Healthy plate model is a great way to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. The model provides the concept that a serving of carbohydrates or protein must be accompanied by two servings of vegetables and one (limit) of fruit. It is important to eat these foods in order to maintain your weight, stay away from hunger and keep cholesterol levels in check.
Benefits of Healthy Plate Model
1. Maintains a healthy weight
This diet helps to balance your weight. According to the Mayo clinic, a healthy diet is one that contains a variety of foods with a serving of fruits and vegetables daily.
2. Curbs hunger pangs
This diet helps you to avoid feeling hungry for longer periods by keeping you full for longer periods of time. Your stomach will stay full for 3-5 hours or until your next meal, thereby preventing you from snacking between meals which can result in weight gain or unhealthy eating patterns. A rest period of between 90-120 minutes between meals is recommended by the Mayo clinic so that it helps prevent delayed consumption and snacks during your next meal.
3. Prevents for cholesterol
Saturated fats, trans fatty acids and cholesterol are not part of a healthy diet. such things increase your risk of coronary heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers (particularly colorectal and breast cancer). The diet keeps the consumption of saturated fat and trans fatty acids to under 7% of the total calories consumed while reducing cholesterol down to 300 milligrams or less per day. It is recommended that you consume foods low in saturated fat and trans fat such as salad dressing with olive oil or canola oil instead of butter or margarine. Another helpful way is to reduce the amount of red meat consumed (beef) while increasing the amount of fish eaten. According to the Mayo clinic, a healthy diet also contains both poly- and monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids.
4. Promotes a healthy immune system
A healthy diet provides the recommended vitamins and nutrients which support a healthy immune system. Vitamin C can protect you from infectious diseases by producing antibodies while vitamin E helps to fight infection, especially in children and infants. Vitamin A is important for a good night’s sleep which is vital for maintaining a healthy immune system. Fruits and vegetables (in particular orange and green color fruits) are rich in vitamin C as well as beta carotene.