What Is Meant By Nutritious Healthy Meals?

Your options when preparing nutritious, healthy meals are only limited by your taste, as long as you build your meals around simple, balanced principles. You don't need to master nutritional science or spend endless hours in the kitchen to eat healthier. If you plan your menus in advance, you can simplify your grocery shopping and design healthy meals that you can put together quickly after work or make ahead and freeze.

Identification

Nutritious, healthy meals refer to meals that incorporate the proper balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates, including adequate sources of essential vitamins and minerals. The bulk of your calories, 45 to 65 percent, should come from complex carbohydrates. Limit calories from fat to 20 to 35 percent of your total calories and aim to get 10 to 35 percent from protein. However, you don't have to keep a strict food diary to accomplish a healthy balance of nutrients in your meals. If you include variety and focus on proper portion sizes, you can build a healthy meal with minimal planning.

Components

Food group categories include grains, fruits, vegetables, reduced-fat dairy products, lean animal-based proteins such as poultry, meat and fish, and plant protein sources such as seeds, legumes and nuts. When you're planning a balanced meal, start with two servings of non-starchy vegetables, choosing two different-colored varieties. One serving is typically a 1/2-cup portion, with the exception of leafy vegetables, which take a full cup to qualify as one serving. Add to your meal one serving, or 3 oz., of plant-based or animal-based lean protein, such as lentils, chicken breast or snapper. Include one to two servings of grains, such as one slice of rye bread or 1/2 cup of brown rice, with your meal, opting for whole grains as often as possible. You can also substitute a starchy vegetable, such as potatoes or corn, for your grain component.

Preparation Methods

When you include healthy components in your meals, you also need to choose cooking methods and ingredients that support your nutritional goals. Lightly seasoned raw or steamed vegetables are healthier than fried vegetables, for example. When you include animal-based proteins, consider grilling, broiling, baking or stir-frying your meat, choose lean cuts and season with herbs, spices and healthy fats such as olive oil. Whole grains and legumes are better for you if you go light on added fats, opting for olive oil and spices rather than butter or bacon.

Considerations

You also need two to three servings of low-fat dairy products, three to four servings of fruit and eight to 10 cups of water to meet your daily nutritional needs. Drink water throughout the day and complement your meals with 1 cup of milk and a serving of fruit for dessert. You can also build a healthy breakfast with a serving of grains, such as oatmeal or ready-to-eat cereal, one serving of fruit and 1 cup of milk. Keep your snacks as healthy as your meals by pairing two nutritious components, such as an apple with natural peanut butter, almonds with a glass of fat-free milk or raw vegetables with hummus.