This is the part where it really matters. How do we build a plate? 

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Building the Perfect Plate 

It's really simple: your plate is divided into five categories:

1. Fruits and vegetables. 
2. Whole-carb grains and starchy vegetables. 
3. Plant protein. 
4. Healthy plant fat, essential fats.
5. Your happy food. 

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50% of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, out of four cups of total volume. That means you should have about two cups of fruit and vegetables.

25% of your plate should come from whole grains and starchy vegetables, or about one cup.

The other 25% of the plate is made up of plant protein and healthy plant fat.

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When we bring this all together, I just want you to ask yourself, ‘Does my plate have two cups of fruits and vegetables?’ If half of your plate is made up of fruits and vegetables, you're halfway there.

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Food as Medicine

Antioxidants.

You’ve heard the phrase “eat the rainbow” right? That’s a thing. The most colorful foods have the most natural medicine in them. Berries fall in this category, but so do your cruciferous veggies. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, arugula, kale - choose those often.

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Soluble Fiber.

Then we move to our next 25%, that's our whole grains and starchy vegetables. These foods include the highest amounts of soluble fiber, which are so helpful in meeting our Max 50 goals for blood sugar and dropping cholesterol. 

These foods include corn, rice, barley, oats, and potatoes, all great sources of soluble fiber. 

There are also “slow carb grains” that are still loaded with fiber, but are also really high in protein and are phenomenal at slowing down and reducing sugar response. These include farro, quinoa, and amaranth. 

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Plant Protein.

Now let's move on to plant protein. We want to have one serving of those every meal.

Great options for this include all beans and legumes, soy, and edamame. Most people don't eat nearly enough of this food group. These foods have the most amount of protein and the least amount of fat. 

These are lean proteins and hunger crushers - you're going to love that benefit the most. 

Nuts sit right in the middle of the plate, and they can be a protein, too. Let's say you want to make a peanut butter sandwich. You get your grains with whole grain bread, and then you get nuts in the form of peanut butter. You now have your protein and your fat taken care of. 

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Whole Plant Fat.

And then we have the whole plant fat that we find in foods like avocados, olives, nuts, and seeds like flaxseed and chia seeds. These are all sources of omega-3 essential fat, which we need a serving of every day. 

This is the formula. Two cups of fruits and vegetables. One or two servings of whole grains. One serving of plant protein and one serving of whole plant fat.

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Don’t Forget Your Happy Food 

But there's one more part of the perfect plate, and it's going to be your favorite: your happy food. 

‍As I’ve promised every time I talk to you, you do NOT have to give up your favorite foods forever in order to meet your goals. 

But, you need to know what to do more of when it comes to your food. Ideally, you should eat 80 to 90% whole plant foods with tons of carbohydrates and antioxidants to get all the benefits that we've been talking about.

But, I can top it off with my Oreo cookies, or whatever you choose. It's all about your favorite foods. 

The truth is that if you feel deprived or that we've restricted those foods, you will simply crave them more. 

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A Different Kind of Full

Most of my students come to me after making “the perfect plate” and ask, ‘How do I eat all of this at one time?’ 

This tells me we are on the right track. Eating a fully balanced meal - which will equal about 500 calories - should sustain you for four hours or more. 

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The Benefits of a Balanced Plate

Once you have a healthy plate, you have all the foods that your body needs to thrive. 

Now you can start trusting your hunger because your body's getting the environment it needs. 

Now you've got your energy, and the mental fog goes away. Your skin clears up. 

You can be confident that you're doing everything you can do for the best food as medicine. 

Most importantly, you can also feel that post-meal peace. I feel full, I feel satisfied, and that makes me feel even happier. 

That's real living. That's real wellness. I am so excited for you to build your next lunch with the perfect plate.

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In our next video, I break down the science behind the perfect plate, and how you can build your favorite plates with meals and recipes that meet your criteria. 

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