Dressing your plate

Please take these tips as a starter and build off of them… Additionally I have included some pictures at the end with ideas on how to best plate your meals to make them asthetically pleasing for your family and friends…

Use the ideas in this list to create balance in your diet, including tips on which foods to eat more often, and which ones to eat less often.

Balance calories: The first step is to find out how many daily calories you need for a day. The easisest way to do that is to take your current body weight (in pounds), and multiply it by 14-16. For example, a 150lb person would do 150 x 14-16 and get an estimated daily calorie maintenance level of between 2100-2400 calories a day.
Enjoy your food, but eat less: Take the time to fully enjoy your food as you eat it. Eating too fast or when your attention is elsewhere may lead to eating too many calories. Sit at your dining table and avoid watching television during mealtimes. Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues before, during, and after meals.
Avoid oversized portions: Use a smaller plate, bowl, and glass. Portion out foods before you eat.
Foods to eat more often: Eat more vegetables and fruits. Choose red, orange and dark-green vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, along with other vegetables for your meals. Add fruit to meals as part of main or side dishes or as dessert. Create your meals around these foods. Remember the more color on your plate the better!
Make your grains – whole grains: To eat more whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product—such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice.
Foods to eat less often: Cut back on foods high in solid fats, added sugars (including sugar-substitutes), and salt. They include cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, sweetened drinks, pizza, and fatty meats like ribs, sausages, bacon, and hot dogs. Use these foods as occasional treats, not every day foods.
Drink water instead of sugary drinks: Cut calories by drinking water. Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks are a major source of added sugar, and calories, in American diets. Make sure you drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to help with digestion. This simple substitution can really make a difference if you are looking to lose weight.