The classic food pyramidwhat many people think of when they think of healthy food has certainly gone down in history. The latest research on Nutrition and Health have led to the consolidation of the so-called Healthy dish (Healthy eating plate), designed by the Harvard School of Public Health at Harvard University, “a guide to making meals healthy and balancedwhether served on a plate or packaged to take with you as a snack or lunch, ”say the creators of this new 2011 nutrition bible, which has gradually been consolidated around the world.
“The Harvard Healthy Plate is overtaking the food pyramid for several reasons. The most important is that while the pyramid has the cereals such as diet basis, the record states that the most important contribution of the day, up to 50%, should come fruits, vegetables and vegetables”Said Lina Robles, nutritionist at Sanitas La Zarzuela University Hospital in Madrid. The expert adds that in addition “the guidelines drawn up by the Harvard they make eating more fun, because they make it possible to create varied dishes, with all nutrients and for all tastes and needs ”. In addition, it is also an interesting model if desired lose weight, above very restrictive diets or those based on calorie counting and food weighing, since “once fruits and vegetables form the basis of the diet, it is easy to lose weight gradually, and that’s how it should be done, between few 500 and 800 grams per week”, Robles concludes.
The Harvard Plate indicates that the most important contribution of the day, up to 50%, should come from fruits, vegetables and vegetables “
With the help of the nutritionist, we’ve analyzed some of the eating guidelines outlined by the Healthy dish, which while it gives the consumer a lot of freedom to design the parties, certain quantities of each food group and some guidelines regarding fats or prohibited foods.
Grains, always whole
He Healthy dish states that to 25% of the plate must be composed of whole grain and advises limit refined grains. “Whole grains provide fiber, regulate sugar absorption and are more digestible, also ideal for diabetic patientsSays Robles. For her, one of the biggest problems with the classic pyramid is that “it advises taking a lot of cereal, which in most cases, except in people who exercise a lot, usually leads to a Increased weight”.
The Healthy Plate, according to Robles, is in that happy middle ground in which carbohydrates of cereals should be taken daily, in small amounts and in their full version and healthy (although not for that less calories): that is, between the surplus established by the pyramid and the absolute limitation prescribed by many protein diets. ‘Eliminate completely carbohydrates It is also not advisable as they provide us with energy and patients, from their own experience in consultation, have a terrible time: they even dream about it and when they finally allow themselves to consume them, they tend to Binge”, Indicates the nutritionist.
Harvard record
Therefore, there is nothing better than including a small portion in each agapé (also during dinner) to feel satisfied, eat varied and balanced and not arrive with a dog hunger at the next meal. For her part, nutrition coach Susana León reminds that “it is not necessary to take the Healthy Plate and design each meal to the letter: it is enough that these amounts of food are spread throughout the day”.
Limit red meat and eliminate processed
Others 25% of the plate would, according to experts Harvard, protein. “This should come mainly from eggs, fish, White meat, vegetables and nutsSays Robles. The Plato specifies that they should limit (without specifying what is meant by limit) the Red meat and the cheese, and avoid processed meats completely embedded. The pyramid, for its part, placed red meat and processed meat in the same group as “optional, occasional and moderate consumption” foods, while poultry were in the group of dairy products, fish, nuts and seeds as “varied daily consumption” foods.
According to Harvard experts
25% of the dish should be protein from eggs, fish, legumes, white meat and nuts
In this sense, the Healthy Plate reflects the latest research in the field of nutrition, influencing the need to consume protein with every meal to muscle mass, a basic health indicator. According to a study published in Annals of Medicine “Muscle mass should be seen as a new vital sign so that if health professionals identify and treat low muscle mass, they can significantly help improve the health of their patients.” The study adds that low muscle mass increases the risk of diabetes surgical complications and post-operative, leading to a poorer quality of life and poorer survival rates.
Therefore “it is essential to be clear that we should not only eat protein with every meal, but also try to add it snacks“Explains the doctor and nutritionist Núria Monfulleda from the center Love yourself, in Barcelona. In this sense, the specialist recommends increasing the consumption lean meat and Eggs, the latter is, according to her, the superfood par excellence. “The protein in the egg contains everything amino acids essential, and if we also take into account that a medium egg gives something 80 caloriesWe already have a versatile, moderately caloric and nutritionally very interesting food to include in our daily lives ”.
Soft-boiled eggs
Look at the color
Fruits, vegetables and vegetables should be the basis of the diet according to the Healthy dish, which is its main difference from the pyramid, which placed them in second place after grains. The experts of Harvard recommend that vegetables must always be one 50% of the intake, remember that potatoes are not included in this section and are limited to prescribing how much more varied the fruits and vegetables we eat the better. “El Plato Saludable encourages the combination of fruits and vegetables of different colors, the best way to ensure that we have all nutrients that our body needs, ”says Robles.
Fats, always from olive oil
Robles explains that too fats of the diet ”should be vegetable origin, which means that you have to limit the consumption of animal fats, such as butter and margarines ”. This is also indicated by the Healthy Plate, which indicates that the fat of choice for cooking or dressing should be the fat olive oil or canola, which you should limit and avoid consumption of butter Trans fat present in many ultra-processed foods.
The ultra-processed, as the Harvard Healthy Plate points out, should be banned in a healthy diet and we need to remove from the imagination that the old phrase ‘you should eat everything in moderation’
Farewell to the ultra-edited
One of the most controversial aspects of the classic food pyramid, which has been repeatedly questioned by modern nutrition, is that it is the sweets, pastry, spreadable fats and snacks salt among “optional, occasional and moderate consumption” foods. The ambiguity of these terms “has made many people very accustomed to consuming ultra-worked and when the time comes, it is quite difficult for them to eliminate them from day to day, ”says Robles. Therefore, “the ultra-processed, as stated in the healthy plate of Harvard, should be prohibited on a healthy diet and we should take that old phrase of ‘you should eat everything in moderation’ from the imagination because the truth is there are some foods that we should never consume if we want to eat healthy, not even occasionally, ”says León.
E Plato Saludable also points out that the fat of choice for cooking or dressing should be olive oil or rapeseed
And to drink, water
While the food pyramid placed fermented drinks among “optional, occasional and moderate consumption” foods, the healthy plate is much more convenient. He points out that drinks to be consumed are only water, tea or coffee, restrictive milk and dairy products up to one or two servings per day and the juice up to a small glass per day. Harvard experts also recommend avoid sugary drinks.
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