MyPlate Meal Inspiration
Everyone has different nutritional needs, but you can make a good start in meeting yours by choosing one item from each of the following lists to build your meal. Click on each food group for inspiration!
Fruits
Vegetables
Grains
Protein
Dairy
The Missing Piece
Fruits
1 medium-size fruit (such as an apple, a pear, or an orange)
1 cup diced melon (such as watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew)
1 cup grapes
1 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)
1 cup pineapple
Grains
1 slice whole-grain bread
1 whole-grain English muffin
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1 (4½-inch) whole-grain pancake
1 cup whole-grain pasta
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked farro
Vegetables
2 cups raw leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, endive, escarole, kale, etc.)
1 cup cooked leafy greens (see above)
2 medium carrots, cooked or raw
1 cup carrot sticks, slices, or baby carrots (about 12)
1 cup bell peppers
1 large tomato (or 1 cup diced)
1 cup cooked squash
1 cup cucumbers
1½ cups salad
1 cup beans (black, garbanzo, kidney, etc.)
1 large ear of corn
1 cup of corn, peas, or potatoes
Protein
3 oz meat, poultry, or seafood
2 large eggs
4 ounces tofu
2–3 oz tempeh
½ cup cooked beans (black,
garbanzo, kidney, etc.)
¼ cup hummus
Dairy
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt
½ cup ricotta cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
1½ ounces cheese
1 cup calcium-fortified soy milk
Preferably all lowfat or fat free
Oils
1 tbsp vegetable oil (olive, avocado, soybean, sunflower, safflower, peanut, etc.)
2 tbsp salad dressing
2 tbsp peanut butter or almond butter
1 oz nuts
1/3 avocado
MyPlate Meal Inspiration