Here are some general MyPlate eating tips:
- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
- Make at least half your grains whole
- Switch to skim or 1% milk
- Vary your proteins
The meal plans that follow not only meet the MyPlate guidelines, but they also incorporate foods from Healthland’s “31 Healthiest Foods of All Time” guide. Use these menus as inspiration to give your weekly meals a nutrition makeover.
Day 1: Eat More Whole Grains
Whole grains are better for you than refined ones, because they contain the entire intact grain kernel and lots of fiber and nutrition. The USDA recommends replacing refined grains in your diet with whole-grain breads, pastas, crackers and cereals. To make sure you’re buying the right products, check ingredient labels and make sure the world “whole” comes before each grain.
Here’s a day’s worth of sample menus, incorporating whole grains, from Janet Brill, a registered dietitian and author of Cholesterol Down: 10 Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in 4 Weeks — Without Prescription Drugs.
Breakfast
• 2 slide of whole-wheat bread/bun
• ¼ cup light syrup
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 2 hard boiled eggs
Lunch
• Tofu peanut wrap: use store-bought baked tofu thinly sliced; add to a whole-grain wrap with sliced red bell pepper and snow peas; spread 1 tablespoon Thai peanut sauce on wrap and assemble
• Baby carrots
• 8 ounces low-sodium vegetable juice
Dinner
• Shrimp fajitas: add grilled red pepper, garlic and onions to the shrimp and season with Mexican spices; roll into a whole-wheat tortilla and top with salsa
• Black beans and brown rice
• 1 glass green tea (optional)
Day 2: Sneak in More Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and veggies should make up half your plate, and the USDA recommends getting a 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit each day. Eating cooked veggies or drinking vegetable juice counts, but there are lots of other easy ways to incorporate more of the good stuff into your meals.
Private chef, holistic nutritionist and Food Matters NYC founder Tricia Williams uses frozen fruits to whip up breakfast smoothies, for instance. Even a staple food like rice can be full of added veggies like red and yellow peppers, carrots and scallions, according to Williams. Check out her sample menu, below.
Breakfast
• Oat with Smoothie
Ingredients
½ cup ice
½ cup frozen strawberries
½ cup oat milk
½ banana
3 leaves kale
½ cup steel-cut oats, cooked and cooled
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 cup coconut water (or other liquid like juice)
Lunch
• Roasted chicken breast
• Melon and berries
• Forbidden rice salad
Recipe: Forbidden Rice Salad
Ingredients
¾ cup forbidden rice
¾ cup short grain brown rice
2 medium carrots, julienne
½ cup sow peas, julienne
1 red pepper, julienne
1 yellow pepper, julienne
3 scallions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oi
½ tablespoon grated ginger
1/3 cup lime juice
Cook forbidden rice and brown rice separately. Start by rinsing rice in a colander. Place each rice in a medium size saucepan and cover each with 1 ½ cups of water. Place both pans over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let simmer until ready, about 18 minutes. Let the two varieties of rice cool. In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and lime juice. Add carrots, snow peas, peppers and scallions. Mix well and add the rice. Served immediately or store up to one day.
Dinner
• Sautéed spinach
• Pomegranate and blueberries
• BBQ turkey quinoa Meatloaf
Recipe: BBQ Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 ½ tablespoons safflower oil
½ cup white onion, finely diced
½ cup carrots, finely diced
½ cup celery, finely diced
½ cup red pepper, finely diced
½ cup yellow pepper, finely diced
½ cup orange pepper, finely diced
1 cup kale, blanched, shocked and finely dice
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 package ground white meat turkey
2 cups quinoa, cooked
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup BBQ sauce
Day 3: Vary Your Proteins
When it comes to protein, you have more options than you think: meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts and seeds are all part of the MyPlate protein category. The USDA recommends mixing up your menu to get the widest variety of nutrients, and opting for lean versions of meat products.
Breakfast
• 1% milk latte (8 ounces of milk)
• 2 slices whole grain cinnamon raisin toast, with ½ tablespoon almond butter
• 1 apple
Lunch
• Rice and beans with veggies: 1 cup chopped baby spinach, ¼ cup chopped tomatoes, ¼ cup shredded carrots, 1 cup cooked brown rice, ½ cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained), ¼ avocado (chopped), salsa/pico de gallo
Dinner
• Pasta with beans: 1 cup cooked whole grain pasta, ½ cup canned white beans (rinsed and drained), 1 cup steamed broccoli, marinara sauce, ½ ounce parmesan cheese
Snacks
• 1 ounce mozzarella cheese and ½ cup grape tomatoes
• 8 ounces plain yogurt and 1 cup berries
Day 4: Switch to Low-Fat Dairy
Skim and 1% milk are lower in fat and calories, but boast the same amount of calcium and nutrients as whole milk. And, remember, milk is but one dairy source of calcium: you can add low- or nonfat yogurt to smoothies, or eat yogurt with cereal to pack in nutrients in the morning. At lunch, try sprinkling low-fat cheese into your quesadilla, Brill suggests.
