Did you know that Singapore’s number of children who are obese has been rising since 2011? A CNA article even mentioned that about 1 in 5 Singaporean children are obese!
I know 1 in 5 might not sound like a lot, and that’s good. We don’t want that number to rise, right?
But we often hear that the habits instilled in children follow them for life.
So if your child is one of the 4 in 5 who aren’t obese, it’s still good to instil healthy eating habits in them now!
But maybe you’re not sure where to start.
Gosh, if only there was an easy template to follow that takes the guesswork of healthy eating out, and both parents and kids can understand it.
Well, parents, fret not. Because there is one! Introducing… The ‘My Healthy Plate’!
What Is the ‘My Healthy Plate’?
From its name, you can probably infer that it’s a plate… (Ba dam tss)
But it’s no ordinary plate! It was designed by our Health Promotion Board (HPB) in 2014.
The plate is a visual representation of what your plate of food should look like if you’re following the balanced diet that the HPB recommends.
What’s Makes The ‘My Healthy Plate’ Helpful?
Well, it makes healthy eating a breeze!
It will show your child what a balanced diet should look like and allow them to recreate it for themselves with every meal.
It fosters healthy habits as well, with reminders on the side to choose water over sweet drinks (like bubble tea), opt for healthier cooking oils, and remain active!
A 2-in-1? Yes, please!
It also teaches us proper portion sizes. For example, we all know that fruits and vegetables are good for us, right?
But how many of us actually know how many fruits and vegetables we should be eating a day?
Is it one carrot’s worth? Or three tomatoes? It seems like it should be common knowledge, but who knows honestly…
So it’s great that the ‘My Healthy Plate’ shows you how much of each food group you should eat. It also gives you a place to put each food, so there’s no way you “forgot your vegetables.”
Just put the orange chicken where the drawing is, the fried rice where it should be, and the fruits and vegetables along the illustrations.
That’s something even your child can do alone, right?
Is It Hard to Follow the ‘My Healthy Plate’?
(Credits: MaNaDr)
If you can follow simple illustrations, then congratulations. You’ll find the ‘My Healthy Plate’ easy to follow!
The great thing is that the plate can be used for any meal to help you and your child keep a balanced diet, no matter which meal it is!
Try not to be mindblown, but you can even use it for snacks!
But think outside the box, beyond chips and Old Chang Kee.
Or incorporate them if you’d like! Just place your fishballs where the protein is, your chips where the wholegrains should be, and include fruit and some vegetables.
Now that’s healthy snacking! So you can have your cake and eat it too!
How Do I Follow the ‘My Healthy Plate’?
To create a balanced meal using the ‘My Healthy Plate’, just remember: ‘Quarter, Quarter, Half’.
According to the HPB, for a balanced diet, your plate should consist of:
- A Quarter Protein (meat, fish, seafood or tofu)
- A Quarter Wholegrains (noodles, rice, potatoes, bread, etc.)
- Half fruits and vegetables (you know what fruits and vegetables are, right?)
However, if you’re in a pinch, an easy trick you can use is to clench your fist and use it to represent one portion.
Fill your plate with one portion of protein, one portion of whole grains, and two fists for your fruits and vegetables.
Tadah! A balanced meal.
How Would Breakfast Look Like With the ‘My Healthy Plate’?
(Credits: Health Hub)
Here, the egg is for protein, while the salad is for vegetables, and the potatoes are for carbohydrates!
You don’t have to follow the ‘My Healthy Plate’ exactly to a T, as some of us get more energy from protein and some from carbohydrates!
What About Lunch or Dinner, With the ‘My Healthy Plate’? (H2)
(Credits: Health Hub)
Eggs are a cheap source of protein, so they’re the source of protein here again!
Fried noodles are yummy, and they’re here for our carbohydrates. And we can’t forget to balance it out with the fruits and vegetables, of course!
Drinking a glass of water with your meal could help you eat less if you tend to overeat.
My Personal Experience with The ‘My Healthy Plate’
I remember the day my brother brought a ‘My Healthy Plate’ home from an HPB visit at school.
Honestly, I never had a good role model for healthy eating at home, as my parents were always busy.
So like most Asian kids, I just ate whatever was at the dinner table.
However, when the ‘My Healthy Plate’ was brought into our home, my siblings and I were introduced to the concept of portion sizes.
And even though I didn’t attend the HPB talk, it was a no-brainer for me to simply follow the illustrations on the plate!
After a week, we memorised the design of the plate, and it became a habit for us to recreate it on any ordinary plate at home or anywhere else!
I still find myself taking reference to the image of the plate in my head when I’m portioning my meals.
And now, with years of practice, I can roughly gauge how much meat, grains, and vegetables I should eat, even without portioning them out!
Conclusion
The ‘My Healthy Plate’ is the simplest tool anyone can use if they want to eat a balanced diet.
It’s easy to understand and follow for children, adults, and even nannies and grandparents!
So if you want your child’s journey with healthy eating to start, the ‘My Healthy Plate’ is a great stepping stone to more!
If you have any questions, this great article by Health Hub can probably answer them!
But if your child has trouble understanding ‘Quarter, Quarter, Half!’, SmileTutor‘s experienced math tutors can help!
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