Before you load up that plate of food, stop. Take a good look at your plate, and envision it divided into four quarters. To maximize the amount of nutrients in your lunch or dinner, you need to carefully consider what you put into each quadrant.

 
A good rule of thumb is to fill one-quarter of your plate with grains and starches, and one-quarter with lean protein. Heap the remaining half of the plate full with fruits and veggies.

 
When it comes to choosing those fruits and vegetables, keep in mind this simple concept: “In one word, that would be ‘color,’” said Jennifer Garland, MPH, RDLDN, CDE, a nutritionist at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

She recommends choosing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in a range of colors. During the summer, that might include tomatoes and strawberries, which are in-season and plentiful. Later in the summer, look for greens. The variety of colors will provide a variety of nutrients, and the veggies are often low in calories for the volume of food.  And tasty, too, Garland noted.

 
She likes the ease of dividing the plate into quarters. It frees people up from needing to use a scale, and with practice, it can even be done in a restaurant—if you also monitor portion size since many restaurants heap large amounts of food onto even larger plates.  “It works really well when people put it into practice,” she said.

 It will be even easier to remember how to eat healthy if you keep in mind the following six points when filling your plate: