Eating a balanced meal regularly may sound pretty simple, but it's easy to miss the mark and eat too much unhealthy stuff and not enough of what you actually need.

 

Divide your plate up to get enough of what you need, every meal!

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WHAT SHOULD

BE ON

MY PLATE?

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You should be aiming to have a good balance of a complex carbohydrate, a lean source of protein, a bit of healthy fats, and a generous helping of vegetables.

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Read our article on a healthy, balanced diet to find out a bit more about these food groups and why they're important! 

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WHAT DO I NEED?

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It's more accurate to use a weighing scale to measure your food portions out, but not everyone cares to take the time and effort to do that. 

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You can use your hand as a rough gauge - we'll use your clenched fist as a gauge to estimate the quantities of food you should be eating.

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ONLY THE GOOD STUFF

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We're going to aim to have only healthy foods on your plate. You are what you eat. If you pick fries to be your carbohydrate source, you'll still put on unwanted fat and clog up your blood vessels with fat deposits.

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Make wise food choices, then worry about portion size. Both are necessary for a healthy diet.

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DIVIDE IT UP

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We'll start with veggies. Half your plate should consist of healthy vegetables.

 

Vegetables are a FIBROUS CARBOHYDRATE, so they give you a little bit of carbs and lots of fiber.

 

The fiber helps keep you regular in the toilet, and maintains a healthy digestion. They also help you manage the fat and cholesterol levels in your blood. Veggies also have lots of vitamins and minerals.

 

Fill up half your plate with them, or have the equivalent of two of your fists in terms of portion size. 

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Just make sure you keep your veggies healthy. There isn't much point to eating lots of vegetables if you're going to fry it all up with lots of unhealthy cooking oil, or add a lot of salt to flavour it. Try to boil or steam your veggies to keep them healthy.

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Next, make sure you have adequate amounts of protein and healthy fats.

 

Pick a lean source of protein (give our article on lean Protein a read), and cook it in a healthy fat. A portion size equivalent to the size of your closed fist should provide you with sufficient protein for your meal. Stick with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil to make sure you're getting healthy fats with your meal. Just make sure you discard the skin or fat on your protein source, and don't overdo it with the cooking oil.

 

Use just a tablespoonful or less of cooking oil to fry your meats up. Alternatively, you can steam or boil your protein, and just drizzle a bit of healthy fats over it.

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Next comes the carbohydrates.

 

Pick a complex carbohydrate like Basmati rice, wholegrain breads, or pasta, and have a portion equivalent to the size of your clenched fist. Try to pick a plain carb source to keep it healthy - eating fried foods like fried rice or noodles will make the meal unhealthy by adding unwanted fats.

 

Give our article on Complex Carbohydrates a read to see which ones are a good choice. 

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Lastly, make sure you hydrate well with each meal. Adequate hydration helps with your digestion, and supports your body functions and metabolism through the day.

 

Take 300-500ml of plain water with your meal.

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WRAP IT UP!

 

Eating a balanced meal seems pretty straightforward, but putting it into practice regularly can be challenging. Keep at it, stay away from healthy foods, and you'll feel and look better!

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