Healthy Plate & Healthy Bowl

What is a balanced plate?

Different countries have different healthy plates:
Each country tries to come up with their own way to demonstrate what a healthy plate is. A lot of research actually goes into the best way to showcase and promote healthy eating.

America (USDA):
Choose My Plate campaign
A balanced plate consists of half being fruits and vegetables, a quarter of it being grains and a quarter it being protein. In addition, a cup of dairy 1-2 times a day would be ideal.

Harvard School of Public Health elaborates on the healthy plate.

Canada:
Rainbow campaign
All the food groups are split into different colours which makes it easy for the public to understand. As we know, the more colourful your plate is, the more variety you get.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

Japan:
Japan has a spinning top campaign where they also emphasize on the importance of physical activity. The tip of the spinning top is what you should have the least and the widest sector is what you should have the most.

http://www.dietitian.or.jp/english/news/dietary.html

Hong Kong:
Similar to the UK system, HK displays healthy eating using a pyramid. The bottom shows what you should be eating the most. The top of the pyramid shows what you should have the least, namely fat and refined carbohydrate like candies and sodas.

My version of the healthy plate and healthy bowl:

 Healthy Plate

Healthy Bowl

Whether you decide to follow the North American depiction of healthy plate or Asia, the government tries to cater towards the public's need and guide the public to better understand healthy eating throughout the day. The bottom line is whatever you are having, moderation is the key. Pay attention to your portion sizes and make sure you get a balanced plate of carbohydrate, protein and fat in your diet. Enjoy your next meal!

Latest Nutrition Trends - Gluten Free Good or Not?

I decided to just google latest nutrition trend and see what were the first links that appear on google. No surprise, gluten free is one of the latest fads. So what is gluten?

Gluten is the small units of protein that is found in wheat, rye and barley. Therefore any food items that contain these ingredients will contain gluten. Food industries know that gluten free is a marketable gimmick and they take advantage of it. To be a smart consumer, here are the reasons as to why you shouldn't fall into such traps.

Gluten free diet should only be followed if you suffer from celiac disease or are gluten intolerant. Clarifications of the terms that often comes up when you hear about gluten free is stated below.

Celiac disease = a medical condition where the intestine is damaged by gluten

For a more medical definition, celiac disease is an autoimmune response that leads to inflammatory response that can lead to the death of the villi lining the intestine.

Symptoms of celiac disease often include malabsorption, recurrent diarrhea, weight loss and abdominal distention or bloating. Do not rush to judgement if you are experiencing these symptoms as they are similar to other bowel diseases. Diagnosis should only be done by a doctor through blood test or biopsy. Talk to medical professional and do not self-diagnose.

The reasons behind celiac disease is not well understood, it could be due to genetic component, exposure to gluten, an envioronmental "trigger" or an autoimmune response. 

Gluten intolerance = individuals who are experiencing the symptoms stated above who may or may not have celiac disease

Gluten sensitivity = individuals who are experiencing nonspecific symptoms without the immune response and the characteristics of celiac disease or the consequential intestinal damage

Risk of gluten free diet:

Gluten free products contain more fat. Since wheat, rye and barley are common grains that are used in a lot of food, in order to lower the amount of gluten, the amount of fat will have to be increased to make up for the loss in flavour and taste. These products are often lower in many nutrients such as folic acid, other B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium, iron and fiber.

If you truly need to follow a gluten free diet (i.e gluten intolerant / celiac disease), this is a very useful resource:

https://www.glutenfree.com/#filters/

Resources:
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/diagnosis-of-celiac-disease?source=search_result&search=celiac+disease&selectedTitle=1%7E150

Mahan LK, E.-S. S., Raymond JL. (2011). Krause's Food & Nutrition Care Process (13 ed.): Saunders.