Breakfast
• Chocolate soy smoothie: 1 small banana, ½ cup silken tofu, ½ cup light vanilla soy milk, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sweetener of choice
• Whole-wheat toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Lunch
• Black bean and corn quesadilla: mash and mix canned and rinsed black beans with canned, rinsed corn kernels, shredded fat-free cheddar cheese and salsa; fold in half and cook in large nonstick skillet, with a touch canola oil, until cheese melts; serve with diced tomatoes, avocado, spinach and fat-free sour cream
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
Dinner
• Broiled sirloin steak (3 to 4 ounces)
• Mixed greens with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon juice
• Broccoli and garlic sautéed in extra virgin olive oil
• Quinoa with currants
• 1 glass green tea (optional)
Day 5: Lower Your Sodium
Most of people are consuming too much salt, largely from eating restaurant-prepared meals and processed foods. So, the more meals you make at home — with whole, fresh ingredients — the better. No time for that, you say? There are still ways you can cut your sodium intake: the USDA advises reading labels labels closely for low-sodium ingredients at the grocery store, and use super-salty condiments like salad dressings, soy sauce and ketchup sparingly.
If your taste buds miss the salt, sub in other spices and flavors like black pepper, curry, rosemary, basil, ginger and lemon juice. Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian and author of The Plant-Powered Diet, keeps her meals and flavors fun by substituting unusual ingredients, such as quinoa instead of oatmeal in the morning and a Mediterranean couscous salad instead of rice with her low-sodium vegetable soup at lunch.
Breakfast
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (may substitute steel-cut oats if this is too unusual), with ½ ounce chopped walnuts, 1 cup fresh berries (such as strawberries, blueberries or raspberries) and 1 cup soy milk (fortified with calcium and vitamin D)
• Coffee
Lunch
• 1 cup vegetable soup
• 1 whole-grain pita half-filled with ½ cup garbanzo beans, ¼ cup lettuce, ¼ cup chopped tomatoes, ¼ cup cucumbers
• ½ cup tabouli (couscous) salad with ½ ounce pistachios
• 1 cup fortified soy yogurt, with ½ cup peaches
• Tea
Dinner
• 1 cup stir-fried vegetables with 2 ounces tofu and ½ ounce sesame seeds, with ½ cup Asian vegetable slaw
• 1 cup brown rice
Snack
• Soy banana smoothie: 1 cup fortified soy milk with 1 small banana
Day 6: Be Choosy About Cooking Oils
Oils are not a food group, but they’re commonly used in cooking and provide essential fatty acids. Most cooking oils like olive oil, canola oil and safflower oil contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that are healthy if consumed in small doses. Note: a single tablespoon of oil contaims about 120 calories.
Breakfast
• Huevos rancheros: scrambled egg whites, 1 ounce salsa, 1 whole wheat flour tortilla, black beans, shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
• Glass of fat-free milk
Lunch
• Tuna melt: mix chunk-light tuna in water with minced shallots, light mayo, lemon juice, parsley and a dash of hot sauce; add sliced tomato and 2 tablespoons grated fat-free cheese; serve on slice of whole-grain bread
• 8 ounces low-sodium vegetable juice
• 1 apple
Dinner
• Skinless roasted chicken breast
• Roasted sweet potato fries, with extra virgin olive oil and fresh rosemary
• Sautéed spinach with garlic in extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon juice
• 1 glass of red wine (optional)
Day 7: Eat More SeafoodOnce you get the hang of cooking fish, it’ll be easy to meet the USDA’s recommendation to eat seafood twice a week. Brill is a big fan of salmon, which is an easy fish to roast, broil or grill. Not only is it tasty, but it’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect your heart and nervous system, as well as keep you mentally sharp.
Breakfast
• 1 small 100% whole-grain bagel, with 2 tablespoons fruited cream cheese: low-fat cream cheese mixed with chopped fresh berries, ½ teaspoon confectioners sugar and a dash of allspice
• 1 hard boiled egg
Lunch
• 2 slices 100% whole-grain bread, with 2 tablespoons low-fat peanut butter and 1 sliced banana
• 1 cup fat-free milk
Dinner
• Grilled salmon with mustard and herbs
• Roasted new potatoes with green beans
• Mixed greens with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice
• 1 glass of red wine (optional)
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