The Full Plate Diet

The Full Plate Diet

I've been reading The Full Plate Diet, a book published by Lifestyle Centers of America. The book promotes a healthy lifestyle, achieved by adding fiber to the daily diet. Acording to the authors, you can eat until you no longer feel hungry. The goal is to get enough fiber each day for optimal health. Since fiber is filling, there's no need to count calories, carbohydrates, or protein. They take care of themselves when fiber goals are met. The book is colorful, inviting, and easy to read. The information inside the cover talks about the full plate concept, the health benefits of the program, how to get started, and all about adding fiber to foods. It is a healthy eating program, although also touted as beneficial for weight loss. The book shares great recipes and excellent tips for incorporating fiber at work, in restaurants, and on the road. I love the book! The program is right on! But the thing I like the most is a handy little gadget that they have online that helps those 'new to fiber' achieve their 'fiber goals' each day. It's a fiber calculator which helps you determine your fiber score each day. A thermometer on the side registers red, yellow, and then green as it goes up the scale. Green is the goal! There's no measuring, no counting calories, no fussy charts. Just fiber in the most delicious forms: legumes, grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. If you'd like more information about this program, check out The Full Plate Diet website. Starting on August 15, they will be giving free access to the electronic version of the advanced reading copy of this book.

I am challenged to start counting my fiber ingestion daily. With fiber the goal, making meal choices becomes simple. My fiber calculations are started for the day. Here's what I had for breakfast this morning:

Fruited Quinoa

4 cups quinoa, cooked

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 bananas, sliced

1 packet stevia powder (NuNaturals brand)

1 tsp. cinnamon

Stir until well blended, but be gentle with the bananas. Dish into a bowl and then add about 1/4 cup soymilk. For added flavor and fiber, add 1/3 cup pineapple chunks.

The original recipe serves 6 (about 1 cup servings).