Building a Better Meal

The myriad of diets being pushed by everyone from health experts to celebrities and talk show hosts is enough to make your head spin—should you try the low-carb diet? The low-fat diet? Or the latest among the fad diets, the Acai Berry diet? The best thing you can do when choosing a "diet" is to forget the fads and realize that there is no one-size-fits all way of eating. The best diet is certainly not a fad diet, but one that best supports the health of your body, and is probably as unique as you are.

There are some nutritional basics that all humans need for good health -- plenty of clean water and foods that supply sufficient amounts of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. The trick to creating a healthy diet is to include the right ratio of these macro and micro nutrients in each meal. In creating your own healthy diet it is easiest to start with something simple: planning one meal. Once you know the components of a healthy meal, and begin to incorporate them into every meal, it will be easy to eat your way to a healthier you -- and ditch the fad diets for good.

The first step for building a better meal: each meal you eat should be packed with nutrient-dense foods. These are foods that supply the most nutrients per calorie. Junk foods and highly processed packaged foods (otherwise known as "convenience foods") tend to be void of nutrients—they supply empty calories that leave the body starving for the nutrients it needs to function optimally. Instead of highly-processed packaged foods, choose quality organic foods that have undergone minimal processing—foods that are closest to their whole and natural forms. Think fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole dairy products, naturally-raised meats, and whole grains. Minimally-processed foods retain significantly more nutrients than their highly-processed counterparts. Build your diet around nutrientdense foods, and then begin to fine-tune the amount of each nutrient included in each meal.

Build on Protein

Since protein is the building block of nearly every bodily structure, it makes sense to build your meal around protein. Protein is necessary for the production of hormones, antibodies, neurotransmitters, and enzymes; it is essential for optimal health. Protein also has a satiating effect and increases metabolism. Plan each meal around a quality protein, one that contains all of the essential amino acids the body cannot produce itself. While most foods supply some amino acids, generally, animal products are the only foods that supply all of the essential amino acids in the proper ratio for the human body. Good concentrated sources of quality protein include naturally-raised, grassfed meats, wild-caught fish, naturally-raised poultry and eggs, as well as cottage cheese. Less concentrated sources include dairy products like cheese and yogurt, and nuts and seeds. The least concentrated source of protein comes from beans and grains, which must be combined to create a quality protein. As you plan your meal, fill about a quarter of your plate with quality protein.

Decorate Your Plate with Colorful Carbs

Visually the largest quantity of food per meal should come from organic vegetables and/or fruit; they should make up the majority of your carbohydrate intake. Organic vegetables and fruit are the best sources of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including antioxidants. Additionally, vegetables and fruit supply fiber which works to keep the digestive tract clean and functioning properly. Many health experts say we should aim for at least 5-6 servings of vegetables (sorry, ketchup, French fries, and corn, which is actually a grain, don't count!) and 3-4 servings of fruit each day. At mealtime, a full half of your plate should be filled with a rainbow of low-starch vegetables and/or fruit. To reach the suggested servings of veggies, try to include a minimum of at least two servings at each meal. Fruit makes a great snack or dessert, but it's also easy to incorporate into savory dishes—try fruitbased salsas, fruit sauces and fruit marinades for meat, or add fruit to a salad or pilaf to meet the recommended number of servings. Remember, the more variety the better.

For most people foods like potatoes, winter squash, and grains (including corn) can still have a place in the diet, but they are better kept to a minimum due to their high starch content. Best left out are refined flours, like those found in breads, pastas, crackers, and cookies. Ideally all grains should be in a whole, minimally-processed form. The best choices are sprouted grain breads and whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa. As you look at your plate, grains or high-starch vegetables should take up no more than a quarter of the plate. For those trying to balance blood sugar or lose weight, grains may be best left out all together. It is entirely possible to get all the carbohydrates necessary to function optimally from fruit and vegetables alone. To determine whether your body tolerates grains, experiment by having meals with no grains and then add small amounts of whole grains. Note how you feel immediately after, as well as 2-3 hours later. Many people are surprised to find they actually feel better without grains and flours.

Don't Forget the Fats!

The final nutrient for planning a balanced meal is the addition of healthy fats, probably the most misunderstood nutrient in our diet. For years Americans have been plagued by no-fat and low-fat foods, being led to believe that fat is dangerous to our health. The truth is that fats are absolutely essential for health. They are a component of every single cell membrane in the body, as well as a main source of energy for the body. Fats are also essential for absorption of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Most people are aware that there are three major types of fats: polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated. The body needs all three types of fat to function optimally. The only fats to fear are those that have been damaged by high-heat, like the fats in fried foods, or chemically-altered fats like hydrogenated oils or trans-fats. Additionally, too many omega-6 fats and not enough omega-3 fats, typical in the American diet, promotes inflammation, an underlying cause of most degenerative diseases. Try to limit your intake of omega-6 fats from conventionally-raised meats and vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, and sunflower oils. Instead include in each meal healthy sources of fats like avocados, nuts and seeds, organic full-fat dairy products, grass-fed meat, eggs, olive oil, coconut oil, organic butter, and wild-caught cold water fish like salmon and sardines.

A Meal Plan for a Healthier You

While the focus here is on planning just one meal, all of your meals should follow the same basic pattern: a quality protein, lots of low-starch vegetables and/or fruit, and a smaller portion of high starch veggies or whole grains, topped off with a good serving of healthy fat. The possibilities are endless and any meal can be modified to fit this template. Insert any variety of natural foods into this basic outline and you've got a well-balanced meal and the start of a nutrient-dense diet. Happy eating!