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How to: Build a Perfectly Balanced Meal

How to build a perfectly balanced meal

You already know how to eat healthily - avoid packaged food, stuff that's battered and anything that looks like it might set off an episode of diabetes...but creating a well-balanced meal is another education in itself. Each macronutrient (carbs, fats and proteins) play an essential role in the body, and one without the other can make for lower absorption of their nutritional goodness. Follow the portion recommendations below (being mindful of your own activity levels) and you'll be getting everything your body needs to run like a well-oiled machine.

 

1. Fill half your plate with greens and dark leafy and/or non starchy vegetables

Fit Foodie Faves: spinach, mixed salad, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus

 

2. Choose a fist-sized piece of high-quality protein

Fit Foodie Faves: free-range eggs, chicken breast, turkey, tuna, prawns, salmon

 

3. Add ½ cup of low-GI carbohydrates

Fit Foodie Faves: pumpkin, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, lentils

 

4. Add a healthy fat source

Fit Foodie Faves: ½ avocado, 1 tbsp coconut oil, a handful nuts / seeds, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 

5. Dress it up, baby!

Finish it off with dulse flakes, herbs, pepper, fresh chills, spices and a massive squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

 

Voila! This balance will give you better nutrient absorption, lasting fuel and one hella tasty meal. Remember how you prepare your food it just as important as what you eat - steam, poach or grill where possible, and no...you can't smother it in mayo afterwards. #sorry.

 

Signature

Sally O'Neil - Editor in Chief

Sal is on a mission to prove that healthy and nutritious doesn’t have to be boring – and that even while staying in shape you can have your cake and eat it too. After losing 14kg from adopting a healthier lifestyle, she shares her journey with others on The Fit Foodie Blog. She also works as a commercial food photographer and stylist, is studying a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and is the author of two cookbooks: Love Move Eat (Bauer Media, 2017) and Meal Prep Plan (Murdoch, 2019).

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