How to Build a Balanced Meal: A Nutritionist's Tips

When it comes to building any element of a healthy lifestyle, balance is the absolute key and building a meal that leaves you feeling your best is no different. 

I strongly believe a healthy meal is more than just eating a mountain of vegetables or a plate of chicken, broccoli and rice. A healthy meal is one that balances the foods you love with the foods that will best meet your nutritional needs to leave you feeling your best. It’s a meal that is full of flavours you enjoy to fill your emotional needs. A meal that contains the nutrients your body needs, including carbohydrates, protein and fats alongside a rainbow of micronutrients to help you physically. One that brings you joy to eat and fills your heart as much as it fills your tummy!

When it comes to building your meal, taking inspiration and guidance from the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (particularly this visual guide to building a healthy plate) can help take some of the guesswork out of balancing creating balance in your meal. I like to take inspiration from these guidelines when I’m building my meals, mixed with my own personal cheat sheet to make sure every meal leaves me feeling my best and fuelling my body the way it needs. 

1. START WITH YOUR PROTEIN

If you’re like me, protein may be the macronutrient you struggle to get enough of each day. I find by prioritising my protein source and building my meal around this, I am much more likely to hit my protein needs each day. Ideally, we want about a quarter of your meal to come from a source of high quality protein, whether that be chicken in a sandwich, tofu in a stir fry, or even protein powder in a smoothie (hello Vanilla Pancake Batter Protein!) to best support your muscles and body systems. 

2. ADD YOUR CARBOHYDRATES

The next quarter of your plate, we want filled with carbohydrates - ideally high fibre options to support your gut health and give you a more sustained energy release. Maybe you’re adding a serve of rice or pasta, maybe it’s a couple of slices of bread, maybe it’s some oats to your smoothie or some starchy vegetables like potatoes. Whatever you are adding, opting for a high fibre option will help you feel more satisfied after finishing your meal.

3. FILL THE SPACE WITH MICRONUTRIENTS

That half a plate you have left over? That’s reserved for your micronutrients, or more simply, your fruit and vegetables! Whether it’s stir fried or roasted, adding extra zucchini or spinach to your fruit smoothie (or maybe adding some Naked Harvest Gorgeous Greens to boost even more), trying to incorporate as many colours as possible onto your plate will help boost your micronutrient profile, helping to improve or maintain your health and wellbeing. 

4. ADD FLAVOUR WITH HEALTHY FATS

Now time for the fun stuff. Healthy fats are crucial for a number of different processes within the body, including nutrient absorption, however they provide the body a much higher amount of energy than carbohydrates or protein per gram. For this reason, instead of designating a whole section of my plate to healthy fats, I choose to use these as a bonus. For example, adding peanut butter to my smoothies, adding avocado and/or a sprinkle of almonds to a salad, cooking my stir frys in olive oil or including cheese in my wraps can help to add an extra boost of flavour to your plate while providing the added benefits of healthy fats!

5. INCLUDE YOUR WATER

And finally, water. Making sure you drink 2-3L of water per day can make a huge difference to your overall health, so including a glass of water with every meal can be an easy way to remember to have a drink. We love a bit of habit stacking over here!

*Bonus*: Don’t forget your dessert… if you’re feeling like it

Personally, I’m a huge fan of a sweet treat at the end of the day (and sometimes the end of every meal), even as more of a savoury than sweet girly. I’m not one for restriction, you want a chocolate bar at the end of your meal? Have one! You want that delicious tiramisu on the menu? Go for it! We’re building a balanced plate here, and that includes the foods you want to eat purely because you love them. At the end of the day, we’re still looking for joy from our food.

Building a balanced plate doesn’t need to be complicated or overwhelming. With just a little bit of thought behind your meal, you can prioritise meeting your nutritional needs while still consuming the foods you enjoy. By understanding portion sizes (and using the visual guide to help), you can supercharge your meal to leave you feeling your best for longer.

Looking for a little extra support with your nutrition? Try Naked Harvest and get 15% off with the code COURTNEYLAYTHAM at checkout. Enjoy!