Rebuilding your Dinner Plate to Lose Weight

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) replaced the traditional food pyramid with the new plate icon earlier this summer. Weight Watchers Ambassador Sunny Whitsell offers up some simplified way to show us how to live healthier lifestyle.

Divide and conquer. The USDA recommends that you should fill your plate with protein, whole grains; a side of non-fat dairy; and HALF of your plate should be fruits and vegetables. 

Target more nutrient-dense foods.  If a food is low in calories, but high in nutrients, it's nutrient dense.  Here are some examples of nutrient dense foods:  fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole grains and non-fat dairy. 

Try to limit empty calories: Beverages are often a hidden culprit in the over-consumption of sugar.  Making simple substitutions to what your drinking can greatly impact your sugar levels and keep you in line with the new MyPlate recommendations.  For example, swap out a sugary beverage treat to a smoothy made with skim milk, ice and fruit.  That gives you a serving of your dairy and milk requirements for minimal calories!

Finally ... Behavior Change.  For the first time, the government emphasizes that environment and behavior modification are key to making the lifestyle changes - a reality in line with the fundamentals of the Weight Watchers approach, that weight loss is built on healthy eating, physical activity, behavior modification and a supportive environment.  

Here's an example of how you may want to "re-build" your plate at dinner. 

Southern-Style Oven-Fried Chicken
Weight Watchers Recipe