- Why should we focus on balanced meals instead of calories?
- How do balanced meals help you lose weight?
- What are some examples of balanced meals?
Balanced meals help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Why?
Balanced meals meet your body’s energy and nutritional needs.
Then you feel full and your body can function properly.
If you don’t eat enough of each type of food your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. We’re built to survive!
And when you’re hungry it’s hard to concentrate on anything else.
Take care of your body and mind.
Get in the habit of eating balanced meals!
When you build healthy habits you naturally reach and maintain a healthy weight.
I lost weight naturally by eating balanced meals
When I was struggling to lose weight everything I ate was low-fat this and diet that. Instead of focusing on eating balanced meals, I got caught up in calorie counting. I only thought about numbers.
After 10 years of making eating complicated, feeling hungry all the time and gaining weight instead of losing it, I went back-to-the-basics.
I began eating 3 balanced meals a day.
To my surprise I lost around 30 pounds.
And I was full between meals so I could focus on the people, animals and projects I care about.
Understanding why balanced meals are so important makes it easier to make good choices and build healthy habits.
So let’s have a look at why eating balanced meals unlock your H 🙂 PPY weight.
To begin…
What are balanced meals?
Meals that include food from every food group in the correct proportions.
The Eatwell Guide shows the types of food and proportions that make a meal balanced.
They’re made up of:
- fruit and vegetables
- potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates
- oil and spreads
- dairy and alternatives
- beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
Meals made with food from each food group give you all the nutrients and energy your body requires to do its incredible jobs.
Then you feel satisfied and STOP feeling hungry and thinking about food.
When you only eat one type of food, even if it’s a large amount and many calories worth of food, you’ll still feel hungry. Why? Because you haven’t met all your body’s nutrient requirements.
Focus on nutrients rather than calories!
Eat balanced meals.
Why your body needs food from every food group
Each food group serves a different and important purpose.
Here are a few examples:
fruits and vegetables
reduce risk of chronic diseases
source of fiber for regular bowel movements
bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
source of energy
source of fiber for regular bowel movements
milk and diary foods
source of calcium to keep bones and teeth strong
help the body grow and repair
meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
source of iron (iron makes red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body)
source of protein to make muscle, organs and skin
natural fat found in food
transport vitamins through the blood stream
proper functioning of nerves and brain
Balanced meals make meeting your nutrient needs easy
Food guidelines suggest you try to get the balance right over the course of a day. But I find eating 3 meals a day that include every food group in ROUGHLY the correct proportion, the easiest way to meet my body’s nutrient requirements. And thus, the easiest way to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Making breakfast, lunch and dinner balanced makes me feel satisfied.
Then I can focus on life between meals rather than grazing throughout the day and trying to keep track of what I eat.
What are some examples of balanced meals?
I just make rough estimates when I make balanced meals. For example, today I had the following for lunch: peanut butter + banana on a bagel, an apple and a latte made with whole milk.
That roughly covers every food group.
This is a recreated picture of my lunch, showing the ingredients I used earlier.
It’s not perfect, but I do my best not to get lost in the details. Good enough has helped me maintain a healthy weight for 21+ years and focus on the other things in my life that I love.
This is my first jar of a more natural peanut butter. I really like it. I try to eat food in it’s most natural state. Whole foods also help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Here’s a recipe that makes an easy balanced meal made mostly of whole foods.
Instead of counting calories, I imagine the Eatwell Guide
And I use the Eatwell Guide as a rough guideline.
So simple!
This song is about an ex-lover (I think). But consider it in terms of breaking up with all the diet rules, tips and tricks in your head ” … take off all the thoughts of what we’ve been…” Then focus on eating balanced meals.
What are some of your favorite meals that are balanced?
Let me know in the comments below!
xoKelly
These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
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These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
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Sharing what I learned makes the 10 years I STRUGGLED worth it
Kelly,
I love your thoughts and ideas. They are really clicking with me. Especially on not focusing on perfection and setting small goals and making good choices in the moment. Sometimes I feel like if I don’t have this grand diet plan I can’t succeed.
Thank you for sharing in this blog.
I have a question for you about snacking. In your article on grazing and this article it sounds like you do 3 square meals a day without snacking but I seem to remember reading somewhere else that you eat apples for snacks.
