How should we combine our meals for them to be healthy? (English)

How should we combine our meals for them to be healthy? 

Are our meals healthy? 

Whenever we begin to take care of our food, we ask ourselves what to eat and how much to eat in each meal? We imagine how the perfect meal is, and that means healthy and with the right proportion of nutrients. 

Surely at some point in your life you followed some plan to lose weight or gain muscle mass that someone recommended you (thinking it was healthy) and you didn’t achieve the results you wanted, some time later you ended up frustrated asking yourself how to eat healthy. 

We know that healthy nutrition is key to enjoy of a good health, to have energy, to avoid diseases, and to improve our physical condition and quality of life. 

In the previous post of healthy nutrition, I explained the elements of healthy eating in detail (you can see it here), these elements are: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. 

Now I will explain how much of each you should consume in every meal for it to be healthy, since the secret of a healthy nutrition is all about quality in foods and balance in the quantity. 

This plate helps us to understand how each of our meals should be composed. You can use it as a guide to create healthy and balanced meals whether served on a plate or packed to go, you can adjust this plate according to your food preferences and lifestyle. There are healthy diets of all shapes and sizes, you just have to learn to choose your foods consciously to create your own healthy diet and that is exactly what I am going to teach you today. 

Discover how easy it is to eat healthy! 

Food groups 

Each food group contains different nutrients that our body uses to perform different functions and that are necessary to maintain a good health (see here). If you don´t eat a group of these foods on a regular basis, over time you could suffer deficiencies and get sick. 

Vegetables

These occupy one of the largest portions on the plate, they are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Essential to maintain a good health. They provide fiber that improves intestinal transit, reduces the absorption of cholesterol and slows the absorption of sugars; therefore, they help to keep blood sugar stable, and also provides a feeling of fullness.

They also provide phytonutrients (antioxidants), which have many health benefits such as: prevent cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, prevent cell damage by radiation or free radicals, etc. Most have low calories ideal for people who want to lose weight. 

Prepare salads full of color

The number of vitamins and minerals are not distributed evenly among vegetables, so it is necessary to eat a wide variety of them to ensure an adequate supply of nutrients.

Vegetables provide different vitamins and minerals depending on their color, dark greens such as broccoli, spinach and chard, provide different vitamins and minerals than oranges and reds like carrots and tomatoes. Choosing a wide variety in each meal ensures an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals.

Some common vegetables in our diet are: eggplant, paprika, onion, garlic, leek, chives, parsley, coriander, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, chard, cress, endive, spinach, lettuce, artichoke, zucchini, cucumber, turnip, radish, beets, carrots, sprouts, asparagus, etc. 

Choose fresh and raw salads instead of cooked salads

Some vitamins are lost during cooking, because some are sensitive to heat and others lost during soaking (in the water). That’s why it is important to eat raw salads more often than cooked salads (at least 4 times per week).

Cook your vegetables properly

There are some vegetables that shouldn’t be eaten raw because they have substances that can be harmful to our body if they are not cooked, such as eggplant, artichoke and others. So, try to cook them in ways that allow you to preserve the skin or peel, steamed, sauteed, roasted or baked; in this way you minimize the loss of vitamins, minerals and the vegetable fiber is preserved. The time required to saute, roast or boil a vegetable is approximately 3 minutes.

Dress your salads with Healthy Fats

As I explained in the post of Healthy Nutrition (see it here) there are healthier fats than others, use healthy fats to add flavor and consistency to your salads. A few pieces of avocado or a handful of chopped seeds can give a special touch to any salad.

Foods rich in healthy fats are: 

• Avocados, olives. 
• Oilseeds such as: peanuts, walnut, hazelnuts, cashew, pistachio, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed and others.
• Vegetable oils such as: olive, sesame, canola, flaxseed, soy, corn, sunflower, etc.

