build your plate

A well balanced meal is one that contains a variety of whole-food ingredients, combined to be consumed together. The body benefits most from a meal that contains protein, carbohydrates from both plants and grains, and healthy fats, leaving you satisfied, energised and nourished.

Protein : aim for 30g of protein per meal, coming from wholefood sources over those which are processed.

Meat:

Beef, chicken, Salmon, tuna, lamb, mackerel, sardines, barramundi, turkey, prawns

Animal Products:

Eggs, Fetta, Halloumi, Sour cream, cheese, greek yoghurt, cottage chesse

Plant protein:

Tofu, tempeh, edamame, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, edamame, lentil, legume/veggie burgers, falafels

Plants: aim for 30 different plants or more per week , this include herbs and spices, focusing on seasonal produce.

You might choose to combine these to make a salad, roast or steamed vegetables.

FRUIT:

apples, bananas, oranges, kiwis, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, dates, watermelon, rockmelon, stone fruit, passionfruit, tomato, avocado, goJi berries, dried fruits.

VEGGIES:

Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, mushrooms, Parsnip, onion, garlic, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, carrots, SILVERBEET, beetroot, peas, beans, eggplant, brussel sprout, cabbage, rocket, lettuce, capsicum, chilli, asian greens.

Note: this is not an extensive list, with seasonal Produce guides available in separate posts.

Grains: often described as carbohydrates, can come in many form, both isolated and combined in products such as breads.

Grains:

wheat, rice, oats, barely, rye, corn, quinoa, bulgur, farro, amaranth, frekah, speLt, millet, buckwheat, khorasan, cous cous

Prepared as:

breads, pasta, side dish of Cooked rice/quinoa.etc , porridge, oat bars, grain based salads

Healthy Fats and Condiments: healthy fats are like the finishing touch for your meal and come in the form of nuts and seeds, dips and dressings .

Oils & spreads

olive oil, flaxseed oil, hemp seed oil, avocado oil, ghee, tahini, hUmmus, peanut butter.

Plants/nuts/seeds

avocado, almonds, cashew, brazil nuts, pecans, peanuts, pistaChios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds

Meal times don’t have to be a chore. My intention here is to try and make the process of creating a meal just the little bit easier. As you can see, a balanced meal can come together in many different ways, so enjoy the process, have a play and find a few meals that you enjoy.