If you have been told that eating everything on a small plate is good, you should know this

Eating less of everything we ate before or eating a little of everything are usually frequent recommendations at the time of losing weight, however, if you have been told that eating everything in small dish is good, you should know what we show below.

What does it mean to eat everything?

When we look at what we mean by “eating everything on a small plate” we may not come up with any specific answer, since eating everything for one person may be very different for another.

Before, our grandmothers were happy when we “ate everything”, that is, a variety of fruits, vegetables, meats and more, but today, “eating everything” has changed and represents for many a license to eat in addition to health products, Goodies, ice cream, chips, soft drinks, alcohol, and other foods that we like but do not contribute to our health.

The reality that we live has changed with the passage of time and the “everything” of before was certainly more limited than that of now. We can check this by simply going to a supermarket today and comparing it with 50 years ago.

Today we are exposed to a much greater variety of foods, most processed and with nutrients we do not need at all, so “eating everything” today can harm our diet instead of helping us.

For we do not need to eat everything, since without problems we can dispense with the sugars, the goodies, the soft drinks, the fried and salty snacks that abound in the market.

What is eating in moderation?

We always hear that “being moderate” is key in many aspects of our lives, but what does this really mean? How much is little and how much is too much?

For a person to eat in moderation it may be to eat only one plate of one meal while that same may prove excessive for another.

If we are guided by rations, maybe be moderate is limited to the portion indicated by the containers of each food, however, consume only 30 grams (1 serving) of potato chips or cereal that are roughly equal to 1/2 Cup is almost impossible when it comes to these types of foods so appetizing for their fats and refined hydrates and also, because they are crisp foods that our body likes.

Therefore , if we are guided by the rations recommended in each food labeling, it would often be very easy to fall into excesses. If, on the contrary, we rely on our subjective idea of “moderation” we can also fall into errors.

Basically, the term “moderation” does not say anything specifically and to be more useful, we should not speak of being moderate but of more specific amounts appropriate to each person.

Variety matters but …

We have always said and heard that a varied diet is a guarantee of nutrient diversity, but perhaps, that variety is also conditioned by the quality of each food that we include in it.

That is, not limiting the diet to the intake of one or three ingredients is essential to prevent nutritional deficiencies, hence the diet has to offer varied foods. But not any food is important but “eating a little bit” can lead to an unbalanced diet and not better quality as we believe.

In fact, a study published in PlosOne last year concludes that the recommendation to “eat everything in moderation” or what is equal, diversity in the diet is not synonymous with better quality in the same nor leads to better metabolic health.

In addition, a varied diet (even on a small plate) can lead us to eat more at the end of the day or encourage our appetite, because our body undergoes a process called satiety sensory-specific that determines that, even if we are full, the presence of a food with aroma , Different taste and / or texture gives us an appetite and is a promoter of consumption.

On the other hand, as we have said in the beginning, the variety is not synonymous of quality and depending on the “everything of the small plate” we can benefit or not, since a research published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that the variety of carbohydrates, Starters, condiments, sweets and snacks is linked to increased energy intake and body fat, while if the diet has a variety of fruits and vegetables produces the opposite effect.

That is to say, eating everything in small plate has its limitations, because “everything” is not adequate, but the quality of the food we put on the plate matters and it is not appropriate to consume “any food in moderation”.

Not all of us need the same

In addition to the above, the recommendation of “eating everything in small plate” can lead to a serious error: depersonalization or lack of individualization of the diet, as some will benefit from eating more protein, others will be harmed by this measure.

So, we should not fall into any excess but what to a sedentary person may be excessive may be scarce for an athlete. Thus, “eating everything in small dish” is a recommendation that does not address other important aspects such as goals, needs of each and above all, quality of what we put on the plate.

While healthy adults with moderate physical activity may serve the Harvard Public School recommendation with their Healthy Eating Plate, for those who have a higher level of physical activity, are experiencing a particular biological condition or are suffering from a disease, Dish needs adaptations.

We do not all need the same thing and therefore , determining the amounts of each food for all people is equally as wrong as placing on the plate foods of poor nutritional quality to diversify the diet .

In conclusion, the recommendation of “eating everything on a small plate” is very general and not at all positive for the total population, but has important limitations.

To really benefit from it, we should make a personalized calculation of our diet, determining according to different factors, how many calories we need, how many macronutrients and other aspects that will adapt the diet to our particularities.

In our varied diet not only matters the quantity but also the quality of what we eat and our particularities.