What is on the plate really matters - It could be breakfast, lunch or supper.

Do you know what foods are best to put on your plate during breakfast, lunch or supper? Read on to find out!

BREAKFAST 

Most people believe missing breakfast or any other meal will help them lose weight. Hmmm, not true..sorry. So those who wish to lose weight are advised not to skip breakfast. But to have an all protein breakfast with fresh fruit in season. A cup of tea or real coffee (not instant). Those maintaining can have one or two slices of brown bread to accompany. In fact, some nutritionists say breakfast should be the heaviest meal of the day...not in quantity but in quality.

TAKE-AWAY IDEAS:

➧ Fit a balanced breakfast into your morning routine so that you consume more of the nutrients essential to good health.

• For many families, breakfast can be a fun time to eat together when evenings are busy with after-school activities and other events
• Eat breakfast at work to free up time at home
• Choose a healthy, balanced meal for your morning commute: whole grain toast with nut butter and a piece of fruit is quick, simple, delicious and nutritious

➧ Save time by making breakfast the night before:

• A smoothie with fat-free milk, plain Greek yogurt, or unflavored almond or soy milk; ½ cup fresh or frozen fruit, and 2 cups vegetables
• Enjoy overnight oatmeal that you sweeten with fruit instead of sugar; add nuts or nut butter for more protein
• Bake egg muffins on your day off, freeze in individual portions, and quickly reheat on busy work days

DEFINING LUNCH, DINNER, AND SNACKS:

Eating more meals and fewer snacks are associated with healthier food choices that include more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources.

LUNCH 

Lunch should be served in a moderate portion of meat, carbs and a bigger share of cooked vegetables or raw ones. Now in terms of meat avoid red meat or have it only once a week...but white meat such as chicken fish, etc. Can be on a daily basis! 

DINNER

So what's on that supper plate? Hope it's not a whole lot of nshima...because those are carbs you don't want to take to bed with you! Carbohydrates are our sources of energy... now excess is simply converted into fats and stored around important organs...so going with your tummy loaded with carbs to bed will simply induce waistline expansion. 

So supper should be a sizable protein and vegetables for those losing weight...those maintaining it can add a palm size amount of carbs.

TAKE-AWAY IDEAS:

Think ‘mini meal’ instead of ‘snack’ and you’re more likely to choose nutrient-dense foods such as fruit, vegetables, or whole grains instead of processed foods that are high in fat, sugar, salt, and calories such as chips, energy bars, cookies, and candy.

• Instead of an energy bar, choose a piece of fruit with nut butter or 1 oz of nuts.
• Instead of chips, opt for plain popcorn, which is a whole grain.
• Instead of cookies, satisfy your sweet tooth with homemade trail mix that combines dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apples, etc), nuts and seeds.

Plan meals around vegetables, fruit, whole grains and sources of protein no matter what time of day you eat.

• Leftover stir-fry vegetables, brown rice, and chicken or fish make a satisfying meal at any time.
• Use your crockpot to prepare meals in advance that are ready whenever you want a meal.

FINAL WORD

Is it better to eat three meals per day, or to eat several small meals and/or snacks throughout the day? The AHA concludes that there isn’t enough evidence to prove that changing the number of times we eat has a significant impact on weight or CVD risk factors such as blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. The key isn’t the number of times we eat, but rather what we choose to eat. Consuming an overall healthy variety of foods that include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources; and eating fewer processed foods higher in sodium, fat, and calories is a well-known way to improve health, no matter how many times per day we eat.