The Healthy Eating Placemat:A Visual Guide To Healthy Eating

A place to get your questions answered from McDougall staff dietitian, Jeff Novick, MS, RDN.

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The Healthy Eating Placemat:A Visual Guide To Healthy Eating

Postby JeffN » Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:39 am

The Five Pillars of Healthy Eating
"A Common Sense Approach To Nutrition"


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The Five Pillars of Healthy Eating
"A Common Sense Approach To Nutrition"

1) Plant-Centered - Center your plate and your diet predominately around plant foods (fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, roots/tubers, intact whole grains, and legumes (beans, peas & lentils).

2) Minimally Processed - Enjoy foods as close to "as grown in nature" with minimal processing that does not detract from the nutritional value &/or add in any harmful components.

3) Calorie Dilute - Follow the principles of calorie density choosing foods that are calorie adequate, satiating and nutrient sufficient.

4) Low S-O-S - Avoid/minimize the use of added Salts/sodium, Oils/Fats and Sugars/sweeteners

5) Variety - Consume a variety of foods in each of the recommended food groups.
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Re: The Healthy Eating Placemat:A Visual Guide To Healthy Ea

Postby JeffN » Tue May 20, 2014 6:59 am

The Principles of Calorie Density: A Common Sense Approach to Sound Nutrition
Jeff Novick, MS, RD

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The Principles of Calorie Density

1) Hunger & Satiety - Whenever hungry, eat until you are comfortably full. Don't starve and don't stuff yourself.

2) Sequence Your Meals - Start all meals with a salad, soup and/or fruit. By starting with the foods that are lowest in calorie density, you begin to fill up for fewer calories.

3) Don't Drink Your Calories - Avoid liquid calories. Eat/chew your calories, don't drink or liquefy them. Liquids have little if any satiety so they do not fill you up as much as solid foods of equal calories.

4) Dilution is the Solution (the 50/50 guideline) - Dilute Out High Calorie Dense Foods/Meals - Dilute the calorie density of your meals by filling 1/2 your plate (by visual volume) with intact whole grains, starchy vegetables and/or legumes and the other half with non-starchy vegetables and/or fruit.

5) Be Aware of the Impact of Vegetables vs Fat/Oil - Non-starchy vegetables are the lowest in calorie density while fat and oil are the highest. Therefore, adding non-starchy vegetables to any dish will always lower the overall calorie density of a meal while adding fat and oil will always raise the overall calorie density of a meal.

6) Limit High Calorie Dense Foods - Limit (or avoid) foods that are higher in calorie density. These include dried fruit, high fat plant foods (nuts, seeds, avocados), processed whole grains (breads, bagels, crackers, dry cereal, tortilla's, popcorn, etc). If you use them, incorporate them into meals that are made up of low calorie dense foods and think of them as a condiment to the meal. For example, add a few slices of avocado added to a large salad, or a few walnuts or raisins added in a bowl of oatmeal and fruit.

In addition, include about 30-60 minutes of activity a day (including some aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercise), aim for a BMI of around 18.5-22 and get enough sleep, rest, relaxation, recreation, fresh air, pure water, etc and enjoy life!

http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Interview_2012.html

Right now we are all bombarded with every kind of vegan or plant-based diet in the world. How would you capsulize Jeff Novick’s diet?

I have really been thinking about that lately and how best to describe the principles of a healthy diet, and I think, plant-centered, minimally processed, calorie dilute, low SOS really sums it up. It’s not just vegan, vegetarian or plant-based because one could have a pretty bad vegan, vegetarian or plant-based diet. So I like to say “plant- centered” but I also add that it should be minimally processed. I don’t say “whole” or “unprocessed” as not all processing is bad. Processing per se isn’t what’s hurtful, it’s processing that either detracts from the value of the food (i.e., refining) or adds something that is potentially harmful, (i.e., salt, sugar, etc.). So plant-centered, minimally processed, and then calorie dilute, because so much food has become so calorie dense which is a major contributing factor for obesity and many other diseases. The fourth principle is a diet low in SOS, which is salt, oil/fat and sugar. Even if you have a plant-centered, minimally processed, calorie-dilute diet and you cover it with salt, sugar, and oil, it is not healthy. I’m not going to say none, but low, as it isn’t all or nothing.
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Passive Overconsumption:The Unintended Intake of Excess Calo

