There are countless diets out there and many of them claim to be the best for your health, but Harvard University’s just might be. It was created with nutrition experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and researchers at Harvard Health Publications, who worked together to create an eating plan for optimal health, the Healthy Eating Plate.
“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,” explains Lilian Cheung, lecturer of nutrition at Harvard’s school of public health.
Think of the Harvard diet as a guide for “creating healthy, balanced meals,” and one that can boost longevity and help with healthy aging. Here’s how to use it to set your plate:
- Veggies and fruits should make up half of your plate - Go for color and variety and eat slightly more vegetables than fruits, the experts suggest. And keep in mind that “a potato is not a vegetable from a nutrition point of view,” Cheung says, because they “behave like a refined carbohydrate.”
- Add in whole grains - These should be a quarter of your plate and good sources Harvard recommends include oats, quinoa, barley, whole wheat - including bread and pasta, and brown rice.
- Add some healthy protein - Making up the final quarter of your plate should be healthy proteins like fish, chicken, nuts and beans. The Harvard Eating Plate recommends limiting red meat and avoiding processed meats like bacon and sausage.
- Cook with healthy oils - Steer clear of unhealthy trans fats, found in partially hydrogenated oils like margarine and certain vegetable oils. Cheung advises healthier oils like olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower and peanut.
- Drink water, tea and coffee over milk - The Harvard diet suggests limiting milk and dairy to one to two servings a day and juice to one small glass a day. It also advises avoiding sugary drinks altogether, if you can.
Source: CNBC
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