What makes a healthy meal?

With so much conflicting information out there these days, healthy eating can be a little overwhelming.

So I wanted to give you a few guidelines so you know what you’re aiming for when it comes to a ‘healthy’ meal.

We cover a lot more information on healthy eating in the Reclaim Your Waistline class. So if you haven’t already, you might like to take some time to check it out.

what to eat?

I’m a big fan of Michael Pollan’s no-nonsense instructional little book Food Rules. It’s a collection of guidelines to help make healthy eating decision simple. If you’re interested I wrote about my favourite rules from the book on Stonesoup over here.

components of a healthy meal

1. vegetables
The one things pretty much all nutrition experts agree on is that a healthy diet should contain lots of veggies. My philosophy is that if you’re getting at least 2 serves of vegetables in a particular meal then you have to be on the right track.

Not sure what constitutes a serve of veg?

We’ll be covering that in greater detail in the Veggie Love class, later in the year, but for now check out 7 tips to make sure you’re getting enough veg.

2. protein
The other component I focus on in planning healthy meals is the protein. Is there some sort of meat? or fish? eggs? lentils? beans? tofu? nuts? or cheese? Or possible a combination of one or more of these? If the answer is yes and you’ve got your veg in the mix. Everything else will fall into place.

3. fun!
The most important part of healthy meal planning. You may have all your nutrients carefully included in the most beneficial ratios, but if the meal doesn’t taste good and look good, you’re not going to be excited about eating it. And neither will your family and friends.

Nobody can (or should) endure boring food day in, day out.

So take some time to look at your meal and make sure it includes at least some of the following:

§ looks great – visually interesting
§ has more than one colour
§ smells enticing
§ has more than one texture
§ has more than one flavour
§ is well seasoned (we’ll be talking about this more in module 6!)
§ looks like someone cares

about variety

One of the best ways to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs, and avoiding having too much of anything harmful is to eat as wide a variety of food as possible. Think of it as putting your eggs in many baskets.

And not only does variety make sense from a nutritional perspective, it keeps food fun too.

But don’t feel like you need to have a completely different shopping list each week. Maybe it’s as small as resolving to try one new vegetable each week? Or cooking something you haven’t made in ages?

about moderation

There’s a saying in nutrition circles that there are no ‘bad’ foods, only ‘bad’ diets.

I really agree with this philosophy. While a diet based on chocolate and sugary drinks at every meal isn’t a great idea, the occasional indulgence in one or both of these ‘treats’ can actually be more beneficial than a life of strict denial.

a few watch-outs

not all veg are created equal.
Green, leafy veg and colourful veg tend to be more beneficial than sugary or starchy veg such as potatoes and sweet corn.

processed food claiming to be healthy
While it isn’t impossible to get processed food that is OK for you, the chances are pretty slim. As much as possible try to steer clear of processed food, especially anything claiming to be ‘healthy’.

don’t strive for unrealistic perfection
While we’d all love to scamper out to our organic vegetable patch to pick just what we need before every meal, lets face it. It isn’t going to happen over night. Or maybe ever.

But don’t let this dishearten you. Anything you do to eat fresher and healthier is better than nothing at all.

So start with small changes and forget about perfection. Perfection can be boring.

the disclaimer

Just wanted to make sure it’s clear. I’m not a nutritionist or a dietician. While I do have a degree in food science, I only took a couple of classes in nutrition as part of my degree. So while I understand the basics, I am in no way qualified to give dietary advice. So please, if you’re planning any major dietary changes, consult your physician or a registered nutritionist first.

I’m just sharing what works for me. But this may not be the best for you, especially if you have any health issues.

back to: Solve Your Dinner Dilemma [fresh ideas] overview