Healthy Meals
The healthiest diets are those that both achieve balance between carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats and are nutrient-rich with vitamins and minerals from a variety of whole foods including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. There are numerous diet plans that provide the nutrients needed for those with particular medical needs, such as a diabetic diet, the DASH diet, or gluten-free celiac diet. However, the majority of people benefit from healthy meals that balance the food groups and provide your body with an array of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients (Berkeley Wellness, n.d.).
Balancing Your Plate
When assessing the health of your meals, take a look at your plate. Dividing your plate into sections can help you visualize the types of foods you should eat. For example, fruits and vegetables should take up half of your plate (United States Department of Agriculture, 2016). A person who needs 2,000 calories per day should aim to get 2 cups of fruits and 2 ½ cups of vegetables every day. This may include fresh, frozen, canned, or dried produce. Whenever possible, eat fruits and vegetables from across the color spectrum. This ensures that you get an array of beneficial vitamins and minerals to support health.
Just under one quarter of your plate should consist of protein (United States Department of Agriculture, 2016). The best protein sources are lean proteins, such as skinless chicken breasts, turkey, eggs, or deli meat. Opt for non-animal proteins whenever you can. Beans, soy products, and lentils make excellent non-animal sources of protein. This keeps saturated fat levels in check and improves cardiovascular health (Szeto, Kwok, & Benzie, 2004).
Finally, the remaining quarter of your plate should be filled with grains. Aim to get 6 ounces of grains each day, with at least half of those coming from whole-grain sources (United States Department of Agriculture, 2016). Whole grains include buckwheat, whole-wheat toast, whole-wheat pasta, millet, oats, quinoa, amaranth, and barley. These foods are high in fiber and help you feel fuller for a longer period of time.
Although oils, butter, and other fats add flavor to food, it is best to limit these as much as possible. When choosing fats, opt for heart-healthier olive oil, safflower oil, or flaxseed oil over butter and animal fats. These oils contain unsaturated fats that decrease cardiovascular risk and may ward of certain chronic diseases (Schmidt & Dyerberg, 1994).
Beyond Meals: Thinking in Days, Not Plates
While the aforementioned advice of balancing plates is a great way to stay healthy, it is not always tenable. Additionally, many of us prefer certain tastes at certain times, and not all foods fit into this selective schema. The guidelines do, however, offer a great way to balance your diet throughout the day- so keep them in mind as you contemplate a dinner that balances the plate provided by breakfast and lunch.
To this effect, we’ve also explored a variety of individual needs and considerations to offer suggestions for keeping a balanced diet throughout the day. Take a look at the selections we’ve provided below.
Healthy Eating
- Healthy Snacks
- Healthy Highlights
- 5 Uses for Cacao Powder
- 5 Ways to Eat Farro
- 6 Best Gluten-Free Foods
- Alcohol and the Body
- Almond Flour Recipes
- Anti-Aging Superfoods
- Beat the Afternoon Slump
- Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
- Benefits of Baobab
- Benefits of Cashews
- Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair
- Benefits of Coconuts
- Benefits of Dates
- Benefits of Fenugreek
- Benefits of Garcinia Cambogia
- Benefits of Goji Berries
- Benefits of Kale Chips
- Benefits of Monk Fruit Sweetener
- Benefits of Peanuts
- Benefits of Pecans
- Benefits of Pistachios
- Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
- Benefits of Spelt Flour
- Benefits of Steel Cut Oats
- Benefits of Sunflower Seeds
- Benefits of Tiger Nuts
- Benefits of Turmeric
- Benefits of Walnuts
- Benefits of Wheatgrass
- Best Food Fads
- Cacao vs Cocoa
- Caffeine-Free Energy Foods
- Chocolate That's Good for You
- Diet vs. Exercise
- Fat Burning Foods
- Food Myths Debunked
- Foods for Bone Density
- Foods for Colon Health
- Foods for Healthy Hair
- Foods for Healthy Skin
- Foods to Help Sleep
- Foods to Reduce Stress
- Green Tea Benefits
- Healthy Baking Flours
- Heart Healthy Habits
- High Protein Health Risks
- How to Boost Your Metabolism
- How to Lose Weight While Aging
- How to Throw a Vegan BBQ
- Kaniwa vs Quinoa
- Little Health Foods
- Low-Carb: Fad or Friend?
- Making Healthier Desserts
- Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan
- Natural Beauty Products
- Nuts for Weight Loss
- Preparing Vegan Meals
- Preventing Muscle Degeneration
- Rare Superfoods
- Reduce Sugar Intake
- Save Time By Going Vegan
- Smarter Snack Swaps
- Smoothie Ingredients
- Soy Protein vs Whey Protein
- Starting a Plant-Based Diet
- Steel Cut vs Rolled Oats
- Sugar Substitutes
- Vegan Proteins
- Vegan Substitutions for Fall Recipes
- Why Go Vegan
- Healthy Recipes
- Sports Nutrition
- Nutrition and Special Diets
- 21 Day Fix
- 5 Popular Diet Similarities
- Alkaline Diet
- Anti-Inflammatory Diet
- Calorie Counting
- Carb Cycling Diet
- Celiac Disease
- Cholesterol
- Clean Eating
- Crohn's Disease
- DASH Diet
- Detox Diet
- Diabetes
- Diabetes Diet
- Diet Pill Dangers
- Fat Burning Foods
- Gluten-free Diet
- Glycemic Index
- Heart Health
- High Blood Pressure Diet
- High Fiber Foods
- How to Eat Healthy
- How to Lower Blood Pressure
- Hypertension
- IBS Diet
- Ketogenic Diet
- Liquid Diet
- Low GI Foods
- Low-Carb Diet and Foods
- Low-Fat High-Carb Diet
- Mediterranean Diet
- Mediterranean Diet Foods
- Military Diet
- Nutrition Labels Explained
- Paleo Diet
- Raw Food Diet
- Superfoods
- Sustainable Weight Loss
- Thrive Diet
- Vegan Diet
- Vegetarian Diet
- Weight Loss Shakes
- Whole30
- Vitamins, Minerals & Nutrients