With the right kinds of ingredients and cooking techniques, you can create meals to fulfill your healthy diet goals. Eating a healthy, balanced diet keeps your weight under control and protects you from certain diseases. Healthy, balanced meals may require a little planning, but they can offer a variety of foods to satisfy your taste buds and nutrition needs.
Components
A healthy, balanced meal includes a lean protein, fruits and vegetables, healthy carbohydrates and a small amount of unsaturated fat. The best protein options are low in saturated fat and include fish, chicken and vegetarian options, such as tofu or beans. Healthy carbohydrates include starchy vegetables and whole grains, specifically brown rice, barley, whole-grain bread or quinoa. Nuts, seeds and plant oils are sources of unsaturated fats, which help support important body functions. Unsaturated fats do not negatively affect your cholesterol levels like solid fats found in butter, margarine and animal products.
Strategies
Planning makes creating healthy, balanced meals manageable. Start by stocking your pantry with fresh or frozen produce, quick-cooking grains -- such as boil-in-the-bag brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and oatmeal -- canned beans, skinless chicken breast and water-packed tuna. Stick to low-fat or nonfat dairy products to limit saturated fat and keep heart-healthy olive or canola oil on hand. Prepare foods in advance if you find yourself pressed for time during the day. For example, cook a batch of oatmeal at the beginning of the week to have with chopped apples, skim milk and a sprinkling of nuts for healthy, balanced breakfasts, or roast several chicken breasts on Sunday to enjoy with brown rice and a green salad with olive oil dressing on busy weeknights.
Considerations
Practicing portion control is part of creating healthy, balanced meals. Healthy foods still have calories and eating too much of them can cause you to gain weight. Stick to just 3 to 4 oz. of meats and beans, 1/2 to 1 cup of grains and a teaspoon or two of oils at each sitting. Including one or two healthy snacks during the day can help mitigate hunger and fill in nutritional gaps. Healthy snacks include yogurt, low-fat cheese, 1 oz. of nuts, high-fiber cereal and fruits.
Sample Meals
Eating a balanced, healthy breakfast sets the tone for nutritional eating during the day. Have one egg scrambled with egg whites, spinach and diced tomatoes in olive oil served with whole-wheat toast and a glass of orange juice. At lunchtime, a sandwich made on whole-wheat bread with 2 oz. of deli turkey, lettuce and tomato with baby carrots and a cup of yogurt topped with chopped almonds provides healthy carbohydrates, lean proteins, dairy and healthy fats. A healthy, balanced dinner could be as simple as a cup of whole-wheat pasta served with sliced zucchini, 3 oz. lean ground turkey and 1/2-cup marinara sauce. Black bean tacos made with canned beans, corn tortillas, avocado and salsa is an option for a vegetarian, balanced meal.
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