You might have always wondered how to make a well-balanced meal plan to nourish your body. By following these simple steps you can start your health and fitness journey.
First, start with balancing meals, and stop avoiding food groups, every group is important and has its nutrient profile and specific function in the body. Start balancing your plate, half of the plate should have a serving of vegetables (incorporate different vegetables), a quarter of your plate with a protein source (choose lean meat, low-fat cheese, etc.), and a fist-sized portion of your favorite whole grain, and thumb-size portion of good quality fats. To give you a better perspective on how I make my plate, I love a Buddha bowl, a Buddha bowl is a quick and delicious fix. I start by filling my bowl with my favorite cereal, mostly I add chickpeas, so for the base, I add chickpeas, followed by a protein source which usually is marinated tofu, then I add my green leafy veggies to it, and to give that nutty flavor to it I add my homemade almond sauce . I like to add crunch for more texture, for that additional crunch, I add different seeds. This is what my usual lunch looks like.
It is simple to make a well-balanced and nutrition-rich meal. Second, learn to enjoy your favorite food in moderation, we tend to avoid our favorite food for the targeted goal, here is what happens when we avoid these food groups, we tend to binge-eat when we finally get our hands on them, we keep restricting ourselves and create scarcity mindset, which will lead to a point where we have no selfcontrol around the food, our scarcity mindset will make us gulp down as much as we can, to fill that void and fear of not getting to eat that restricted food for too long. Instead, start practicing mindful eating. Who does not love ice cream, instead of restricting ice-cream have 2-3 spoons of your favorite ice cream, take your time while eating, have your entire focus on the food in front of you, devour each bite, and trust me these 2 – 3 spoons will give you satiety which an entire bowl would not be able to give while binge eating.
Third, figure out is it necessary to eat everything available, we go to parties and events where we tend to eat food items even when we don’t feel like it. For example, when we go out for dinner or social events we try to eat everything available. Instead, try to focus on high protein and healthy food options available. Learn to say no when you are full, do not try to overindulge way past your hunger. Try having small bites, chew your food duly, put down your utensils in between bites. Prioritize mindful eating, and portion control.
