three stages. The first stage is daily weight management, which is indeed similar to the core concept of a healthy plate - "half of the meal should be vegetables and fruits, and an appropriate amount of starch and protein", which is indeed the only way to maintain body shape.

Endurance athletes must adjust their meal proportions appropriately. On competition days or heavy training days, starch intake may even need to be twice that of normal days, with a small increase in protein and an appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables.

Endurance athletes need to adjust their meal proportions appropriately

As exercise intensity increases, meal proportions must be adjusted, especially starches. The ultimate goal of endurance athletes’ diet is to “retain glycogen” by increasing the intake of whole grain starches, especially on competition days or heavy training days. The intake of starches may even need to be twice that of normal days. A small amount of protein and appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables can be added. The proportion of the advanced version of the meal is shown in the figure below:

The above meal proportions are for endurance athletes, such as marathons, cycling, triathlons, etc. In addition, although the healthy meal plate is simple and easy to use, if you want to rely on diet to make your exercise more precise, it is recommended that you find a nutritionist for customized diet design so that you can eat your ideal body shape.