When It Comes To Food, Balance Usually Means More — Not Less

When it comes to healthy eating, adding more food may not seem like the right nutritional strategy. For years, cutting calories has been touted as the pinnacle of eating well and losing weight.

But ask any reputable dietitian or nutrition scientist about how to eat healthfully, and they will probably tell you to avoid dieting. Many diets emphasize restriction, whether it’s carbohydrates, calories, fat, or something else. And that’s not a healthy strategy.

Rather, restricting food by cutting calories causes us to miss out on important nutrients that our bodies need. So while you might think you’re being healthy by skipping breakfast and eating just a yogurt or a handful of nuts for lunch, you’re actually missing out on a ton of beneficial macro- and micronutrients.

A good way to maintain healthful eating habits is to consume three balanced meals in addition to two or three balanced snacks each day. But here’s the catch — in order to keep this sustainable, you need to mix in foods that are nourishing with foods that actually bring you joy.

That can be challenging when nutrition advice on social media is often conflicting and nutrition fads seem to come and go with lightning speed. Are we all deficient in protein? Should I be eating seed oils? What about saturated fat?

When it comes to balanced eating, the most healthful form of eating, luckily it’s not too complicated. However, it does require a mindset shift around adding food to your diet rather than eliminating food from it.

A balanced meal consists of the three macronutrient groups — carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Each macronutrient plays a specific role in providing our bodies with energy and keeping us nourished throughout the day. When meals lack one or more of the macronutrients, you may find yourself feeling sluggish, irritable, or hungry — even if you’ve just eaten.

Balanced eating is important at every stage of life, and it couldn’t be simpler — once you get the hang of it. Let’s walk through three easy steps in building a balanced meal.

Choose a carbohydrate source.

Carbs are your brain’s preferred source of fuel which means they’re crucial for energy and focus throughout the day. Carbs get a bad reputation because they’re often associated with desserts and fast foods. And while those associations aren’t wrong, there are many sources of carbohydrates that are nourishing and healthful. To start your balanced meal, choose a complex carbohydrate source as your base. Some of my favorites include: Brown rice, whole wheat tortillas, and whole wheat pasta.

When it comes to this macronutrient, many people don’t know that fiber is a type of carbohydrate. Fiber can be found in foods like fruit, vegetables, oats, and legumes. So while I highly recommend choosing a starchy source of carbs (think rice, tortillas, or pasta) it’s important to include fiber in your meal as well. Fiber helps you feel satiated after eating and aids in healthy digestion.

For the purpose of our example, let’s choose brown rice and sauteed veggies as our carbohydrate (and fiber!) sources.

Choose a protein source.

There’s a lot of noise about protein these days— and for good reason. While I don’t think you need to spend your time obsessing over if you’ve gotten enough protein for the day, I do think including about thirty grams with each meal (and fifteen grams with each snack) is beneficial. Not only does protein help with muscle repair, but it is important in keeping blood sugar levels stable, which is imperative in avoiding the mid-afternoon slump. Some of my favorite sources of protein include: Chicken, fish, tofu, and edamame.

We’ve got our brown rice and sauteed veggies to add to, so I’m going to go with chicken with fajita seasoning for my protein source.

Choose a fat source.

And if we thought there was a lot of noise out there about protein, let’s not forget what everyone has to say about fat. For so long, we were taught that fat is bad and that we should avoid it at all costs. However, fat is an important macronutrient for sustained energy throughout the day. While too much saturated fat isn’t ideal, healthy fats are a great way to get important nutrients into your diet. Some of my favorites include: Olive oil, avocado, nuts, and full fat dairy products.

To top of my fajita bowl, I’m going to choose avocado and sour cream as my fat sources.

Building balanced meals means more — not less.

Although it may be a learning curve at first, adding more nourishing food to your plate instead of less will only help you in the long run. Combining each of the macronutrient groups leads to increased energy throughout the day, less frequent cravings, and overall a healthier lifestyle.