The Made In Hackney Eatwell Plate
Posted Thursday 11th September 2014...
If you're keen to adopt a more plant-based diet and want to ensure that you'll be getting all the necessary nutrients, then we're here to help. Here at Made in Hackney, we've devised our own “Eat Well plate” to help ensure you are getting all the goodness possible in your diet.
As a basic rule, the food we should be eating most of is veg and wholegrain carbs. Luckily, these two food types are incredibly versatile and you can make all sorts of delicious meals from them without compromising on taste or flavour.
Generally when planning your meals, diversity is key. Make sure that you're eating a variety of foods and vegetables to get the range of health benefits they provide. If you follow the seasons then you will probably be getting this diversity anyway as various foods come in and out of season.
Eat Well Plate:
1) Fruit and vegetables
- We recommend aiming for about 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
- Because of the high sugar content of fruit, aim for fruit to make up a maximum of 3 portions a day .
- Because of the beneficial health properties of vegetables, and the importance of variety, we recommend that most of your portions should come from vegetables. Don’t panic about the number of portions though, a salad, veg curry or veg stir-fry will often hold at least 3 or 4 portions-worth!
2) Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
- Wholemeal or wholegrain versions are the best to go for (and in our opinion also the tastiest!)
3) Calcium
- Calcium is very important to form and maintain healthy, strong teeth and bones. There are many dairy-free foods that are good forms of calcium, including tofu, tahini and leafy green vegetables.
4) Protein
- Your body needs protein to build and repair tissue. Protein doesn't just come from meat, and eating meat can in fact be detrimental to your health, the environment (and your wallet too!) Instead of meat, pulses, beans, and lentils are some examples of protein-rich foods that are cheap and superhealthy.
5) Fat and/or sugar
- Fat (in moderation!) is essential for healthy skin, hair and body functions. However, it needs to be the right kind of fat from healthy and natural sources. Skip the fries and eat delicious avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils instead.
- Sugar is not essential to our diet, but it can be eaten in moderation. When you do eat sugar, try to stick with fruits and avoid white refined sugar. You'll be amazed at some of the lovely cakes you can make using apples or bananas instead of sugar.