I want to begin creating a routine for my body that is healthy but the opinions on snacking out there are vastly different. I’ve always been a fan of snacking but then again who isn’t? 😉
Thanks!
Thanks for your question Eve! It’s inspired me to write a blog post about this important topic. Here’s a link: https://www.the10principles.com/can-you-snack-and-lose-weight/
I got great ideas about creating a balanced diet through your article. Now I understand why a balanced diet can help you reach your weight loss goal. I like this article so much. Thanks and keep sharing!
Thanks Harvey!
Eating ROUGHLY balanced meals, especially if they’re MOSTLY made of whole foods, really makes it easy to lose weight (counting calories, etc. makes weight loss unnecessarily complicated!)
Eating balanced meals were a game changer for me!
🙂 Kelly
How do you suggest dealing with cravings for sweets, junk food or even more food than necessary even when eating healthy meals? Eating balanced meals is great but won’t help with weight loss if you are eating too many calories between/after meals.
This is an AWESOME question Sara!
FIRST
It’s important to have a healthy mindset.
For 10 years I wanted DRAMATIC change overnight.
I got healthy when I accepted there is a process.
So it’s important to either:
a) think of this goal as one you’re aiming to improve over a month or so
OR
b) challenge yourself not to eat sugar for a month
This will be a shock to your body and you’ll likely have withdrawal symptoms too (people report feeling moody, etc.)
But then… you’ll start to feel so good that many people who challenge themselves to NOT eat anything with added sugar or any processed foods continue this lifestyle!
This might sound like DRAMATIC change, which I pooh-poohed (!) a few lines earlier… But cutting out one thing like sugar is different and much healthier for your body and mind, than trying to change your entire lifestyle (which is what I did that set me up to fail for 10 years).
SECOND
It’s important to understand that sweets and junk food are full of additives (unnatural substances) that are addictive.
Sugar is more addictive than cocaine (there’s lots of research on this).
So the more sugary and processed foods you eat, the more you want.
This is good news because… when you cut back on these foods it gets easier and easier. The less sugar you eat the less you want to eat!
STORY
Last year I did a 30 day challenge and part of that challenge was no sugar.
The first few nights I craved a piece of chocolate or two to have after dinner like I usually have (and do NOT feel guilty about!)
But after getting over that initial hump, I didn’t want chocolate or anything sugary anymore.
And then when the challenge was over I had ketchup on my scrambled eggs and it tasted so sugary to me I couldn’t eat it (and haven’t had ketchup since!) Now I use salsa as a condiment choice because I prefer the spicy taste over the sugary taste. It’s no big deal to have ketchup – I had it for years… but I just include this story to show you how your taste buds change when you cut out foods with added sugar. Like now my taste buds are more sensitive to sweetness so I find carrots and bananas and natural food pleasantly sweet, whereas before I’d find them bland.
THIRD
So if you decide to cut out sweets gradually vs. challenging yourself to go sugar-free for a month or so… keep track of how many times a week you eat sugary food and junk food. Here’s a blog post on breaking habits via a running tally.
If you have an extra calendar around, especially one that fits in your purse, backpack or briefcase it will be convenient because you can carry it with you. Then after you know the total times you ate foods with added sugar/processed foods the first week, try your best to cut back by one sugary and or processed food per week.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
Keep moving forward and trying again if you end up eating more sugary foods one week than the week before. Progress is naturally up and down. Just keep going and try to improve each week. This slow and steady approach will take momentum and you’ll feel amazing for hacking away at this goal. Soon NOT eating sugar will be your normal. Keeping track builds in accountability, is measurable and so rewarding!
& finally…
FOURTH
I really don’t think you can eat too many whole foods if they’re part of a balanced meal or balanced snack. I eat HUGE portions of whole foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner and I eat until I feel full. Whole foods are packed with fiber and your body processes them slowly so you stay full longer. And if you’re hungry between meals grab a whole food snack like one of these.
To give you an idea of how big my whole food meals are, I’ll post my dinner on Instagram tonight @the10principles (date: February 7th).
Pls note:
I’m not a food photographer 🙂
I’m so excited you’re focused on cutting out sugar and processed foods… it’s a game-changer.
