Does the healthy eating plate work for everyone?

Learning to eat is an adventure that can sometimes lead to dead ends. As part of a public policy, governments are the primary stakeholders in ensuring that we eat better and better. This is how the Healthy Eating Plate was created, a strategy that educates the population simply on how to achieve a proper diet. Despite being over ten years since its launch, the topic remains trendy. The current question is, does it really work? Is it the same for children? Not wanting to leave the doubt, I asked two nutritionists.The Healthy Eating Plate was established as part of the Mexican Official Standard (NOM) to guide the population toward healthy eating through a graphical tool that shows how our food should look when it is in front of us. The point is to respect the quantities in each food group, according to Mayte Martín del Campo, a nutritionist expert in fitness and sports.The plate is divided into three sections: one portion of three to one of fruits and vegetables; another third of proteins made up of legumes and animal products; and finally, grains or carbohydrates. For Mayte Martín del Campo, “the idea is to respect the proportions in the diet over the course of a whole day.” But if this causes us doubts, she prefers to speak in percentages: half carbohydrates, thirty percent fat, and twenty percent protein.The Healthy Eating Plate is used interchangeably for men, women, and children, so experts like nutritionist Jennifer Asencio, a specialist in the nutrition of patients with clinical diseases, indicate using this parameter with healthy populations, but there may be exceptions based on sex, age, height, type of individuals, and their requirements, especially for people suffering from diseases such as diabetes. “Care must be taken with fruit consumption, for example, in a person with high triglycerides.” In addition, she also advises paying attention to the quality of grains and combinations: “Drinking flavored water, eating a lot of mashed potatoes, and just a little meat is not a healthy diet.” She recommends keeping in mind that a good diet includes “a good amount of vegetables, sufficient grains – and of quality – and little protein.”For her part, Mayte adds that there are three important aspects not covered by the Healthy Eating Plate: “The first is that it lacks the recommendation for (good) fats, that is, oils, and the entire family of nuts such as almonds, sesame, chia, and walnuts. The second is the recommended amount of sugar for the population, which is 25 g of sugar per day, and that should generally be obtained from fruits. With 2 servings a day, this would be covered.” In this case, desserts would be excluded as they are a combination of carbohydrates, fats, and sugars.Although many do not know it, the topic is complemented by the Good Drinking Jug, a guide that alerts the population about beverages. It mainly advises against drinking flavored water or soft drinks, and only half a glass of fruit juice or whole milk. This is due to their high sugar and calorie content.Beverages such as coffee, tea, or drinks with artificial sweeteners are indicated with 0 to 2 glasses per day. What is most recommended is simply consuming 6 to 8 glasses of purified water.Along with the Healthy Eating Plate and the Good Drinking Jug, nutritionist Mayte recommends not skipping vegetables in every meal, being mindful of portions of animal origin (only one-fifth of your plate at each meal), and understanding that each person is unique. Jennifer, for her part, says that to fully understand how to better feed our children and know if they have special requirements regarding vitamins and minerals, it is best to consult a nutritionist or an expert in nutrition.