Postby JeffN » Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:09 am

Passive Overconsumption: The Unintended Intake of Excess Calories
Jeff Novick, MS, RDN

Have you ever ended up eating more calories than you intended? There are certain properties of food that, when we eat until we are comfortably full, result in the unintended consumption of excess calories. This is called the passive overconsumption of calories. We did not intend to overeat, but we did. Many foods contain several of the following properties that lead to the passive overconsumption of calories. Being aware of these can help us minimize the potential to over consume calories. As you will see, all of these go right along with the principles of calorie density and there is some overlap to them.

Here are 10 factors that lead to the passive overconsumption of calories:

1. Higher Calorie Dense Foods
As the calorie density of the food goes up, we are more likely to overconsume calories, especially as the calorie density goes over 700-1000 calories per pound. On a whole-food, plant-based diet (WFPB), the foods that are over 1000 calories per pound are bread products (breads, bagels, crackers, dry cereals, tortillas), dried/dry fruits, nuts, seeds and oils.

2. Higher Fat Foods
As the percentage of calories from fat goes up, we are more likely to over-consume calories, especially from added fats/oils. Adding fats/oils to food increases the overall percentage of calories from fat and the overall calorie density and decreases the overall satiety (per calorie). On a WFPB diet, the foods that are higher in fat are peanuts, soybeans, avocados, nuts, seeds and oils.

3. Liquid Calories
Liquid calories provide little if any satiety for their calorie load, so they do not fill you up as much as solid foods of equal calories. For example, it is much easier to over consume calories when consuming fruit juice, than the whole fruit. On a WFPB diet, the most common liquid calories are fruit and vegetable juices and non-dairy milks.

4. Added Free Sugars
Added free sugars are high in calorie density and low in satiety. As the percentage of calories from added free sugars in a food goes up, we are more likely to over consume calories. Adding free sugars to food increases the overall calorie density and decreases the overall satiety (per calorie). This includes all added free sugars, even those considered unrefined and/or natural such as maple syrup, molasses, etc.

5. Flour (Bread) Products
Most all flour (bread) products are higher in calorie density and lower in satiety, even if they are made from unrefined whole grains. On a WFPB diet, these foods include bread products (bread, bagels, dry cereal, crackers, tortillas) and baked chips.

6. Dry/Dried Foods
Food that is dried (and/or drier) and low in water have an increased calorie density and tend to be lower in satiety per calorie. On a WFPB diet, the foods that are dried/dry are dried fruits (raisins, prunes), naturally dry fruits (dates), bread products (bread, bagels, dry cereal, crackers, tortillas), baked chips, puffed cereals and popcorn.

7. Emulsifying, Pureeing, & Blending
Blending foods disrupts the fiber and reduces the satiety of the food per calorie, making it easier to overconsume the food. On the other hand, chewing food increases satiety. Examples of blended foods on a WFPB diet include smoothies and dried fruit/nut confections.

8. Hyper-Palatable Foods
These are foods that have been salted, sweetened and/or sauced. They stimulate the appetite and lead to over consumption. Examples include cookies, cakes, pastries, etc.

9. Vanishing Perceived Satiety
Foods that fall into this category appear to be high in satiety due to their large volume but are actually high in calorie density and low in satiety. This is because they are dry foods with their volume coming from air as opposed to water (which decreases calorie density and increases satiety). For example, cooked brown rice (high water content) is 560 calories/lb and brown rice cakes (high air content) are 1760 calories/lb, an over three-fold difference. On a WFPB diet, foods that have vanishing perceived satiety include air-popped popcorn, rice cakes and puffed cereals.

