How a balanced diet could look like …
Probably many times you asked yourself how the “perfect” diet should look like. Or you were thinking at “something” you have to change in your life and habits in order to lose weight, look better or just be healthier and feel good. Well in most cases the “perfect diet” is the one you can handle for the long run, the one which brings results and makes you feel good (or lets you feel good :)…) and it is almost impossible to find a diet that is universal and “perfect”.
But why or when are we thinking at diets or changing our lifestyle ? As mentioned above maybe we want to lose weight, maybe we feel tired and we need more energy, maybe we have increased our activity levels (sports or work conditions) or maybe we are just passing a period of time when our health or our body needs more attention.
A very important thing (in my opinion of course) when starting a diet and make changes to our body and lifestyle is to keep the balance and adjust our expectations to reality and respect what our body can take for the long run. For example we should be aware that a few weeks of diet won’t wipe down the kilograms we gained during a few years and we should be patient and apply good and fair nutrition principles. On the other hand when we don’t begin to see changes or these changes are too small we don’t feel confident to keep going.
That is why we need a balanced diet. We need balance to feel good and have the right amount of energy for our daily tasks… A diet usually restricts some foods or some food groups but we still have to provide our body with the nutrients it needs even with more attention (overweight is already an unbalanced state so we don’t want to create a bigger one - cutting simple carbs or unhealthy fats does’t mean also cutting vitamins, minerals, quality proteins, healthy fats or fibres … )
A balanced diet “accepts” all food groups. The restrictions are applied to quantities, cooking techniques, source and the processing level of foods. (In the following example I avoided processed food, fried food, trans fats, sugar, unrefined flours, sweetened drinks, I kept saturated fats at the lowest and focused on quality lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbs and fibers from best “you can get sources” and looking for seasonal fruits and vegetables… )
Here I want to show you how a balanced diet can be configured. More exactly I want show you an example of “a balanced menu for one day” in three calorie “trims”. It is just a general example with three main meals and two snacks but you can make yourself an ideea of how “a balance diet” should look…
The blueprint …
Start the day with a energy boost
You have a smoothie here…
Continue with some fruits
I tried to recommend seasonal…
Quality proteins and veggies lunch with a touch of healthy fats of course…
You have chicken here but it could be fish, beef or lean pork as well…
Some raw nuts or seeds with a touch of black chocolate for the soul in the afternoon :)
Cashews, Almonds, Pistachio, Sunflower seeds, Pumpkin seeds, use your imagination :)…
Complex carbs for the dinner empty stomach before you sleep but no hunger sensation
Wholemeal rice or pasta why not in a salad…
Examples
Target - 1500 kcal (lose weight)
Breakfast - Apricot smoothie with cashew, dried goji, oatmeal, bio rice drink / Quantities per serving: cashew 25 g, apricots 100 g, dried goji 20 g, oatmeal 30 g, bio rice drink 120 ml
Snack 1 - strawberries 200 g, cherries 150 g
Lunch - Grilled chicken breast with grilled zucchini and cabbage salad with fresh tomatoes / Quantities per serving: chicken breast without skin 150 g, olive oil 10 ml, cabbage 200 g, tomatoes 200 g, zucchini 200 g, lemon juice 20 ml
Snack 2 - black chocolate 80% cocoa 20 g, sunflower seeds 10 g
Dinner - Warm pasta salad with steamed green peas and cherry tomatoes / Quantities per serving: boiled pasta 150 g, steamed green peas 30 g, parmesan cheese 10 g, olive oil 5 ml (you can add basil leaves), cherry tomatoes 100 g
Energy - Calories 1520 kcal,
Nutrients - Proteins 74 g, Fats 54 g, Carbohydrates 196 g, Fibers 31 g, Cholesterol 105 mg
Target - 2000 kcal (lose weight or maintain)
Breakfast - Apricot smoothie with cashew, dried goji, oatmeal, bio rice drink / Quantities per serving: cashew 30 g, apricots 150 g, dried goji 20 g, oatmeal 30 g, bio rice drink 120 ml
Snack 1 - strawberries 250 g, cherries 250 g
Lunch - Grilled chicken breast with grilled zucchini and cabbage salad with fresh tomatoes / Quantities per serving: chicken breast without skin 150 g, olive oil 10 ml, cabbage 200 g, tomatoes 250 g, zucchini 250 g, lemon juice 20 ml
Snack 2 - black chocolate 80% cocoa 25 g, sunflower seeds 25 g
Dinner - Warm pasta salad with steamed green peas and cherry tomatoes / Quantities per serving: boiled pasta 230 g, steamed green peas 80 g, parmesan cheese 10 g, olive oil 10 ml ((you can add basil leaves), cherry tomatoes 100 g
Energy - Calories 1988 kcal,
Nutrients - Proteins 89 g, Fats 72 g, Carbohydrates 263 g, Fibers 41 g, Cholesterol 105 mg
Target - 3000 kcal (high energy demand)
Breakfast - Apricot smoothie with cashew, dried goji, oatmeal, bio rice drink / Quantities per serving: cashew 35 g, apricots 300 g, dried goji 25 g, oatmeal 50 g, bio rice drink 120 ml
Snack 1 - strawberries 250 g, cherries 250 g, sunflower seeds 20 g
Lunch - Grilled chicken breast with grilled zucchini and cabbage salad with fresh tomatoes / Quantities per serving: chicken breast without skin 200 g, olive oil 15 ml, cabbage 250 g, tomatoes 250 g, zucchini 250 g, lemon juice 20 ml
Snack 2 - Rice dessert / Quantities per serving: black chocolate 80% cocoa 25 g, boiled brown rice 350 g, honey 20 g, cinnamon 5 g
Dinner - Warm pasta salad with steamed green peas and cherry tomatoes / Quantities per serving: boiled pasta 300 g, steamed green peas 200 g, parmesan cheese 15 g, olive oil 15 ml (you can add basil leaves), cherry tomatoes 200 g
Energy - Calories 3008 kcal,
Nutrients - Proteins 127 g, Fats 90 g, Carbohydrates 439 g, Fibers 63 g, Cholesterol 141 mg
