Designing the Perfect Plate: Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Help You Burn Fat

I created the Plate to increase satiety, decrease appetite between meals, and produce consistent sustained energy and attention.

You won’t be followed by desires all day if you eat according to the Virgin Diet Plate. You may easily spend 4–6 hours without eating. You repair your stomach, strengthen your immune system, and improve your body’s capacity to burn fat by consuming anti-inflammatory foods.

The Virgin Diet Plate is also quite adaptable. Whether you’re a vegan or follow a paleo diet, you can tailor that Plate to your needs.

Each macronutrient on the Plate — carbohydrates, protein, and fat — elicits a unique hormonal response, depending on the quality, time, and quantity consumed. Let’s take a quick look at each of these and how they may help you become the top fat burner.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates include a wide variety of meals. They occasionally acquire a poor rap. Cauliflower and ice cream are both carbs, but you already know which one is better for you.

Carbohydrates provide energy as well. They cause the release of insulin, which aids in the absorption of glucose from your blood and transporting it into your cells, where it is stored as glycogen or fat. The correct carbohydrates, rather than making you fat, make you a greater fat burner.

The Plate gets the majority of its carbohydrates from two sources:

• Non-starchy veggies. These should occupy the most room on your plate. There are several possibilities, including leafy greens and cruciferous veggies. Change it up with fresh and colorful options at each meal!
• Slow, low carbs. These are called slow because they include more fiber, which means that their sugar is released more slowly. They are low because they have a lower glycemic index. Black beans, butternut squash, cranberries, hummus, kabocha squash, lentils, quinoa, raspberries, tomatoes, and wild rice are among my favas.

Fiber is abundant in both non-starchy vegetables and slow, low-carb diets. (Avocado, almonds, and seeds are among the other items on this list.) Fiber has always been my go-to for crushing cravings and hunger, feeling full sooner, and improving gut health so you can be a greater fat burner.

My objective for you is to consume 50 grams of fiber every day. If you’re like the majority of individuals, you’re probably only receiving 5 to 14 grams each day.

Please don’t go from 14 to 50 grams in one day! Be patient, gradually increase your fiber intake (say, in 5-gram increments), and stay hydrated. It might take you one to two weeks to get there. If you begin too quickly, you may experience occasional gas, bloating, diarrheic, or constipation.

How Many Carbs Should I Eat?

• Non-starchy veggies. The more non-starchy vegetables you consume, the better, because they provide phytonutrients, fiber, and bulk to your diet. Aim for 5 to 10 servings or more each day. I want you to have at least two servings of vegetables at each meal (12 cups cooked or 1 cup raw).
• Slow, low carbs. 1–2 servings of high-fiber starchy carbohydrates every meal (using 12 cups cooked as a serving). Larger or more athletic guys can eat three servings every meal. A serving size would be:
• ½ cup cooked beans, quinoa, wild rice, or legumes
• 1 cup fruit or tomatoes

Protein

Proteins are the structural components of lean muscular tissue. They promote fullness by decreasing stomach emptying, which reduces the hunger hormone ghrelin. Protein amino acids help to maintain a healthy immune system. Eating adequate protein also helps you burn fat.

Your protein requirements are not constant. The amount of protein you require is determined by your weight and body composition. Your age (those 60 and older perform better with somewhat more protein), stress levels, and intensity of exercise will all play a role.

When choosing protein from animal sources, pick the cleanest. Whenever feasible, I choose organic, free-range, cage-free, grass-fed, and hormone-free sources.

What if you’re a vegan or vegetarian? The difficulty is consuming enough protein without going overboard on carbohydrates or fat. Protein is best obtained by mixing nuts and seeds with grains and legumes.

My Paleo-Inspired All-in-1 Shakes give bone broth without the trouble if you follow a paleo or keto diet that includes animal items. We employ HydroBEEFTM, a highly concentrated beef protein supplied by Swedish cows.

I also highly recommend my Plant-Based Shakes, which contain a protein blend, for optimum protein as a vegan or vegetarian (as pea protein, chia protein, and chlorella protein). Every serving provides an astonishing 22 grams of high-quality protein, which can be difficult to come by on vegan or vegetarian diets.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

The average lady should consume 75–80 grams of protein each day. Most males should consume 100–120 grams per day. This is calculated using the average size (160 pounds for a woman and 200 pounds for a man).

Every meal should include 20–30 grams of protein. You’ll probably need more if you’re a male, sporty, or older.

One serving of clean, lean protein contains approximately:

• For women, 4–6 ounces of fish, chicken, turkey, or grass-fed beef.
• That’s around 6–8 ounces for men.

Fat

The 1980s saw some amazing things… and some not-so-amazing things. Acid-washed clothes, bleached feathered hair, and low-fat diets are bygone eras.

Dietary fat, like carbs, is wrongly maligned even today. Yes, there are undesirable fats, such as the unpleasant vegetable oils that litter grocery store shelves, and trans fats, which are still found in trace amounts in processed foods. (The only quantity of trans and other harmful fats that is beneficial is zero.)

When I say fats, I mean the good fats that keep you full, focused, and healthy. I’m not talking about the inflammatory fats found in vegetable oils, the damaged fats found in scrambled eggs on the buffet table, or the trans fats that may still be found in processed meals.

Healthy fats, such as avocado and olive oil, suppress hunger by signaling fullness. They also aid in blood sugar stabilization by reducing the release of sugar into circulation. Your blood sugar does not drop too low since you do not generate an insulin spike.

When you eat healthy fat, you burn fat rather than sugar! Your body thrives on healthy fats. You’ll be a greater fat burner and lower chronic inflammation, which shuts down fat cells.

How Much Fat Should I Eat?

Every meal should include 2–3 servings of healthy fats. Men and athletic women can go as high as 4.

One serving of healthy fat should contain around 100 calories. Here are some instances of single servings:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ avocado
• 4 ounces of cold-water fish
• 5–10 nuts
• 1 tablespoon nut butter
• 10 olives

Pulling Everything Together: The Perfect Plate

Of course, you don’t generally consume macronutrients separately. You consume food.

You’ll find lots of anti-inflammatory items on the Virgin Diet Plate, as well as meals that provide consistent energy, balance blood sugar levels, and make you the ultimate fat burner.

Consider cutting your plate in half. This is how the Plate should look:

• Protein should make up around ¼ of your dish.
• Healthy fats should make up around ¼ of your meal.
• About ⅔ of the dish should contain non-starchy vegetables.
• The rest of your dish should be slow and low-carb.

Every plate should have the following design:

Keep in mind that the amounts of protein and fat in your diet may overlap. Both are found in foods such as wild-caught fish and grass-fed beef.

By the way, here’s my personal favorite:

• Grass-fed beef fillet
• ½ sweet potato
• Asparagus, lightly sautéed with olive oil
• Garlic and sea salt

What About If I’m Making A Salad Out of the Plate?

You may apply the same Plate method!

• Begin with deep, lush greens.
• Non-starchy vegetables, cut or julienned.
• Include some slow, low-carb foods.
• Include protein.
• Include some healthy fat (nuts, avocado, and/or dressing).
• Dress appropriately for the season.

You can also use the Plate method with a stew or a wrap! Remember that ease and simplicity are the most important factors here. Once you’ve mastered this, you can quickly judge how much food you’re eating without measuring or counting it.

Finally, close the kitchen and cease eating 3 hours before night (no, you cannot simply go to bed later!).

To reap the full advantages of intermittent fasting, I recommend that you allow at least 12 hours between supper and breakfast. Simply postpone breakfast until 9 or 10 a.m. the next morning. (However, no skipping breakfast!)