10. Ultra-Processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods tend to be high in fat, calorie density, salt, sugar, refined flours, fat and oil. They also tend to be low in fiber, water and satiety and so we are more likely to over consume calories from them.

If you are having a concern with the overconsumption of calories and managing your weight, greatly limiting and/or eliminating the above foods will help.

In Health
Jeff
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Re: The Healthy Eating Placemat:A Visual Guide To Healthy Ea

Postby JeffN » Sun Dec 20, 2015 5:40 pm

Kenden, who runs the Jewish Food Hero blog where I was just interviewed, designed this beautiful version of The Healthy Eating Placemat. Feel free to share both.

Here is a link to the interview and a PDF of the Healthy Eating Placemat they designed

http://jewishfoodhero.com/an-interview- ... #more-2930

In Health
Jeff
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Re: The Healthy Eating Placemat:A Visual Guide To Healthy Ea

Postby JeffN » Mon Feb 19, 2018 11:50 am

A 10-POINT CHECKLIST FOR MAXIMUM WEIGHT LOSS (MWL)

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.  

2) Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling up to half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches.

2) Choose fruit for desert.

3) Greatly reduce of eliminate added sugars and added salts.  This includes gourmet sugars and salts too.  If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).

6) Eliminate any added oil.

7) Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.

8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.   Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
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Re: The Healthy Eating Placemat:A Visual Guide To Healthy Ea

Postby JeffN » Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:35 am

Remember, it’s not “processing” per se (as most all the food we consume is processed), it is the type and degree of processing.
Jeff

Properties of Ultraprocessed Foods That Can Drive Excess Intake
Nutr Today. 2020;55(3):109–115
Barbara J. Rolls, PhD Paige M. Cunningham, BS Hanim E. Diktas, MS

https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontoday ... ive.4.aspx

Recent research suggests that ultraprocessed foods, particularly as defined by the NOVA system, facilitate overconsump- tion and may contribute to the development of obesity. Questions remain as to what properties of ultraprocessed foods are driving excess intake. Ultraprocessed foods tend to be high in energy density and low in volume, easy to eat rapidly, and highly palatable. Studies indicate that these properties are likely contributors to the overconsumption of ultraprocessed foods, rather than the processing per se. Indeed, processing can be used to modify food properties such as energy density and texture to help reduce overcon- sumption. For many people, ultraprocessed foods provide accessible and affordable sources of nutrients and energy when unprocessed foods are scarce. Future studies should focus on understanding how processing can be used to create widely available and affordable nutrient-rich foods that can help consumers manage energy intake.

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Re: The Healthy Eating Placemat:A Visual Guide To Healthy Ea

Postby JeffN » Sat Apr 16, 2022 6:50 am

JeffN wrote:A 10-POINT CHECKLIST FOR MAXIMUM WEIGHT LOSS (MWL)

1) Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit.  

2) Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling up to half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for desert.

3) Greatly reduce of eliminate added sugars and added salts.  This includes gourmet sugars and salts too.  If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.

4) Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).

5) Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy).

6) Eliminate any added oil.

7) Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e. bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit.

8 ) Don’t drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages).

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full.   Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).



Compare to the 10 Point Checklist for the McDougall Regular Program

1) Fill your plate so that 75-90% of your plate (by visual volume) is filled with minimally and/or moderately processed starches (minimally= brown rice, oats, sweet potato, quinoa. Moderately= bread/flour products).

2) Fill the remaining 10-25% of your plate with minimally processed fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Choose fruit for dessert

3) Eliminate all animal foods (i.e., dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood).

4) Eliminate the intake of fake meats and cheeses as most are highly processed, high fat and made with isolated proteins and oil.

5) Eliminate any added oil.

6) Limit your intake of all higher-fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy) unless you are trying to gain weight.

7) Limit added sugars and added salts. This also includes gourmet sugars and salts. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them.

8 ) Avoid liquid calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). When thirsty, drink water.

9) Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself.

10) Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking).
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