How to Create a Balanced Plate with Culturally Familiar Foods
By Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
March is National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme, Personalize Your Plate, highlights how there is no “one size fits all” approach to nutrition. Every person has unique tastes and backgrounds, and it’s important to incorporate cultural and familiar foods into personalized nutrition recommendations.
When you hear the term “balanced plate,” many people index to a meal of chicken breasts, broccoli, and brown rice or something similar that they have seen on nutrition handouts or websites. This type of meal may be widely known, but it isn’t the only option.
There are many ways to eat healthy. Foods like Indian dal, Somali sambusas, and soul food ingredients like okra, stewed greens, and black-eyed peas can all be incorporated into healthy meals.
Here are some tips for creating a balanced plate with foods that are culturally familiar to you and your family. If you have a request for nutrition tips regarding cuisine from a culture or country that is not on this list, please contact us so we can add it.
The Anatomy of a Balanced Plate
A balanced plate is usually divided into three sections: ½ of the plate filled with colorful non-starchy vegetables and fruits, ¼ of the plate filled with healthy, fiber-rich carbs, and ¼ of the plate filled with lean protein. Healthy fats should also appear on the plate, via cooking, dressings, condiments, or toppings.
Eating balanced meals will help you maintain a healthy weight, have stable energy levels, avoid cravings, and meet your nutrient needs.
The following sections include examples of how to build a healthy plate with foods from different cuisines.
Indian
Culinary preferences vary between regions in India. Some Indians, but not all, are vegetarians. Foods that are commonly consumed in India include roti or chapati (flatbread), Biryani rice, dal (lentil-based stew), lassi (yogurt-based drink), paneer cheese, raita (yogurt dip) and tandoori meats.
Here’s how to build a healthy plate with Indian foods. You may also want to refer to this image of a balanced Indian plate with recipes.
¼ healthy carbs
Choose brown instead of white rice or whole wheat roti instead of bread made with white flour.
¼ protein
Choose lentil dal, paneer cheese, or tandoori meat made from leaner cuts like boneless, skinless chicken, and keep it to ¼ of the plate.
½ vegetables and fruits
Choose non-starchy vegetable dishes, like palak paneer made with spinach and bhindi masala made with okra. Avoid fried vegetable dishes.
Serve your meal with a few mango slices if desired.
Healthy fats
Use extra virgin olive oil or canola oil in place of ghee for cooking.
Add a yogurt-based condiment like raita to your meal.
Somali
Somali food shares some similarities to cuisines from other East African countries, such as Ethiopia, but includes many unique dishes. Popular Somali foods are suqaar (cubed meat stew or stir fry), spiced rice dishes, anjero (pancakes), and sambusas (fried pastries stuffed with meat or veggies).
Here’s an example of a balanced plate using Somali foods:
¼ healthy carbs
Use spiced brown rice (instead of white) as the base for suqaar, and keep it to ¼ of the plate.
¼ protein + ½ vegetables
Make suqaar with lean cuts of beef, lamb, or chicken.
Add lots of non-starchy vegetables like onion and carrots (like in this recipe), and add chopped lettuce on top before serving.
Healthy fats
Cook suqaar in extra virgin olive oil or canola oil.
If using stock or broth, choose a low or reduced sodium option.
Or modify a sambusa
Sambusas can be turned into a healthy meal. Fill them with vegetables, like peas, onions, and potato cooked in olive or canola oil, and a lean cut of meat or lentils for protein. Instead of frying the sambusas, bake them according to these directions.
Soul Food
Soul food is often defined as African American heritage cooking and is also referred to as Southern food. Some examples of soul food include macaroni and cheese, black-eyed peas, candied yams, fried chicken or fish, ham and bacon, cornbread, potato salad, and stewed greens. Many of these foods are high in added sugars, salt, and saturated fat. However, they can be prepared in healthier ways and included in balanced meals.
Here are a few examples of how soul foods can fit on a balanced plate. For another resource on healthy soul food, check out these recipes.
¼ healthy carbs
Make a lighter version of potato salad. Sub extra virgin olive oil or plain Greek yogurt mixed with mustard for all or part of the mayo. Add fresh herbs and extra veggies, such as onion and celery.
Swap candied yams with a healthier version of baked sweet potatoes tossed with cinnamon and a touch of maple syrup.
Serve mac and cheese as the carbohydrate portion of your plate instead of as the main dish.
¼ protein
Make your own fried chicken in the oven. Coat the chicken in whole wheat breadcrumbs and seasonings before baking.
Swap meat with a plant-based source of protein, such as black-eyed peas. Serve them with brown rice and peas for a vegetarian version of Hoppin’ John.
½ vegetables and fruits
Choose stewed collard greens cooked in low sodium vegetable broth for your veggie side. Season with apple cider vinegar instead of salt or bacon bits.
Try baked okra, instead of fried.
Serve your meal with fresh peach slices if desired.
Healthy fats
Skip the butter or lard when preparing meals, and opt for extra virgin olive oil or canola oil instead.
Mexican
Mexican food features a variety of healthy ingredients, including avocados, beans, tomatoes, and peppers. Many Mexican recipes are nutritious, but others are fried, and high in calories, sodium, and unhealthy fats.
Here’s how to build a balanced plate with Mexican ingredients:
¼ healthy carbs
Brown rice, corn, yams, or corn tortillas are good options for carbohydrates. Be mindful of portion sizes and keep your serving of rice or starchy vegetables to ¼ of the plate.
If you’re serving tortillas, start with one or two to avoid going overboard.
¼ protein
Choose black or pinto beans for a plant-based source of protein.
If you are having meat, choose lean cuts of beef, pork, or chicken.
Queso blanco and ceviche can also serve as protein sources.
½ vegetables and fruits
Fill up on non-starchy options like peppers, jicama, nopales, and chayote squash.
When making salsa verde or salsa fresca, limit the salt you add. Add more lime juice and cilantro for more flavor.
Enjoy a few slices of guava, banana, or mango with meals.
Healthy fats
Add a scoop of guacamole to meals.
Cook dishes with extra virgin olive oil or canola oil instead of solid fats.
Chinese
Chinese foods vary between the many regions in the country. Some of the most common foods and beverages consumed in China are dumplings, rice, noodles, vegetable and meat soups, shrimp, congee (rice porridge), a variety of meat dishes (including those using pork or duck), tofu, soy beans, and soy milk.
Here is an example of a balanced Chinese plate:
¼ healthy carbs
Choose steamed brown rice, steamed dumplings, or boiled noodles instead of fried options.
Skip egg rolls, wontons, and other deep-fried items.
¼ protein
For a plant-based source of protein, opt for tofu or edamame.
Choose lean cuts of beef, chicken, duck, and pork. Shrimp and eggs are other good protein options.
½ vegetables
Many Chinese dishes incorporate non-starchy vegetables, such as onions, bok choy, broccoli, bamboo shoots, and eggplant.
Stir fry, soups, and steamed dumplings that use these vegetables and a lean source of protein are healthy choices.
Healthy fats and other tips
Avoid frying foods. Using steaming techniques, or cook veggies and meats in sesame oil or olive oil.
Add sesame seeds or nuts to meals.
Choose low or reduced sodium soy sauce. Watch your portions of sweet, sticky, or salty sauces.
Note from Healthy For Life Meals: Our meals are always nutritionally balanced and incorporate ingredients from many different cuisines. Check out our menus, then get started with one of our plans today and enjoy freshly prepared, delicious meals every day.