Eating a healthy well-balanced diet every single day can seem impossible, especially when your life is busy. But you can change that. Below, you’ll find the list of the most important components of a good diet, the lists of foods that contain those nutrients, and the foods you need to avoid.
Are you super busy and worried that you are not taking enough care of yourself? Perhaps you’re battling with a recurring health condition?
Wellness experts tell us about tons of things we should be doing to be healthy and feel fabulous. There’s always some new miraculous gastronomic trend on the market.
In the world of nutrition, there are so many foods, diets, supplements, and food preparation styles that it is overwhelming to absorb all the information.
How To Eat a Well Balanced Diet Every Day
The volume of nutrition advice has evolved beyond your five-a-day variety.
But let’s be honest.
Eating healthy is a challenge. And maintaining that diet is an even greater challenge.
Surely, you don’t want another huge task to add to your list.
If you’re like me, to implement and maintain a full-scale all-new health regime would be a full-time job.
Me, I’m no big fan of sudden drastic large-scale changes. In my experience, these rarely last. Gradual tweaking and adjusting have worked for me best when it comes to lifestyle upgrades.
‘’Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.’’
Michael Pollan
However, there is a way you can restore the sense of wellbeing without stressing yourself timewise or spending your money on fancy health fads.
Instead of diving headlong into a new wellness regime and driving yourself crazy trying to incorporate it into your already busy schedule, you can start with basics.
Eating a balanced diet is important when you want to feel your best every day, but complicated dieting systems are off-putting and demotivating. You’ll give up before you can say ‘snack’!
Simplicity is the key.
So make it easier on yourself and be guided by this single principle:
Your body needs a combination of the most fundamental building blocks, supplied consistently and regularly, and in the right proportion.
Add These Nutrients to Your Food For Balanced Diet
Do you want to feel like you can take on the world?
Then you need to fill your body with fuel.
Food is fuel for your body.
This is the most important idea to remember when it comes to nutrition. It is also the healthiest way to think about food.
However, if you look at how food is treated in popular culture, you might think about food as a reward, an obsession, or a temptation.
Fundamentally, food is the fuel your body uses to think, work and play.
‘’To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.’’
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
For your body to function at its best, there are some basic nutrients that are part of a balanced diet.
Although I am not recommending any diet, I hate diets, never tried one.
(Not true. I tried once, lasted not a single day. The sad experiment ended in huge relief and a single-session spoon attack on the Nutella jar.)
The idea is to include these elements, or their proven alternatives, in your meals. And, preferably, eat whole foods.
1. Carbohydrates
Carbs are Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde of the nutrition scape.
There are good carbs, the ones that transform into energy we use. And there are bad carbs, those that turn into the energy we store, aka our arch nemesis, the fat.
Carbohydrates have been looked at with suspicion for the past few years with the advent of low-carb diets.
Yet carbs are the basic source of energy for everyone. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose and fructose for immediate energy needs. Unused glucose is then converted into glycogen for short-term storage.
Beyond those needs, unused carbs will be turned into fat for long-term energy storage. To maintain a healthy body weight, you want enough carbohydrates to fuel your daily activity, but not so much that you are storing excess fat.
So remember, you will not lose weight by not eating carbs. Many foods containing carbohydrates are super healthy and contain beneficial nutrients.
I’d fail miserably if I stopped eating carbs. For instance, pasta is my favorite thing ever. Deep in my soul resides a conviction that spaghetti is a gift from gods bestowed upon us to share in their divine pleasures.
What food to eat and what food to avoid when it comes to carbohydrates then?
Good Carbs:
- whole grains (unsweetened)
- vegetables
- fruits
- legumes
- tubers (potatoes, sweet potatoes)
- barley
- quinoa
- nuts
- seeds
Bad Carbs:
- bread
- French fries
- crisps
- pastries, cakes, cookies, biscuits
- white flour
- sweets, candies, chocolates, ice cream
- sugar-sweetened beverages
2. Proteins
Proteins are made up of amino acids. They are the building blocks of your muscles, organs, and every other cell in your body.
Having enough protein is especially important after a workout for muscle repair and recovery. Your body can only get the necessary amino acids for health from food. These nine essential amino acids can be found in animal protein sources.
For vegetarians, it can be a little more challenging. Often vegetarian foods need to be eaten in combination to fulfill protein needs. For example, a plate of rice and beans is considered a complete protein, with all nine essential amino acids.
Here are the most common sources of protein:
- lean meats (beef, lamb, veal, pork)
- poultry (chicken, turkey, goose, duck)
- fish
- seafood (prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, scallops, clams)
- legumes and beans (all beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, tofu)
- eggs
- dairy products (milk, yoghurt), cheese (the best is cottage cheese)
- nuts (almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, macadamias, hazelnuts, cashews),
- seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)
3. Fats
Fat, like Judas (you know, the apostle who kissed Jesus away to death), has suffered a bad reputation.
Why is she talking about Judas, you’re probably wondering?
