I Can Stop Counting Calories: The Healthy Eating Plate

Okay, I haven't been a calorie counter. But I know that many folks do count their calories. Whether you count or not, there's a great chart from Harvard Health called The Healthy Eating Plate.

The Healthy Eating Plate

It's designed to help us all make healthier food choices - without having to count calories. Here are the key points:

• HALF OF YOUR PLATE: Vegetables and fruits. The more colorful, the better. The more variety, the better. Except potato products don't count due to their impact on your blood sugar.
• QUARTER OF YOUR PLATE: Whole grains like brown rice, whole grain pasta, and quinoa. Limit your white rice, white bread, and other refined grains.
• QUARTER OF YOUR PLATE: Healthy protein like fish, chicken, beans and nuts. Don't eat much red meat. Eat no processed meats like sausages and bacon.

And the healthy eating plan also includes...

• Healthy plant oils (such as olive oil) are best for cooking and salads. Avoid partially hydrogenated oils. They say canola oil is okay but if you look into it, you'll stop using canola oil. More on canola below...
• Drink water, tea, or coffee with every meal. Avoid sugary drinks. Two milk and dairy products per day, maximum. Juice: one small glass a day.
• Be active.

For more information about the Healthy Eating Plate:

• "According to new science, food choice quality matters as much as calories" - Click here
• "Healthy Eating Plate & Healthy Eating Pyramid" - Click here

Why I'm not a fan of Canola oil?

• "Originally, rapeseed oil may not have had so many negative health effects. But for two main reasons, most canola oil today can be very harmful to your body:
- Over 90 percent of canola oil is genetically modified.
- Canola oil is a refined oil that's often partially hydrogenated to increase its stability, but this increases its negative health effects."
[Source: Dr. Josh Axe's Stop Using Canola Oil Immediately! 6 Canola Oil Dangers]

• "...untold dangers to your health"
[Source: Dr. Mercola's Canola Oil: When a Great Oil Isn't So Great After All...]

• "In addition to the genetic modification, the process of making Canola oil is troubling. The procedure involves a combination of high-temperature mechanical pressing and solvent extract, usually using hexane. Hexane! Even after considerable refining, traces of the solvent remain. Like most vegetable oils, Canola oil also goes through the process of bleaching, degumming, deodorizing, and caustic refining, at very high temperatures. This process can alter the omega-3 content in the oil, and in certain conditions bring the trans fat level as high as 40 percent."
[Source: NaturalNews.com's Canola Oil: There is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly]

• "Conventional canola oil (which is what most people are consuming) is low in nutrients, high in oxidized omega-6 fats, high in trans fats and the omega-3s happen to be in an inefficient form. Overall, canola oil is not as bad as other vegetable oils (like soybean oil), but it is still far from being healthy. You would do much better eating olive oil or coconut oil instead."
[Source: Healthline.com's Canola Oil: Good or Bad?]