In most cases, we are advised by dieticians/nutritionists to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight; and one way to do this is by dividing your plate into three sections — proteins, grains, or carbohydrates and vegetables.

This, experts say, is a simple way to eat smart without weighing or measuring food. 

Private Kamanzi, a nutritionist and dietician at Amazon Nutrition Cabinet, a clinic in Kigali that deals with diet, physical wellness and lifestyle, is using ‘Eatwell Plate’ to help people maintain a balanced diet.  

The ‘Eatwell Plate’ is a pictorial summary of the main food groups and their recommended proportions for a healthy diet.

Although there are a number of plates designed differently, Kamanzi says this particular one is designed in the Rwandan concept.

The plate, he says, helps people balance their diet in regards to glycaemic index and glycaemic load that particular foods have.

In a nutshell, ‘Eatwell Plate’ has been designed to facilitate people to balance their diet irrespective of their dietary needs, using locally available food.

What to put into consideration

Kamanzi says it should be noted that the plate itself helps one eat all the locally available food in the right portion, depending on one’s dietary requirement.

When it comes to losing weight, he mentions that people tend to avoid or cut off some foods entirely. This concept, the nutritionist says, is not practical locally because the available foods are nutritious and do not have a bad impact on our health, compared to processed foods.

"The only problem that people have is how to balance the food depending on someone’s needs, and this is where the ‘Eatwell Plate’ comes in,” he notes.

Locally produced foods have their own nutrients; therefore, there is no point in cutting off some types of food.

However, Kamanzi says harm will only occur if one does not respect the portions of certain foods.

Understanding glycaemic index and load

Joseph Uwiragiye, Head of nutrition department at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), says the glycaemic index (GI) is the amount of glucose that food can generate to the body when consumed.

He notes that it can be defined as a system of assigning a number to carbohydrate-containing foods according to how much each food increases blood sugar.

He notes that the glycaemic index itself is not a diet plan, but one of various tools, such as calorie counting or carbohydrate counting of food choices.

Generally, Uwiragiye says, the more processed and refined the food is the higher its GI.

Other factors that influence the GI, he says include the cooking method, the protein, and fat content of the food.

Uwiragiye says glycaemic load (GL) is the amount of food that when consumed, can give one a certain glycaemic index.

"The glycaemic load of food is a number that estimates how much the food will raise a person’s blood glucose level after eating it. One unit of glycaemic load approximates the effect of eating one gram of glucose,” he explains.

Healthy eating

Kamanzi says one can still lose weight in a healthy way using locally produced foods such as legumes and tubers.

He advises people not to cut off such foods, rather, consume in right portion by using ‘Eatwell Plate’.

The plate itself has three different sizes, designed to place three main types of food (protein, grains/carbohydrates, and vegetables).

20 per cent of the plate is supposed to be filled with carbohydrates, 30 per cent with proteins while vegetables and fruits should occupy the remaining 50 per cent.

"We use the plate to educate people on placing the right portion of the food as per the space on the plate,” he says.

One is supposed to place their food depending on the glycaemic index that the food has.

For instance, he notes that if someone is diabetic, there are certain foods that increase the glycaemic load.

For this reason, he explains that minimising the consumption of such foods, but not skipping the consumption entirely is important because such foods still have nutrients that the body needs to function well, and cutting them off will mean depriving the body of its nutritional needs. This can only be done practically using the plate.

Portions help the body rejuvenate, protect itself against diseases, especially for people who are prone to illness.

Kamanzi says anyone can use the plate. People with chronic and non-communicable diseases can benefit a lot from the plate too.

When it comes to losing weight, he says the plate is useful because one is able to consume food that has a low glycaemic index, meaning they are taking in foods that help maintain good weight.

David Rukerabigwi, a dietician and nutritionist working with Slim n’ Fit, a weight loss and wellness centre in Kigali, says the plate can also be used with the intention to gain weight.

Here, he notes that the placing of the food on the plate ought to be changed.

For instance, the 50 per cent space should be used for carbohydrates, 30 per cent on proteins, and the remaining on fruits and vegetables.

This, he says, can be done with adolescents and people who are underweight.

The reason for this, he says, is that adolescents are growing and some eat inappropriate meals, or simply have a high metabolism (the way our body burns calories).

Therefore, he says, growing during teen years requires more food energy than other times.

One important aspect to note before using the plate, Kamanzi says, is consulting a dietician to help you determine what portion of the food to serve.

He says that the dietician will be able to recommend serving size depending on one’s dietary needs, and this can be done through calculating energy expenditure as well as the energy needed per day.