Well, I read this book that says that through all these centuries we’ve probably got the whole Judas character wrong. Based on the recent research in biblical history and archaeological finds, it looks like Judas’ betrayal is not what it seemed at first sight.
Even though Judas has been long considered the doomed traitor, he had acted in support of his Master’s cause. (It’s complicated).
Anyway, it looks like Judas was just a poor misunderstood guy whose reputation might be yet rehabilitated.
Like Judas, fats have received a bad reputation in recent years, but there are learned voices campaigning to set the record straight to reeducate us.
In other words, the body requires fat for proper functioning. Fats play an important role in long-term energy storage. They also offer insulation and protection for vital organs.
Okay, the ‘Judas – fat’ analogy is a bit of a stretch, but you get the point.
So, what does this mean for you?
The goal for a balanced diet should not be the elimination of fats but consuming the right fats. You want to eat polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats such as those found in fish, nuts, olive oil, and peanut butter.
On the other hand, you need to limit the amount of saturated fats such as those found in dairy products and red meats.
Similarly, you should stay from trans fatty foods such as many baked goods, fried fast foods, and vegetable shortening. What fats to eat and what fats to avoid or eat less of?
Good Fats:
- fatty fish (salmon, cod, herring, mackerel, sardines, rainbow trout, tuna, striped bass)
- cheese (mozzarella, blue, feta, cottage, ricotta, parmesan, Swiss, cheddar, goat)
- eggs
- avocados
- nuts
- Chia seeds
- dark chocolate
- extra virgin olive oil
Bad Fats (saturated fats):
- meat: fatty cuts, including sausages and pies
- dairy: butter, ghee, lard, cheese, cream, soured cream, ice cream
- pastries
- sweets: chocolate, candy, biscuits, cakes
- savoury snacks: crisps (chips), crackers, popcorns
4. Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are substances in foods that the body uses as part of many important processes like cell repair and energy conversion.
Although you can find many bottles of vitamin supplements in the store, your body is designed to get vitamins from the foods you eat.
When you walk into the produce section, notice the vast array of natural colors. The more colorful your diet, the more vitamins you are getting. Eat your greens, but be sure to get your reds, yellows, and a few purples as well.
Indeed, you can get all the nutrients you need from a healthy, balanced diet. Focus on minimally processed foods with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables. Treat the food you eat as delicious fuel.
Vitamin and Mineral Sources:
Here’s a list of vitamin and mineral sources, according to Harvard Medical School:
Water-soluble:
B-1: ham, soymilk, watermelon, acorn squash
B-2: milk, yogurt, cheese, whole, and enriched grains, and cereals.
B-3: meat, poultry, fish, fortified and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes
B-5: chicken, whole grains, broccoli, avocados, mushrooms
B-6: meat, fish, poultry, legumes, tofu and other soy products, bananas
B-7: Whole grains, eggs, soybeans, fish
B-9: Fortified grains and cereals, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, legumes (black-eyed peas and chickpeas), orange juice
B-12: Meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, fortified soy milk, and cereals
Vitamin C: Citrus fruit, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts
Fat-soluble:
Vitamin A: beef, liver, eggs, shrimp, fish, fortified milk, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, spinach, mangoes
Vitamin D: Fortified milk and cereals, fatty fish
Vitamin E: vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts
Vitamin K: Cabbage, eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, kale
Minerals
Major:
Calcium: yogurt, cheese, milk, salmon, leafy green vegetables
Chloride: salt
Magnesium: Spinach, broccoli, legumes, seeds, whole-wheat bread
Potassium: meat, milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes
Sodium: salt, soy sauce, vegetables
Trace:
Chromium: meat, poultry, fish, nuts, cheese
Copper: shellfish, nuts, seeds, whole-grain products, beans, prunes
Fluoride: fish, teas
Iodine: Iodized salt, seafood
Iron: red meat, poultry, eggs, fruits, green vegetables, fortified bread
Manganese: nuts, legumes, whole grains, tea
Selenium: Organ meat, seafood, walnuts
Zinc: meat, shellfish, legumes, whole grains
‘’Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.’’
Doug Larson
Final Words
All that said, it is tough to deny yourself some of the foods on the ‘bad’ list. I mean, no chocolate? Come on. I’m never going to give that up. As well as a balanced diet, I think it’s really important not to lose sight of the overall balance.
But thinking about all that comfort and deliciousness you must renounce can have the opposite effect to feeling balanced.
That’s why some of the bad guys will still appear on my menu as an occasional treat, until such a time when I get excited by a Tupperware container of raw carrot sticks. Like Judas at The Last Supper.
Until then though, the idea is to reduce the bad foods and increase the goodies.
Good luck!
Disclaimer:
This article was written by Zuzana Halliwell. I am not a doctor or health professional and cannot be held liable for the information written here. This article is meant to provide information about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The content is based on my own personal experience and on information provided by medical professionals that is available to the public. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Do not use it as an alternative to seeking help from a medical professional.
