University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

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Publication #FCS8796

Healthy Eating: Create Your Plate!1

Jennifer Hillan and Linda B. Bobroff2

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Create Your Plate

Meal planning can help you control portion sizes and the amount of carbohydrate you eat throughout the day. This is especially important if you have diabetes or if you are at risk for the disease. Let's get started!

You Will Need:

  • A 9-inch plate (measure your salad or dinner plate)

  • A bowl to hold ½ cup of fruit

  • A bowl to hold 1 cup of soup or cereal

Fill Your Plate With:

  • ½ plate = non-starchy vegetables

  • ¼ plate = bread/grains/pasta/rice/starchy vegetables

  • ¼ plate = meat/fish/poultry/beans/eggs

Add to Your Plate:

  • Small piece of fruit (or ½ cup sliced fruit)

  • 1 cup of low-fat milk or yogurt

Figure 1. 

Trading Servings

Fruit, grains, and milk have about the same effect on blood glucose levels, so you can occasionally trade these foods for each other. For example, if you don't want fruit for breakfast, have another piece of toast. Or trade your toast for another cup of milk. But remember that it's important to eat foods from all groups to get the vitamins and minerals you need each day!

Figure 6. 

Here are some ideas to get you started!

BREAKFAST

Figure 2. 

Figure 3. 

LUNCH/DINNER

Figure 4. 

Figure 5. 

What about snacks and desserts?

If you want a snack, save your fruit or milk serving to have between meals. If you want a small dessert, trade it for your fruit. Don't do this often, though. Desserts usually are high in sugar and calories!

Footnotes

1.

La versión en español de este documento es Alimentación Saludable: Organice Su Plato (FCS8796-Span). This document is FCS8796, one in a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. First published: May 2006. Revised: September 2008. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Jennifer Hillan, MSH, RD, LD/N, ENAFS nutrition educator, Linda B. Bobroff, Ph.D., RD, LD/N, professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.