Sample Plate Format
Use these pictures to help you visualize your next balanced meal.
Sample lunch or dinner plate
A standard lunch or dinner in a plate format includes:
- One-half of a 9-inch plate filled with non-starchy vegetables: foods like broccoli, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach, peppers, and salad greens. You can go back for seconds on these foods.
- One-fourth of the plate with fish, poultry, or lean meat: for example, baked or grilled fish or skinless chicken. This will be about the size of the palm of your hand.
- The last one-fourth of your plate has the bread, rice, or pasta—the starchy foods like beans, potatoes, biscuits, squash, cereals, crackers, and tortillas. This will be about the size of half of a closed fist—about a half cup.
- An 8-oz glass of fat-free or low-fat milk.
- Add a small serving of fresh fruit or ½ cup of canned fruit. Or you can add a roll or slice of bread.
Sample breakfast plate
For breakfast, the concept is similar.
- One-fourth of the plate is a bread, starch, or grain.
- One-fourth of the plate is a protein.
- Include an 8-oz glass of fat-free or low-fat milk.
- Add a small serving of fresh fruit or ½ cup of canned fruit.
Last Revised: July 1, 2011
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & John Pope, MD - Pediatrics
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