After you’ve read this let me know what you think, Sara. I’d love to know what approach you decide to take! xo
hi Kelly!
Sugar is actually not an issue for me. I barely eat or drink any sugar. I’ll have a hot chocolate now and again and maybe a small treat on the weekends, but generally, the sugar I eat is from fruit and sometimes dried fruit. I’ve done no-sugar challenges in the past which is why I dont crave it a lot.
That being said, I actually feel like overeating healthy food is a challenge for me – especially nuts, raisings and anything with carbs.
Hey Sara,
That’s awesome you’ve done sugar challenges before and don’t crave foods with added sugar.
Keep in mind, the closer a food is to it’s natural state the better.
Like “raw” peanuts are better than “salted” or “roasted” peanuts (the salty taste can lead you to eat more nuts than you normally would and roasting the nut can damage the “healthy” fat and reduce the nutrient content).*
*But keep in mind my philosophy is DON’T GET LOST IN THE DETAILS:
It’s more important to have a ROUGHLY balanced snack made MOSTLY of whole foods (i.e. roasted almonds {vs. raw}, a banana and latte made with whole milk, is not big deal) then to get hung up, feel guilty and want to restart your diet just because you had roasted almonds… It’s no biggie if the almonds are raw. Keep moving forward. I only mention the roasted/raw bit here to create awareness about the benefits of natural food.
Natural fruit is also healthier than dried fruit (by far!)
I don’t like talking about calories, because if you’re eating natural food in balanced proportions you don’t have to think about calories. But to make the comparison measurable:
1/2 cup of raisins has 246 calories & 136 g of sugar
vs.
1/2 cup of grapes has 31 calories & 15 g of sugar
So you’d have to eat almost 4 cups of grapes to equal 1/2 a cup of raisins!
Personally I LOVE grapes and still couldn’t eat more than 2 cups in a sitting… but it would be easy to eat 1/4 of a cup of raisins in just a few bites. Fresh grapes are more difficult to “overeat” because fresh grapes and fresh food in general works better with your body.
For instance, all the natural flesh found in a grape makes the sugar less concentrated so when you eat grapes the sugar enters your system slowly. Whereas raisins are extremely concentrated and overload your body with natural sugar (which triggers a fat storing cycle because your body can’t handle all that energy in your blood stream all at once. Then you get a sugar rush and crash… which leads you to crave more sugar.)
Dehydrated fruit has the sweetness of candy (which makes you crave them more) and along with the fact that they lose volume as they dry out, it’s easier to eat more raisins than your body needs. Bulky fresh grapes fill you up and take time for your body to process so you stay full longer.
1/4 cup of raisins is considered one serving.
And 1/3 of a cup of peanuts is considered one serving.
So if you want to eat dried fruit or nuts it’s best to eat them along with other whole foods to help you fill up naturally and prevent overeating.
For example…
You could have 1/3 a cup of almonds with a banana and glass of whole milk or latte made with whole milk. Having a balanced snack made mostly of food that’s close to its natural state makes it easier to only eat what your body needs.
Here’s some example healthy snacks.
As always, I recommend preparing your snack (or meal) before you eat. Otherwise it’s easy to lose track of what you’ve consumed. And eat more than you need.
As far as craving carbs or any food you feel you’re eating too much of…
1. Try to eat it as part as a balanced meal or snack
2. See the “Third” part in my comment above re: keeping a tally of when you feel you’ve had too much. Often cravings are the result of habits. So you can slowly turn an unhealthy habit into a healthy habit!
For instance, if you overate carbs 6 times this week, aim for 5 times next week. And try to replace your unhealthy habit with a healthy alternative as you cut back. Like buy grapes ahead of time so that you can reach for a fresh alternative to dried fruit. Rather than raisins, a latte and almonds you could have grapes, a latte and almonds for an afternoon snack.
And when it comes to having pure carbs or junk food (I’m not sure which ones you crave) you could aim to choose a healthy snack instead, just once during the week, to start to break this habit. Soon making healthier choices will take momentum and you’ll crave carbs less often.
