Healthy eating means eating a wide variety of foods including plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dried beans and peas, non-fat dairy foods, and moderate amounts of lean meats, fish and poultry. It also means watching portion sizes… even eating too much of healthy foods can lead to weight gain! Choose nutrient-packed foods that are good sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber but that are lean when it comes to fat and calories.

One fun and easy way to “shape up” your diet and make sure it includes a variety of healthy foods is to “Rate Your Plate”. This is what you do:

  1. Get a paper plate and draw a line through the middle of the plate. Then draw a line to divide one of the halves of the plate into quarters. Keep this with you as a model when you serve your meal.
  2. Fill the first half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables like salad and greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and summer squash or cauliflower.
  3. Fill about ¼ of your plate with starchy foods or grains such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or starchy vegetables like corn, peas, or potatoes
  4. Fill the last ¼ with protein foods like lean meat, fish or poultry or meat alternatives such as tofu.
  5. Add a glass of non-fat milk or a cup of yogurt and, if you wish, a small serving of a whole grain bread on the side.

You can be quite certain that your portion sizes are right and that your meal is packed with important nutrients when you take these steps and “Rate Your Plate”.

Visit these fun, interactive sites for more information on using “Rate Your Plate” to evaluate your meals.

Team Nutrition Program
American Diabetes Association
Shape Up America