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WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE A HEALTHY MEAL PLAN?
We all are aware of the general term and meaning of health but have you ever thought that what is considered to be a healthy meal plan !We often get confused between the meaning so diet plan and meal plan and end up thinking that these terms are the same. But the truth is not something else.
A diet plan is considered a professional plan that is made according to the health status, lifestyle, and weight management goals of a person. While a healthy meal plan means including a proper and balanced plan in your diet focusing on the portions from all five food groups. A healthy meal plan focuses on some factors to achieve the best meal plan status. The total time to cook the food, availability, variety of seasonal foods, and financial resources are some factors that determine the uniqueness of a healthy meal plan.
Our life is running at a fast pace in which we do not get the proper time to prepare a healthy meal for ourselves. We are addicted to convenience foods and ready-to-go food products that somehow made our life easier in cooking aspects. We usually forget the health status and effects of such food products on our health and keep on using them until we deteriorate our health status.
Healthy and clean eating is as much necessary for our life as we require air to breathe and live alive. A healthy meal plan plays an important role to achieve an excellent health status incorporating physical activity too. The healthy meal plan is not associated with only a single age group of people but it is important for people of all age groups especially children who are in their growing phase.
A healthy meal plan or eating plan focuses on incorporating food portions from all major food groups including grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, proteins, and fats. A healthy eating plan emphasizes you eat:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole grains
- Low-fat dairy products
- Lean portions of meat and plant-based sources of proteins
- Limited amount of saturated and trans fats
A healthy meal plan also lay special emphasis on calorie intake and a healthy eating plan contains 1500-1800 calories per body weight each day.
Elaboration of a healthy meal plan
If a person starts following a healthy meal plan consistently, there would be significant changes that he would come to know in a very short duration. The person would feel that the body over him is getting lighter and that his health level starts maintaining a significant position. Some of the major benefits of following a healthy meal plan regularly are as follows:
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Protection from malnutrition |
The major advantage of eating healthy diet is that is helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms.
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Lower risk of non-communicable diseases |
Eating healthy diet reduces the risk of noncommunicable diseases. Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to health.
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Proper energy intake |
Energy intake should be in balance with energy expenditure. To avoid unhealthy weight gain, total fat should not exceed 30% of total energy intake. Intake of saturated fats should be less than 10% of total energy intake, and intake of trans-fats less than 1% of total energy intake, with a shift in fat consumption away from saturated fats and trans-fats to unsaturated fats, and towards the goal of eliminating industrially-produced trans-fats |
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Limited sugar intake |
Limiting intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake is part of a healthy diet. A further reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake is suggested for additional health benefits |
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Limited salt intake |
Keeping salt intake to less than 5 g per day (equivalent to sodium intake of less than 2 g per day) helps to prevent hypertension, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population. |
Benefits of a healthy meal plan
Some of the simple benefits of eating a healthy diet in adults are as follows:
- Positive impact on health
A healthy diet in a longer proportion allows the person to live a long and healthy life. A healthy diet has a positive impact on the health of the skin, teeth, and eyes.
- Nutritional support for the body
It provides nutritional support to the muscles of the body and other body parts.
- Immunity booster
It helps to boost the immunity
- Better bone health
It allows the bones to get strengthened.
- Lower chances of non-communicable diseases
It lowers the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers
The healthy plate concept for a healthy meal plan
My healthy plate is a helping guide to planning a healthy meal plan according to balanced calories. It helps you to achieve a well-balanced and nutritionally supported diet that includes all the nutrients in the right amount. My healthy plate focus on filling up the half plate with fruits and vegetable portion and another half with whole grains, protein, and dairy groups. It also focuses on consuming healthy oils, physical activity, and intake of fluids.
Whole grains
The food group including whole grains, bread, and cereals is the most important food group providing maximum calories and nutrients. It includes complex and refined sources from which complex carbohydrates are recommended to consume along with fiber. Complex carbohydrates including whole wheat products, wholemeal bread, cereals, rolled oats, and brown rice provide the feeling of fullness and fulfill our satiety levels. Other than this they are rich in vitamins (B and E) and minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium), the fiber in the form of inulin, and many phytochemicals like lignans and phytosterols.
Refined carbohydrate sources lack valuable nutrients and make a person feel hungry even after consuming the food. The sources are white bread, and white oats and all bakery items like cookies, cakes, and biscuits are made up of refined carbohydrates. So, whole grains are the wise choice for this group.
Fruits and vegetables
My healthy plate focus on filling the half plate with fruits and vegetables in appropriate serving according to the calculated calorie count. Fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense providing all the essential nutrients to the body and are less in calories. Fruits and vegetables add flavor, texture, and color to our plates. Red and orange fruits and vegetables like carrots, strawberries, apples, and cherries are anti-oxidant-rich foods that help the body to fight against free radical production in our body and lessen the chances of non-communicable diseases like cancer.
You should prefer to consume fruits in the whole form along with their peels like apples, pears, and guava. The whole fruits provide fiber along with other nutrients that provide the feeling of fullness to the body and ease constipation and other bowel movements. Fruits juices can also be consumed but they lack fiber content in them. It is recommended not to overcook the vegetables as it results in demolishing of all the essential nutrients.
Proteins
Food portions from the protein group are essential to consume daily as proteins are the building blocks of our body. Proteins help to retain muscle mass and strengthen the body to achieve its maximum metabolic processes. Proteins can be consumed from animal and plant sources. Animal protein sources include red meat, poultry, egg, and fish, Plant-based protein sources are much healthier options including beans, lentils, and pulses.
Milk and milk products
According to My Healthy Plate, you should also focus on consuming enough calcium to strengthen the bone health of your body. Milk and milk products are rich sources of calcium that helps in lessening the chances of osteoporosis and other bone disorders. You can include milk, cheese, yogurt, and other sources like tofu, salmon, and other forms of milk to fulfill the calcium content. There are many calcium-fortified products available on market such as calcium-fortified juices and cereals that can help you to achieve a balanced calcium status.
Healthy oils
The oils and fats group cannot be ignored as these are also required in moderate amounts. Fats and oils help to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in the body. Neurons that are the brain cells of our body require fats to produce myelin sheath on their axon for conducting a nerve impulse. Many other functions of the body need appropriate amounts of fats so we cannot skip this food group. It is recommended to consume healthier fat sources like olive oil and canola oil as they are rich in HDL which is good cholesterol.
Limit the intake of saturated fat sources and trans fats including butter and clarified butter as they are rich in calories and LDL which is bad cholesterol.
Physical activity
A healthy meal plan does not only focus on consuming the appropriate amount of calories but also focuses to incorporate physical activity into life. Physical activity can be of any form including sedentary to moderate and strenuous exercise. You should keep your body working to attain a healthy body weight. Physical activity along with a healthy meal plan helps to achieve a normal BMI (body mass index) that prevents various non-communicable diseases like obesity and CVD.
