The plate of good food is a graphic that shows how our diet should be.. The best way to combat the growing problem of obesity in Mexico is to promote a balanced diet that includes the different food groups.
To this end, the Mexican Ministry of Health created a tool that explains in a very clear and visual way how a healthy plate should look like. how a healthy plate should look like. This graphic is called “the plate of good eating”, and here we explain what it consists of.
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What is the plate of good eating?
This nutritional tool helps to divide into portions the foods that we should consume.. It has been structured to include the food groups that we should eat daily, indicating the recommended amounts of each group to maintain an adequate nutritional balance.
Although the plate of good food is a measure a measure aimed at the entire population to help reduce the high rates of obesity, we must consider that it includes some foods that not all people can consume, for example in the case of suffering from a disease or food intolerance, such as celiac disease.
The plate of good food chart includes the three major food groups includes the three main food groupsvegetables and fruits, cereals and tubers, and finally animal products and legumes. As a way to orient on the quantities, those that should be consumed in smaller amounts are indicated in red, yellow for intermediate portions and green for those that can be consumed in abundance.
1. Green: Vegetables and fruits
Vegetables and fruits should be consumed in abundance.. One of the main situations that have increased obesity rates in the Mexican population is that the consumption of fruits and vegetables has decreased considerably, while the consumption of the rest of the food groups has increased, along with a growth in the consumption of sugary drinks and fast food.
This has undoubtedly been reflected in the form of a public health problem. Fruits and vegetables have been replaced by junk food, especially in the case of children, promoting an excessive intake of red meat and carbohydrates. For this reason, the “good to eat” plate is marked in green for this group. to explain that they should be eaten in abundance.
Although the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables may seem obvious, the importance of their regular intake for a healthy and balanced diet should be emphasized. Fruits and vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. All these nutrients are irreplaceable and necessary to maintain a healthy body. necessary to maintain a healthy body.
Many industrialized products are advertised with added nutrients. However, the body’s absorption of these vitamins and minerals is not as efficient. For this reason it is said that the nutrients provided by fruits and vegetables are irreplaceable, because only the intake of these products guarantees that the body absorbs the vitamins and minerals they contain.
The group of fruits and vegetables includes, among others: banana, apple, pear, watermelon, oranges, guavas, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, papaya, melon, peach, kiwi, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, tomato, eggplant, broccoli, spinach, carrot, pumpkin, cabbage, squash blossom, chard, onion, etc.
The recommended amount for any fruit is a portion similar to a tennis ball or a fist at each meal. or a fist at each meal. As long as the nutritionist approves, a snack option can be a serving of fruit. In the case of vegetables, the recommended portion is two small fists or bowls.
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2. Yellow: cereals and tubers
The group of cereals and tubers provides the body with energy and dietary fiber.. It is common that when a person goes on a diet to lose weight, he or she minimizes or eliminates the consumption of cereals, due to the high content of carbohydrates contained in most of the cereals that we consume most frequently.
But the reality is that it is not necessary to abstain from this food group if we seek to reduce weight or size. This is as long as a balance is maintained in their consumption and the portions are not higher than those suggested in the plate of good food. In addition, there is a wide variety of cereals among those suggested in the plate of good food, there is a wide variety of cereals to choose from that do not contain high levels of carbohydrates.that do not contain such high levels of carbohydrates.
The food group made up of cereals and tubers should be consumed in fair measure. That is, it should not exceed the amount and abundance of the green group of fruits and vegetables, but it can be higher than the food group of the red area. However, there are many people who abuse the consumption of some cereal-based foods.
The advantage of cereals is that they can be consumed and combined in a variety of ways. This gives variety to our plate, at the same time that we do not stop counting on the nutrients that this food group offers to our body. Such as breads, tortillas, pastas, soups or some types of cookies.
On the other hand, tubers also play an important role in our diet. Tubers are the thickened stems of some plants, where nutrients are accumulated. Most of them are rich in antioxidants and vitamin A and B, as well as some minerals.
The cereals that we can include in our plate of good eating are rice, wheat, corn, barley, quinoa, amaranth, flaxseed, among others, and the suggested portion is the size of a fist.. On the other hand, the most recommended tubers are potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, radish or jicama. In the same way that with cereals, the adequate portion corresponds to the size of our fist.
3. Red: Legumes and foods of animal origin
Leguminous plants and meat belong to the red group.These are recommended to be consumed in smaller quantities. As already mentioned, a serious problem that continues to grow is obesity. One of the main causes of this disease is the high consumption of soft drinks, fast food and foods of animal origin in quantities much higher than recommended.
In recent decades, the Mexican population’s diet has changed.. The consumption of red meat has increased and in many homes this food group has become the main and most important, minimizing or even eliminating the consumption of vegetables, fruits and cereals.
This is certainly not healthy. For this reason it is specified in the chart of the plate of good food that the food group of animal origin, i.e. meat from fish, poultry, beef, as well as dairy products, eggs and cheeses, should be consumed in moderation, should be consumed in moderation and in smaller quantities than cereals or fruits and vegetables.
On the other hand legumes are also recommended to be consumed in a smaller proportion than fruits and vegetables, but in a moderate than fruits and vegetables, but in a very similar way as with cereals. It is even suggested that they be combined with each other or that sporadically they be substituted for each other. That yes, without stopping consuming for prolonged periods of time some of the foods of each group.
The portions suggested for meats are the size of the palm of the hand. This amount is sufficient to obtain the proteins the body needs, so exceeding this portion is unnecessary and even harmful, since it replaces other foods that do provide more nutrients, such as fruits and vegetables.
On the other hand, cheese, milk and eggs are suggested in a smaller amount.. With the size of a little finger, it is enough. The legumes that are considered part of the plate of good food are beans, broad beans, lentils, peas. The suggested serving size is one fistful of any of these or in combination.