Not many people know about the Harvard diet, which has been created as an eating guide for optimal health.
Also called the healthy eating plate, the Harvard diet was conceptualized in 2011. For formulating the ultimate diet plan, experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health worked in collaboration with researchers from Harvard Health Publications.
“In terms of major chronic diseases like prevention of cardiovascular disease, different types of cancers [and] Type 2 diabetes, this way of eating is going to be helpful to prevent those diseases that are common in America, and the world,” said Lilian Cheung, lecturer of nutrition at Harvard’s school of public health, CNBC reported.
The Healthy Eating Plate can be used as a guide for “creating healthy, balanced meals—whether served at the table or packed in a lunch box” as per Harvard’s website.
Here are the six pointers to follow the Harvard diet
Vegetables and fruits–half of the plate
Fruits and vegetables should make up half of a person’s plate. Researchers suggest aiming “for color and variety” as well as eating vegetables more than fruits.
Also, be careful what constitutes a vegetable. For instance, “a potato is not a vegetable from a nutrition point of view,” Cheung explained. “Potatoes almost behave like a refined carbohydrate. It increases your blood sugar.”
The nutrition expert also recommended consuming whole fruits over juices.
Whole grains–a quarter of the plate
The diet plan encourages eating whole grains and not refined grains.
“Whole grains have much more vitamins and also phytochemicals and minerals, which is much healthier for us and won’t raise [our] blood sugar so fast,” Cheung said, according to the news outlet.
A few options to consider include oats, quinoa, barley, whole wheat, and brown rice.
Protein–a quarter of the plate
The healthy eating plate suggests the type of proteins to consume, and the ones to ignore.
Healthy proteins like fish, chicken, beans, nuts, and…
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