It gets easier and easier once you start to break a habit especially if you’re keeping track of your improvements to build in accountability.
xoK
Hi Kelly, Today I ate:
– Protein powder mixed in with my coffee (experiment)
Breakfast – peanut butter and banana on toast
Lunch – chicken sandwich with cheese and broccoli
Snack – almonds and orange
Dinner – (At social gathering) A few slices of cheese, with crackers, a few chips and dip, and a few sweet treats
Midnight snack (maybe) – apple and peanut butter
I love that you kept a Food Diary for today Kathy!
And I also love that you’re so social to have a dinner get-together on a week night. It’s healthy to get out and be with people.
What did you learn from recording what you ate?
Did a food diary make you more conscious of what you were eating during the day and help you make better decisions and/or help you reflect on what you ate so you can focus on where you can improve?
For example, I LOVE all the natural fruits and veggies you ate throughout the day! And perhaps adding some vegetables to what you ate at dinnertime, to make the food you ate more balanced, would help you fill up more naturally. (I know we all have less control over what food is available when we’re out socially.)
Sometimes when I go to a friends I offer to bring a veggie plate so I know I’ll have some fresh food options.
You’re so generous to share your Food Diary Kathy!
Thank you! 🙂 xoxxo
Hi Kelly,
I was attending an art group meeting last night where I knew there would be food. It wasn’t a pot luck, so I just had what was there. I would have loved to had some veggies, too, LOL! I could have eaten some beforehand, which I may do next time I go. I counted it as dinner since I knew I would be eating there. Yes, a food diary made me more conscious of what I was eating. I am learning that I enjoy eating a mostly whole foods diet, and treats at social gatherings are managable. Thanks for this challenge!
I want to go to your art meeting with you 🙂
It sounds like so much fun Kathy!
Eating in social situations are tricky. Here’s some ideas about how to make it easier.
I agree with you, a Food Diary builds in accountability. When I track my sleep I’m more likely to go to bed earlier and get into a healthy routine.
xoKelly
The 10 Principles is the BEST BLOG about weight loss, I read every post. Not only has the info you shared allowed me to lose weight, but also to maintain a great figure. I’ve shared your website with so many other people too! Thank you Kelly! 🙂 Barb
Wow! Thanks Barb. If you have any questions just let me know! I can answer them here or I can write a blog post. xoK
Lucky me I discovered your site by accident, and I only wish I’d found you earlier, Kelly! Thank you for sharing healthy information and debunking all the diet industry messages that get people way off track—wasting years trying to lose weight in complicated ways that don’t work! I already notice a difference using your clear, back to the basics strategies. Thanks again, Joanna
That’s great news Joanna! And thanks for your feedback. 🙂 Kelly
HI Kelly, my recent diet (in a chain of many diets) had pretty much ruled out grapes, bananas and milk (apart from almond milk). I learned to eat nothing (as in not many calories) while appearing to eat something. So many tricks that had my tummy full for a while and then left me hungry for so many hours of the day! I was so used to feeling hungry all the time that I was ready to try one of the fasting diets that are so popular these days, but then I was saved by stumbling upon your blog. While my weight crept up a little bit at first when I moved to three balanced meals a day, it has stabilized now (and come down a little bit even) and I feel full after every balanced meal of whole foods. It’s good to enjoy real food again, and not just calorie free “fluff”. I love cooking for my family again and trying out new recipes, including all the food groups again in a balance. Bananas and grapes are back on the menu, and whole milk. Thankyou Kelly. Keep up your amazing work here. It’s changed my life. xx
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE hearing from you J!
And I was just checking when we first “met”… It was November 9th that I first heard from you. That’s less than a month ago! And look at the incredible progress you’ve made with eating and exercise.
The diet industry conditions us for *INSTANT* weight loss.
Which leads to INSTANTLY gaining all the weight back when people eventually, inevitably stop the restrictive diet they’re following.
What you’re doing via ROUGHLY balanced meals made MOSTLY of whole foods, is for life. Forever!
You’re making nice, steady change with lasting results while focusing on health and being kind to yourself.
I LOVE grapes. I love milk. And I love bananas.
So happy you’re enjoying them with your family.
Thank you for being so kind to keep me updated on your progress.
Everything you’re doing will unlock your H 🙂 PPY for good!
Keep me posted!
xoKelly