How to make your dishes healthier

When talking about having a healthy and balanced diet, it is a concept that can be very broad. We know that there are some foods that are healthier than others, but, when it comes to balancing daily meals, it is difficult to know in what proportions we should consume certain foods or What would be the best way to combine them with each other, how to make your dishes healthier to achieve a healthy diet, which contributes to maintaining our health in optimal conditions.

What would a healthy dish be like?

Thus, although for years the so-called food pyramid model has been followed, which showed the amount of food that was healthiest to consume throughout the week, currently, there is a method that is more effective: it is the so-called ‘healthy plate’.

As proposed by the School of Public Health T.H. Chan from Harvard (United States), this technique is based on dividing mentally the plate of food in various fractions, to get an idea of the amount of food we should consume and how to mix them.

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We must remember that it will not always be possible to include all the elements of the meal in the same dish, for example, if you have a soup. However, this is an indicative way to understand the recommended proportions and, above all, the need for variety to be present in each meal, and not just throughout the week. (To make it a little easier for you… Here you have a selection of healthy recipes to enjoy as a family!!)

In addition, these are some ideas that you should take into account when making your dishes healthier:

assorted fruits and vegetable on brown wooden chopping board

Half plate for fruits and vegetables to make your dishes healthier

It is clear that fruits and vegetables should be the basis of our diet and, therefore, the foods that take up the most space on our plate. In fact, they will account for half of it. It must be taken into account that almost three quarters of this half plate will correspond to vegetables and the other quarter to fruits. It’s not about eating just some spinach and just one banana, but about giving a little color to the plate by combining fruits and vegetables with each other. However, each color means that that food has specific characteristics, so the more varied the dishes are, the more nutrients we will obtain. Finally, keep in mind that potatoes or sweet potatoes would not be included in this category, due to their high levels of carbohydrates.

Cereals yes, but whole grains

to make your dishes healthier, the next quarter of this plate of healthy food will be dedicated to “whole grains”, that is, foods such as rice, bread and other cereals, which remain a fundamental part of the diet. Of course: they must be consumed preferably in their whole grain version, avoiding white rice, non-whole wheat and other unrefined cereals, which are carbohydrates. less recommended carbon.

Healthy proteins

The last quarter of the plate should be allocated, of course, to proteins. Of course, they must be healthy proteins, that is, reducing saturated fats, red and processed meats (sausages), etc. as much as possible. Thus, foods such as fish and poultry are more recommended. Likewise, we must not forget that legumes are also a great source of protein and that they should often be included in this category. They do not always have to be physically separate categories, we can also create combinations. For example, a dish of lentils with lots of vegetables and a little brown rice, or make this same combination with a salad, to which we can also add some fruit.

Don’t forget the water

When talking about the food plate, it should also include a glass of drink. In this sense, we must remember that it is necessary to drink enough water every day, and that this glass of water should not be replaced by sugary drinks or soft drinks. Likewise, you should not drink more than one glass of juice (without added sugar) a day, and do not exceed the consumption of milk.

Opt for vegetable oils

Whether for cooking or seasoning, choose vegetable oils such as olive. On the contrary, you should avoid partially hydrogenated oils, which contain unhealthy fats.

Good nutrition is not enough

Finally, we must remember that, although a healthy diet is essential to leading a healthy life, it must be accompanied by other habits such as moderate daily physical exercise and avoiding toxins such as tobacco and alcohol.

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