A healthy diet is not only vital for weight loss and weight maintenance, but also for reducing your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and some cancers. Sometimes creating balanced meal plans can seem time-consuming or difficult, causing people to throw in the towel and go out to eat or resort to eating frozen meals at home. Healthy eating doesn't have to be complicated, however. With some planning, you can create simple, healthy meals at home.
Nutrition Guidelines
In order to create healthy meals, it's important to understand the basics of nutritious eating. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid offers guidelines for healthy eating that can be personalized to suit your body type, age and activity level. The Pyramid recommends eating from each of the food groups, including grains, fruits, vegetables, meats and beans and dairy products in your daily diet. When eating grains, at least half of them should be whole grains, which offer more nutrients than refined grains.
Meal planning
Healthy eating is easiest when you have healthy foods and meal ideas on-hand. HelpGuide.org recommends preparing food at home with easy recipes and healthy foods that you've stocked up on. Cook extra quantities of your favorite meals so you can freeze some to have ready for quick meals when you don't have time to cook. In addition, create a weekly grocery list with all the items you plan to cook or eat during the week, so you'll be prepared to eat in and resist the temptation to eat calorie-loaded meals at restaurants.
Easy Meal Ideas
There are a variety of ways to make your meals nutrient rich, one of which is to stock up on frozen fruits and vegetables, which are high in nutrients and low in fat. Sandra Lee, host of "Sandra's Money-Saving Meals" on the Food Network, suggests cooking with a slow-cooker as it is an inexpensive and easy way to make homemade stews and soups. Other easy, healthy meal options include pasta with vegetables; sandwiches with lean meats on whole grain bread; whole wheat tortillas filled with beans; vegetables and low-fat cheese; and baked fish with brown rice and vegetables.
Fat Facts
Although it is best to avoid or reduce your consumption of unhealthy fats including saturated fat and trans fats, it is important to include healthy fats in your diet. "Good" fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which help lower cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats are found in plant oils, avocados, nuts and seeds. Fish-such as salmon, herring and tuna, flaxseeds and walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fats. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends that 10 to 25 percent of your calories come from monounsaturated fats and 8 to 10 percent come from polyunsaturated fats.
Fruits and Vegetables
The American Heart Association recommends eating at least 4 cups of fruits and vegetables per day. Choose a variety of colors and types of fruits and vegetables, as each color offers different combinations of vitamins and minerals. Easy ways to get your daily fill of fruits and vegetables include making fresh fruit smoothies with low-fat yogurt, sprinkling fruit on your cereal and yogurt, including vegetables in every hot meal you make and snacking on raw fruits and vegetables when you need an energy boost during the day.
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