You can create your own dressings with these oils, vegetables can taste totally different according to the dressing we use. There are many options, you can make salty or sweet dressings, flavor it with different edible herbs and species such as rosemary, mint, garlic, oregano, basil, nutmeg, etc. The right amount of dressing in one serving for a person's salad is ½ to 1 tablespoon.

Healthy fats function as transport of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), their moderate consumption favors the reduction of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as "bad" cholesterol and increases high lipoprotein cholesterol density (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol. Thanks to this, they reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. It is the best source of fat if you suffer from high cholesterol.

Always remember that "low fat" does not always mean "healthy."

Avoid less healthy fats

The least healthy fats are saturated fats and trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils), these are found in: 

• Tallow (animal fat)
• In sausages, hams, mortadella, salami, etc. 
• In cracklings (fried animal skin) and in coconut and palm oils. 
• In dairy products such as high-fat cheeses, butter, cream, etc. 
• In snacks such as: fries, nachos, cookies, popcorn (processed: for microwaves or packaged ready to eat), etc. 

The indiscriminate consumption of these fats has a harmful effect on blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels which may increase the risk of having cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

The quality of the products we use will ensure that our meals are even healthier.

Fruits

Fruits constitute an important group of food in our diet, they provide:

• Vitamins and minerals needed for the proper functioning of the body and the maintenance of a good state of health.
• Fiber that improves intestinal transit, reduces the absorption of cholesterol from food and slows the absorption of sugars, thus help to keep blood sugar level stable, also provides a feeling of fullness.
• Phytonutrients (antioxidants) that have many beneficial health effects such as: preventing cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, preventing cell damage by radiation or free radicals, etc.
• Some fruits are rich in carbohydrates of rapid absorption ideal for athletes, as they help recharge muscle glycogen stores after workout.

As with vegetables, color and variety should be incorporated since the nutrients of the fruits are not evenly distributed among them, so it is necessary to eat a large variety to ensure an adequate supply of nutrients. A cup of fruits of all kinds and colors is much more than just attractive to the eye, it is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Together fruits and vegetables should fill half of the plate. Combine vegetables and fruit to make rich salads, fruits provide a sweet and acidic flavor that makes a salad great. You can also eat them as dessert, a rich fruit salad is perfect for dessert or eat it as a starter for breakfast or dinner.

Whole fruit vs Fruit juices

Whole fruits, whether sliced, chopped or whole, are always a better choice than fruit juices and smoothies because juices have more sugar and more calories per serving than whole fruits, they also do not contain fiber as it is destroyed during the smoothie / shake.

Prepare in juice / smoothie those fruits that you normally do not eat whole as lemon, tamarind, blackberry, grapefruit, soursop, among others. If you are going to drink a juice / smoothie, prepare it yourself, so you can control the amount of added sugar (maximum 1 tablespoon of sugar per glass).

Healthy Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates occupy ¼ of the plate, they are an important source of energy in the diet. They are used in many metabolic processes; they are the main fuel of the brain and the only source of energy that can be used by cells that lack mitochondria such as erythrocytes (red blood cells).

Carbohydrates are cereals, tubers and bananas.

Choose whole grains

Wheat, rice, corn, oats, barley, quinoa, millet, among others, and their integral derivatives such as: whole wheat flour, whole corn flour, pile corn, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, waffles with whole wheat flour, pancakes with whole wheat flour, buns with whole wheat flour, etc.

Whole foods have a greater contribution of fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals. Wholemeal flours help keep blood sugar levels level thanks to their fiber content unlike refined flours and their derivatives such as white bread, white rice, and others.

Starch-rich tubers

Includes potato, cassava, yam, taro, yautia, sweet potato, and others.

Bananas

Cook your carbs in healthy ways like baked, roasted, boiled, etc. And always avoid preparing them fried.

Healthy Proteins

Proteins occupy ¼ of the plate, they are necessary to build and maintain body tissues (muscle). They also provide important vitamins and minerals, such as iron. Choose healthy protein sources such as:

Vegetable Proteins: 

Include legumes and oilseeds.

