What’s for dinner?

What’s for dinner? This is a question many families ask themselves several times each week. Dinner is often the meal that brings the family together; so, while it’s nice to make delicious meals, it’s equally essential to make nourishing and healthy meals.

The American Medical Association recognizes obesity as a chronic disease but losing just five to 10% of your body weight can improve many weight-related medical conditions. One of the four pillars of obesity treatment is better nutrition. What you eat for dinner and when and where you eat dinner matters. Eating an early dinner at the dinner table with the rest of the family will usually result in better outcomes for everyone. Data supports that the most significant predictor of success when picking a nutrition plan is if you can stick with it, so make a dinner plan with your family and follow it.

As an obesity physician, when planning a meal, I typically recommend starting with the MyPlate model, which consists of filling half of your plate with fresh vegetables, a quarter with protein, and splitting the final quarter in half between healthy fats and carbohydrates. Vegetables provide lots of nutrition, and protein makes you feel full and satisfied, which is very important to lose weight or keep a healthy weight.

I also connected with my colleagues specializing in breast cancer and heart health on what they think are important factors to consider when deciding what to eat for dinner. Here are their recommendations:

Dr. Kit Lu, oncologist, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

«When planning a meal, always choose a balanced diet. Two-thirds or more of your plate should be plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. At most, one-third of your plate should be animal protein. You can also replace animal protein with plant proteins, such as beans, nuts, and tofu. Research shows that eating whole soy foods containing protein, iron, and calcium won›t increase your risk of breast cancer. Choose whole soy foods over highly processed soy foods and ingredients. These ingredients are safe for most people and won›t increase your cancer risk.»

Dr. Mehreen Qureshi, cardiologist, UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute

«The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asserts that 80% of heart disease cases are preventable. Healthy eating is the first crucial step in this endeavor. The Mediterranean diet, backed by substantial scientific evidence, is the most supported dietary approach for reducing the risk of cardiac events. Opting for healthier cooking methods, such as using olive oil, baking, and steaming instead of frying, further enhances the nutritional value of our meals. While nutrition is crucial to our well-being, non-nutritional choices can also significantly affect prevention. Gathering with family for dinner promotes emotional bonding and positively impacts your mental health.»

Making good meal choices as a family promotes healthy eating in the present and forms good habits for the future. By planning and eating nutritious, well-balanced meals together, it’s more likely you will continue to make the same healthy decisions in the long term.

Dr. Sumathi Suppiah, MD, DABOM, is the medical director of medical weight management for the UPMC Central PA Weight Management Center. She is passionate about helping her patients achieve optimal health through good diet and nutrition, regular exercise, and mental health support. To learn more about medical weight management at UPMC in Central Pa., call 717-591-5638 or visit UPMC.com/ CentralPaWeightLoss.