What Are The Recommended Components To Get A Balanced Meal?

Many different types of food can fit into a balanced meal plan. Choosing a wide variety of nutritious foods for each meal --- including vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy sources of protein and fat --- provide you with energy and essential nutrients to keep your body working properly. Following these basic eating principles, along with controlling your portion sizes and limiting salt and sweets, can promote good health.

Vegetables and Fruits

The Harvard School of Public Health recommends filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits at each meal. This can increase your vegetable and fruit intake while limiting the room on your plate for potentially higher-calorie alternatives. Fruits and vegetables provide your body with important vitamins, minerals and fiber and also may protect you from some chronic diseases. A high vegetable and fruit intake can help you control your blood pressure, reduce your risk for developing some types of cancer and improve your vision and digestive health.

Whole Grains

After filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits, fill one quarter of your plate with grains, preferably whole-grain foods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends in its ChooseMyPlate initiative. Whole-grain foods include whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, oatmeal and quinoa. These types of carbohydrates promote good health, including a reduced risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. Eating whole-grain foods instead of refined grain products provides you with more vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Protein

Protein is another part of a balanced meal. Your body breaks down protein into amino acids, which it uses to build parts of cells, tissues and other important structures. Protein can be found in meats, poultry, fish, beans, nuts and seeds. Most Americans get more than enough protein each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Filling one quarter of your plate each meal with healthy sources of protein can help you get the right amount.

Considerations

Even as you eat nutritious foods each meal, controlling the amount of food you eat is also important. Consuming more calories than your body needs may lead to weight gain and associated health risks. The USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 also recommends that most adults limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg each day and replace saturated fats and trans fats with heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Consult your doctor before making any dramatic changes to your diet.