Meal-building

You may be familiar with the plate method, which guides you in how to build a balanced meal using just your plate. Try our plate method to build balanced meals that will help you reach your daily nutrition targets.

• If you’re not sure what’s a good choice, your ZeroPoint foods list is a good reference.

• Not sure how much to eat? We recommend starting with 4 oz cooked meat, seafood, poultry, or meat alternative, 2 eggs, or 1 cup beans or lentils.

Here are some of our WW dietitians’ favorite options:

• 4 oz lean ground beef for 29 g protein

• 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast for 32 g protein

• 4 oz salmon for 25 g protein

• 1 cup edamame for 18 g protein

• 4 oz tempeh for 22 g protein

• 2 eggs for 13 g protein

• Lean on non-starchy vegetables and fruit.

Keep in mind that 1 serving of fruits and vegetables is equal to:

• 1 cup non-starchy vegetables, whether raw or cooked (e.g. spinach, carrots, cauliflower)

• 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit (e.g. berries, grapes, pineapple)

• 1 small piece of fruit (e.g. apple, orange, banana)

• This includes starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas, and also bread, grains, and pasta.
  
  

• Wondering how much is just right? For starchy vegetables, grains, and pastas, we recommend starting with ½ cup. For bread, we recommend starting with 1 slice.
  

Don’t forget to add a fat such as olive oil, avocado, cheese, nuts, or seeds. We recommend starting small with these and then adding more if needed. These provide lots of flavor, satisfaction, and help your body to absorb the vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies.

Your meals might look different from day to day or at different times of the day. Some of your meals might not include all the components of our meal-building technique, and that’s okay. The main goal is to divide your protein and fruits and vegetables across meal times to help you more easily reach your daily targets.

Those taking a GLP-1 often have a reduced appetite and eat less overall, so you may find it easiest to have small frequent meals. For example, you can build a meal with 2–3 oz of protein, 1 serving of produce, and a ½ serving of carbs. This might look like 2 oz low-sodium deli turkey, 1 slice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, in a small whole wheat tortilla or 3 oz tuna salad, a handful of wheat crackers, and bell peppers with greek yogurt dip.

Find what works best for you and use our technique to build meals that meet your needs.