How to Balance Your Plate Using MyPlate

The Heart of MyPlate

I don’t know anybody who enjoys being told what to do – especially in their food choices. Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out what’s true about nutrition when so many people tell you different things about what’s healthy. This makes figuring out where to start in your healthy eating journey difficult.

So, where’s the middle ground for those who want guidelines for a healthy, balanced diet without being told exactly what they can and cannot eat? 

That’s where MyPlate comes in.

If healthy eating feels restrictive, MyPlate is perfect for you. You can eat healthy even if you don’t enjoy salad, green smoothies, raw carrots, or unseasoned grilled chicken (let’s be honest: who does?)

Say goodbye to crash dieting and strict rules. Everyone wants to feel healthy, but the trick is to make this achievable. MyPlate helps you balance food groups in the right proportions. A busy schedule, tight budget, and fear of losing favorite foods are the biggest hurdles to a healthy diet, but MyPlate can help you address these factors in a way that fits your lifestyle. Life is all about balance, and healthy eating is no different. 

At Choose Homemade, we believe eating healthy should be easy, affordable, and delicious. Let’s break down how MyPlate can help you achieve these goals – without stress.

What Is MyPlate?

MyPlate is a better version of the outdated food pyramid, designed with five main food groups for a flexible lifestyle. Visualize your healthy diet with – you guessed it – a plate!

There are four basic principles of MyPlate:

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Make a quarter of your plate grains (with at least half of those being whole grains)
• Make a quarter of your plate lean protein.
• Include dairy or dairy alternatives throughout the day.

The best part? You don’t have to include every food group in every meal! Think more about your daily intake rather than balancing every meal with all five food groups.

1. Make Half Your Plate Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are combined because they are both rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. While you may not want to eat vegetables with breakfast or fruit at dinner, MyPlate allows you to choose what to include at different times.

At first, filling half your plate with fruits and veggies may seem like a lot, but these foods are also naturally low in calories, allowing you to eat more while consuming fewer calories. You can even use fruit for your dessert, like in our Mango Lime Popsicles!

You don’t need to serve veggies separately from other food groups, either. Try our Garlic Greens Pesto recipe to blend veggies into the main dish!

Budget Tip: You don’t have to buy organic, fresh fruits and vegetables to stay healthy. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are just as good for you! Just make sure to pick up no-sugar-added and low-sodium varieties.

2. Make a Quarter of your Plate Grains (and half of that whole grains)

Examples of grains include pasta, oats, bread, rice, noodles, tortillas, and cereals.

There are two types: whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains offer more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains.

You may wonder why MyPlate doesn’t encourage all grains to be whole grains if they are healthier.

That’s thanks to the flexibility and customizability of MyPlate. Not everyone likes the taste of brown rice or whole-grain pasta. With MyPlate, you can mix and match grains according to your preference. 

For instance, you may start your day with oatmeal, choose popcorn as a snack, and still opt for your favorite white rice or white pasta for lunch and dinner. Of course, you get bonus points for choosing brown rice and whole-grain pasta, but healthy eating is more sustainable when you practice the freedom to continue eating your favorite foods.

Budget-Friendly Alert: Whole grains are incredibly affordable. Brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and oatmeal are some of the most budget-friendly options at the grocery store. Plus they are high in fiber to keep you full longer (which also saves you money, if you think about it!)

3. Make a Quarter of Your Plate Protein (mostly lean protein)

Most people think of meat when they hear the word “protein”. However, lean proteins include plant-based options like beans, nuts, tofu, or even grains like quinoa. 

This aspect of MyPlate can be challenging for some, especially in Oklahoma, where fried chicken, hamburgers, and bacon are staple dishes. The adjustment is not to cut these foods out, but rather to decrease portion sizes to make more room on the plate for fruits, vegetables, and whole grains!

Try this protein-packed Cracker Catfish Sticks recipe to see our healthier take on fish sticks, perfect for the Oklahoma native!

4. Dairy (mostly low-fat)

Dairy has received some undeserved negative attention in recent years, but dairy is actually a great source of vitamin D and calcium to support healthy bones, teeth, and nerves.

For those who are lactose intolerant, there are plenty of non-dairy alternatives like fortified soy, oat, or almond milk. Just make sure you purchase fortified varieties that contain comparable amounts of vitamin D and calcium.

If you love cheese, try our Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole recipe!

Personalized MyPlate Plan

MyPlate’s website can help you develop a personalized plan based on age, weight, sex, and activity level. If you want a great starting place, click this link to find out your meal plan, complete with easy-to-follow serving suggestions for the food groups.

Here’s an example of a balanced day using MyPlate-friendly recipes.

MyPlate Tips for Picky Eaters

Changing eating patterns is challenging, especially when cooking for picky eaters. Here are some strategies to introduce MyPlate to your family.

• Include options. Let family members build their meals, like taco bowls or pasta dishes with several toppings. People are more likely to eat food they assemble themselves. Providing new options, even if they aren’t chosen, helps increase familiarity with healthy foods.
• Family dinners. Family mealtimes may feel like a lost art, but including just one family dinner a week can provide an opportunity to introduce new foods in a safe space. Studies show that kids are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables when they sit around the table. If your MyPlate goal is to encourage half a plate of fruits and veggies, then this may be the best way to accomplish this!
• Sneak in veggies. When discussing half a plate of fruits and veggies, it may be hard to imagine anything but half a plate of steamed broccoli during dinner or a large salad for lunch. However, you can also mix veggies more subtly into meals and snacks. Add spinach to smoothies, blend extra veggies into pasta sauce, or mix canned beans and mushrooms into your ground beef (bonus, this makes your meat go farther!) 
• Let your kids play with food. Resist the urge to say, “just eat it,” when your child pushes a new food (or let’s be real, any food that doesn’t resemble a chicken nugget) around their plate. Research shows that simply interacting with new foods, such as touching or looking at them, increases the likelihood that kids will try them later. 

For more tips on increasing vegetable intake for kids, check out our blog Easy Tricks for Getting Kids to Eat More Veggies.