• Legumes such as: beans (like black beans, white beans, red beans) chickpeas, lentils, peas, soy, tofu, etc. 
• Oilseeds such as peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashew, pistachio, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and others.

Healthy Animal Proteins: 

Liike eggs, fish, skinless poultry, lean meats (low in fat) such as lean pork and lean beef. 

Avoid fatty meats and processed meats such as sausages (hams, mortadella, salami, etc.). 

Choose low-fat dairy products such as mozzarella cheese and cottage cheese. 

Avoid cheddar cheese, cream cheese, blue cheese and others with high-fat content. 

Avoid to cook your proteins in unhealthy ways like fried, always prefer healthy cooking ways like baked, roasted, grilled, etc. 

Prepare your drinks

Prepare your own drinks you can prepare in juice / smoothie those fruits that are difficult to eat whole as lemon, tamarind, blackberry, grapefruit, soursop and others. This way you can control the amount of sugar added to the drink (maximum 1 tablespoon of sugar per cup).

Avoid sodas, sugary drinks and processed fruit juices.

Stay active and keep stress at bay

A healthy diet mix with physical activity guarantees a good health. The benefits of physical activity are many:

• Regulates the hormonal state: increases insulin sensitivity and improves its use.
• Regulates blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels (lipid profile).
• Reduce stress
• Prevents heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis (Weight training is especially beneficial for preventing osteoporosis).
• Improves body composition, increases muscle and decreases body fat, which improves appearance.
• Improves body metabolism, increases the number of calories that our body needs daily.
• Older adults who do physical exercise have a better body composition than those who do not. They have a lower risk of falls and fractures, since they have more skill and muscular strength so they are able to move more freely and consequently have a better quality of life.

Plan a physical activity that you are passionate about and that suits your lifestyle, such as: practicing some martial art, walking, running, swimming, cycling, soccer, gymnastics, dancing, tennis, diving, hiking, yoga, etc. There are many options, personally, my favorite physical activities and the ones I practice most are Kung Fu Pak Hok Pai (martial art), hiking and mountain excursions.

Find a physical activity that you liked and do it at your rhythm, a physical activity doesn’t have to be something that wears you out, at the contrary is something that give you strength and vitality, listen to your body and do it at your own pace, studies indicate that even 10 minutes of fast walking (at 80% of your capacity) provide you with health benefits, it is also said that with more time invested in exercise (30 minutes or more) and with physical activities of the highest intensities then the health benefits in the organism are better.

Don’t let your age to stop you! wheel out your training shoes and move that body, with the passing years you will thank the time and effort invested in your health.

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Along this article I explain how you should compose each of your meals in order to be healthy. Healthy eating doesn’t mean that our meals should be insipid and less appetizing, neither represent a greater spend of money in food or timing in cooking. A healthy eating is opposite to a rigid, severe and insipid diet.

Written by:

Roxana Sanchez

Dietitian - Nutritionist

Posted on September 2019

References 

WHO/FAO. (2003). Diet, Nutrition y Prevention of Chronical Diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization. 

Hernandez, A. G. (2010). Nutrition Treaty Volume I Physiological and Biochemical Bases of Nutrition. Madrid: Pan-American Medical Editorial. 

Hernandez, A. G. (2010). Nutrition Treaty Volume II Composition and Nutritional Quality of Foods. Madrid: Pan-American Medical Editorial. 

National Institute of Nutrition. (2012). Energy and Nutrient Reference Values ​​for the Venezuelan Population. Caracas: Corn People. 

Mahan, K, Scott-Stump, S, & Raymond, J. (2013). Krause Diet Therapy. Barcelona: Elsevier. 

Yeon Lim, M, Benyon, S, & O'Neale Roach, J. (2013). The essential in metabolism and nutrition. Barcelona: Elsavier.