The New American Plate

Happy New Year! Welcome to the launch of Nutrition 365: Monthly Whole Food Education for Cancer Prevention. Each month, we will introduce a new, whole food related topic along with helpful tips and information on cancer prevention. We will blog about it, talk about it, and provide brochures about it. We will do ALL we can to assist you, month by month, in making this important transition to whole foods and healthy living!

This month, we are focusing on the "The New American Plate” (NAP). The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) introduced this transitional plate as a first step toward lowering your risk for cancer, obesity and other chronic diseases. Here is how it works: we reduce our serving of lean animal protein to just 1/3rd of our plate while filling 2/3rds or more of our plate with veggies, fruits, whole grains and beans.

By reducing the portion size of animal protein, you make more room for nutrient dense veggies, fruits, whole grains and beans. These whole foods are loaded with vitamins, phytochemicals and minerals which, unlike animal protein, provide protection to the body’s cells from free radical damage! These nutrient dense foods also tend to be less calorically dense which will help to reduce the waistline.

Here are some tips from the American Institute of Cancer Research to help you transition to "The New American Plate”:

• Color it up! Begin to add more colorful veggies to your plate like red bell pepper, carrots and broccoli.
• Aim for whole grains instead of highly processed and refined grains. Trade your white rice for brown and eat whole grain bread instead of white.
• Add beans and legumes as a side dish or main meal for super nutritious plant protein and fiber.
• Reduce the portion size of lean animal protein to no larger than a deck of cards

We hope you join and follow our Monthly Whole Food Education for Cancer Prevention series, and we look forward to providing information, encouragement and support throughout the year