Healthy Meals for a Day

So you’re trying to make a healthy change — good for you! However, it can be difficult to understand which foods are handy for your regular meals and which dishes should be kept for the occasional treats. The best thing you can do to start eating healthily is to follow what we call K.I.S.S. — that’s Keep It Simple Stupid. Each meal should include some carbs, some fats, and some proteins. Eating this balance of carbs and proteins will help your stomach feel fuller for longer and our body uses fats as energy when we’re not physically active.

You’re probably already aware that different forms of dieting work better for different people, but an easy place to start is by eating three meals a day with two smaller snacks in between. This can help keep your metabolism working throughout the day to help you burn more calories. A good way to time it is by eating something every two or three hours. However, this is just a generic meal plan. Individual bodies respond differently to diets, so give it a go for three weeks and see how you progress. If you’re feeling good, keep at it! If not, reassess and see what changes you can make to your schedule.

Basic Breakfasts

Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. It’s not a myth after all! The first thing you eat in the morning gets your metabolism going, so what you eat at this time affects the way your body behaves for the rest of the day. Breakfast can be as simple or as complex as you like, but here are a few basic combos to get your day started:

-Oatmeal with fruit and a scoop of peanut butter

-Two hard boiled eggs on toast with avocado

-Breakfast burrito with eggs, veggies, and salsa (substitute the eggs with beans for a vegan friendly option)

-Fruit smoothie with protein powder

-Vegetable omelette with a small side of hashbrowns

Luscious Lunches and delicious Dinners

Lots of people struggle to find the time for lunch. Sometimes it’s easier to just work through the day and eat a bigger meal when you get home, right? Wrong. Lunch is crucial because it’s your body's midday refuel, giving your metabolism a boost, and ensuring you keep burning calories throughout the day.

Meanwhile, dinner is the last meal you eat before you get your beauty sleep, so this too is essential for getting that balance of carbs and proteins to keep you feeling full and avoiding any sneaky pre-bed snacks. Loads of meals are fairly interchangeable for lunch or dinner, so here are a few ideas:

-Turkey sandwich with veggies

-Grilled chicken with grilled veggies and rice

-Sausages with veggies and a potato

-Salmon with veggies and rice

-Carne asada tacos with salsa

-Vegan sausages with steamed veggies and a sweet potato

Scrumptious snacks

Now the bigger meals have been covered, you should also make sure your snacks in between are nutritious, filling, and delicious! Remember, it’s a snack, not a meal, so make sure you go easy on the portion sizes. Some examples of healthy snacks include:

-A handful of nut mix

-An apple with peanut butter

-Greek yogurt with granola

-Beef jerky

-A protein shake

All this talk of food is making me hungry! Although getting started on what you should eat can be challenging, remember that portion size is key. Yes, you could eat a bucket of vegetables and your body would receive plenty of nutrients, but you’d still gain weight. In the same way, a small portion of bacon won’t make you put on weight. For breakfast, aim to feel full without feeling uncomfortably stuffed. For lunch and dinner, aim to feel satisfied. Listen to your body and remember that healthy eating is a process. It’s not a diet, it’s an entire lifestyle change.

Maddy has worked in the health and fitness industry for 5 years. She has a bachelors in Exercise Science and has recently received her Masters in Exercise Physiology. She has worked with a wide demographic of clients as a Personal Trainer and loves helping people reach their goals and continue to grow.  She is an outdoor enthusiast and dedicates her workouts to rock climbing, hiking and whatever new experiences may come her way.

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