Healthy eating is often made too complicated.
I think that preparing a balanced and healthy meal with the right amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat that also tastes delicious can be simple.
I also don’t believe in counting calories or weighing out food. Seriously, in this day and age who has the time and willpower to do this for every meal?
There is a much better way that is really simple and sustainable.
By following a few principles to choose your ingredients and measure your portions, you have a really simple and effective way to eat healthy.
How to create the perfect meal in 2 steps
Step 1 – choose ingredients for a nutrient dense and diverse meal
There are 5 principles to follow which will ensure you have tasty as well as nutrient dense and diverse meals.
- Choose a protein source i.e. legumes, tofu, tempeh, hemp, protein powder
- Choose different coloured fruit and vegetables i.e. berries, citrus fruits, apples, bananas, leafy greens, carrots, peppers, red onions, mushrooms
- Choose a healthy carbohydrate i.e. sweet potato, buckwheat, oats, quinoa
- Choose a fat source i.e. nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, chia, flaxseed
- Choose different herbs and spices i.e. rosemary, basil, parsley, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, pepper
Step 2 – portion ingredients
Precision Nutrition, one of the most trusted authorities on fitness and nutrition, have come up with a genius way to measure portions using just your hand.
How many servings should you eat? It depends on many factors such as your goals, metabolism and age.
A good approximate place to start is 4-6 portions a day for women and 6-8 portions a day for men of protein, vegetables, healthy carbohydrates and healthy fat respectively.
However, you want to adapt your portion sizes depending on your goals.
For example, if you wanted to lose fat you might consider reducing a few portions of carbohydrates – and if you feel hungry load up on extra portions of vegetables as they are typically low in calories. Conversely, if you are training hard and want to gain muscle you might consider adding in a few portions of protein.
Take Action
Next time you are preparing a meal think about the above steps and measure out the portions in your hand.
If you want to know more or have any questions, please leave a comment or contact me.