The Colorful Plate
Lose Pounds or Maintain a Healthy Weight with Variety, Balance and Moderation

Lose Pounds or Maintain a Healthy Weight with Variety, Balance and Moderation

Eat a Variety of Foods

Scientists have identified 40 different nutrients that are necessary to maintain health. No single food can provide all of these nutrients, and the best way to get adequate nutrition is to choose foods from each of the six food groups in the Food Pyramid. Eating a variety of foods within each food group may also improve your diet. Not only does this variety help make meals more interesting from day to day, it also provides a variety of diverse nutrients for your body. Vegetables are a good example of this: some provide vitamin A, while others provide vitamin E; some are high in fiber, while others are high in calcium.

Balance the Food You Eat with Physical Activity

In order to stay at the same body weight, people must balance the amount of calories they consume with the amount of calories they use, and physical activity is an important way to do this. It is important, therefore, to take advantage of opportunities to burn calories. Walk to the store instead of taking the car and use the stairs rather than the elevator. These and other activities may help you reduce body fat and the risk of developing several types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis.

Lose Pounds or Maintain a Healthy Weight

The kind and amount of food people eat affects their ability to maintain weight. It is important to eat foods that are filling but lower in calories. These include pasta, rice, bread and other whole grain foods, as well as fruits and vegetables. High-fat foods contain more calories per serving than other foods and may increase the likelihood of weight gain. However, even when people eat less high-fat food, they still can gain weight from eating too much of foods that are high in starch, sugars or proteins. A calorie is a calorie whether it comes from fat or carbohydrate. Anything eaten in excess can lead to weight gain. Reducing the amount of fat and saturated fat that you eat is one easy way to limit your overall calorie intake. However, eating fat-free or reduced-fat foods isn’t always the answer to weight loss. For example, if you eat twice as many fat-free cookies as regular cookies you may not have reduced your overall calorie intake. The following list of foods and their fat-free varieties will show you that just because a product is fat-free, it doesn’t mean that it is "calorie-free."

Fat-Free Versus Regular Calorie Comparison

            Source: National Institutes of Health

Choose a Diet Low in Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol

To remain healthy at least 15-20% of overall calories should come from fat. To determine the number of fat grams you need, check with your health care provider for the total calories recommended for your height and weight. Multiply the total calories by .15 or .20 and divide this answer by 9 (the number of calories in 1 gram of fat). The final figure is the number of grams of fat you need each day.

Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature. Animal products and tropical oils (palm, coconut, palm kernel) are sources of saturated fats. The harder the fat the more saturated it is. Examples are butter, stick margarine, shortening, and fat in cheese and meat.

Polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Safflower, sunflower, corn and soybean oils have the highest amounts of polyunsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature. Best sources are found in canola, peanut and olive oil.

To reduce your intake of fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, follow these recommendations:

• Use fats and oils sparingly.
• Use the Nutrition Facts Label to help you choose foods lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
• Choose low-fat milk products, lean meats, fish, poultry, beans and peas to get essential nutrients without substantially increasing calorie and saturated fat intakes.

About 55% to 60% of total calories consumed should come from carbohydrates, and most should come from starchy foods such as pasta, bread, cereals or legumes. People concerned with their weight are advised to substitute starchy foods in place of those with large amounts of fat. Plant foods also add dietary fiber, a substance that can help prevent cancer.

Use Sugars in Moderation

The dietary sugars we consume can come in two different forms: carbohydrates and simple sugars. Carbohydrates are components of many foods, such as milk, fruit, vegetables, bread, and cereal. When digested, these carbohydrates get broken down into simple sugars by the body. Simple sugars are ingested when we use sugar or honey for baking and flavoring. These do not have to be broken down by our body because they are already in a digestible form.

Because sugar can be obtained in these two ways, we often times consume an excess of sugar unknowingly. Therefore, sugar should be used in moderation in your diet, especially if your calorie needs are low. Avoid excessive snacking, and read the Nutrition Facts Label on foods you buy to determine how much sugar you are consuming. This will tell you information about carbohydrates and sugars.

Use Salt and Sodium in Moderation

We obtain sodium, or salt, in a variety of ways. It is a natural ingredient in foods, but it is usually only present in small amounts. We put it on foods in the form of table salt or in sauces such as soy, but this also only accounts for a small percentage of the salt we consume. The most potent source of salt, by far, is the salt that has been added during food processing and preparation.

Fresh fruits and vegetables have very little sodium, and, therefore, these are better choices than the canned versions. Read the Nutrition Facts Label to compare sodium contents, and try to identify and consume foods low in sodium. Also, use herbs and spices to flavor food instead of salt or salty sauces.

If You Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation

Alcoholic beverages supply calories but few or no nutrients. Also, the alcohol in these beverages has effects that are harmful when consumed in excess. For example, alcohol may alter judgement, lead to dependency, and cause serious health problems, such as cancer. Therefore, if you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. When you drink, be sure to do so with meals, and always be positive that your consumption does not put you or others at risk.

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