The Cold One: no cooking. Protein, cut vegetables, bread or crackers, something fatty

The order

Protein, cut vegetables, bread or crackers, something fatty. Nothing here is a compromise: it is the same four groups as every other plate, assembled cold.

What goes wrong

Three faults, each written as the fix.

It is treated as a failure

It is a plate with all four groups on it. That is the entire standard, and it is met.

There is no protein in the house

This is the shape that depends on the shop. Tinned fish, yogurt and eggs are what make it possible at seven in the evening.

It is only vegetables

A cold plate without protein is a snack that will have you eating again in an hour.

What goes in it

Anything from the shopping list. The group is what matters and the specific item does not, which is the entire reason this is a shape and not a recipe.

Protein

Chicken thighs, Ground beef, Eggs, Greek yogurt, Canned tuna, Firm tofu, Cottage cheese

Vegetables

Baby spinach, Broccoli, Bell peppers, Frozen mixed vegetables, Cucumber, Cherry tomatoes

Starch

Rice, Potatoes, Rolled oats, Whole grain bread, Black beans, Pasta

Fat

Olive oil, Avocado, Almonds, Butter, Peanut butter

How much of each

Measured against your own hand rather than with a scale: a palm of protein, a fist of vegetables, a cupped hand of starch, a thumb of fat. The counts change with your build and your goal, and the tool works them out.

The longer version

• The plate shape: eating well without counting anythingHalf vegetables, a palm of protein, a fist of starch, a thumb of fat. The case for a shape over a number, and what it gives up.