Written by Dietitians at Diabetes Control for Life
Making smart food choices for good health can seem overwhelming. We hope the Healthy Eating articles you’ve been reading are making that shift easier for you. An important part of making wise food choices is the whole notion of balance. This Healthy Eating article describes how to create a balancing act that can help your diabetes control plan.
Protein is a key nutrient for health. However, most adults need less than a half a gram of protein for every half kilogram of body weight each day. Serious weight lifters and people on a very low-calorie diet may need a little more, but never more than about one gram per half kilogram.
You can do the math. You need about 15 percent to 20 percent of your calories from protein. Just multiply your daily calorie requirements by 0.0375 and 0.05 (15 percent and 20 percent of calories from protein divided by four calories per gram of protein) to get the range of protein you need daily. A health care professional such as a dietitian can help you determine your daily calorie requirements.
Now consider that 28 g of meat or poultry provides seven grams of protein. Most of us eat at least 113 g of meat or other animal protein at every meal. If you follow this pattern, you’re getting 84 grams of protein a day (113 g of meat times seven grams of protein times three meals a day). You don’t need that much to stay healthy. And reducing the amount of meat in your diet is a way to reduce calories.
Because meat tastes wonderful, it’s used in many cultures as a condiment to add flavor, texture, and complexity to meals. Think of Indian curry, Italian pasta primavera, Moroccan stew, Asian noodles, and French ratatouille. The idea of using small amounts of meat or other protein food to flavor a meal centered on vegetable and plant protein sources is a key to moving toward a plant-based diet.
Fruits and vegetables are good and gorgeous. They also are wonderful sources of flavor, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber. Phytochemicals, you recall, are substances in fruits and vegetables that give these foods their brilliant colors and offer you incredible health benefits. So, create a beautiful palette of colors on your plate when you eat. It’s pleasing to look at, colorful fruits and vegetables taste good, and they can reduce risks for many diseases like cancer, heart disease, and intestinal disorders.
Physician and produce advocate, Albert Barrocas, M.D., has a catchy saying to help you remember how many servings of fruits and vegetables to eat per day for good health: “Eat five to stay alive!” One serving of vegetable is 236 ml when fresh and 118 ml when cooked. One fruit serving is equal to one medium-sized piece, 236 ml of chopped, or 118 ml of 100 percent fruit juice. Here’s just a sampling of easy ways to eat more fruits and vegetables:
The possibilities are endless!
Fruits, vegetables (especially fresh ones), whole-grain products like whole-wheat breads, whole-grain pasta, brown rice, and beans are great sources of fiber. Dietary fiber helps with “regularity,” but it offers other benefits, too. High-fiber foods fill you up to help you manage hunger by helping you feel full longer with fewer calories. (Click here for more about the concept of “volumetrics.”) And they help you control your blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Fiber also adds interest and texture to your plate.
To get the health benefits you just read about, paint your plate with colorful foods and texturize with fresh produce and whole grains. Use the following tool to rate your plate.
If your plate looks like this, you have a good start on a balanced, healthy, flavorful, and colorful meal. Add a serving of fruit and dairy product, and enjoy.
