You’ve definitely heard of the Mediterranean diet and the MyPlate method, but what about Harvard University’s Healthy Eating Plate?
Back in 2011, nutrition experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health worked alongside researchers at Harvard Health Publications to compile an eating plan for optimal health.
“In terms of major chronic diseases like prevention of cardiovascular disease, different types of cancers [and] Type 2 diabetes, this way of eating is going to be helpful to prevent those diseases that are common in America, and the world,” says Lilian Cheung, lecturer of nutrition at Harvard’s school of public health.
Now that the topics of longevity and healthy aging are more popular than ever, people are looking for more ways to live longer, and the Harvard diet has found its way back into the news cycle.
What is the ‘Harvard diet’?
The Harvard diet is actually Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, and it can be used as a guide for “creating healthy, balanced meals,” according to “The Nutrition Source,” a section of Harvard’s site that provides nutritional information.
For the diet, you should prioritize vegetables and fruits for half of each meal and supplement the other half with whole grains and healthy proteins.
Here’s a thorough breakdown of how to set your plate.
1. Vegetables and fruits should be prominent in most meals (1/2 of your plate)
When plating your vegetables, “aim for color and variety,” and eat a bit more veggies than fruits, the researchers suggest.
Keep in mind that for this diet: “A potato is not a vegetable from a nutrition point of view,” says Cheung.
Why? You may ask. Well, “potatoes almost behave like a refined carbohydrate. It increases your blood sugar,” she adds.
Whole fruits are also important to add to meals, and Cheung especially recommends reaching for them over juice.
2. Add in whole grains (1/4 of your plate)
In comparison to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate method, the Harvard diet specifies the type of grains that you…
Read the full article here
