You are an individual with your own responsibilities, access to food, times you can eat and also thoughts and feelings around food.
They all influence our food behaviours.
For me to say you'll be eating sardines and boiled chicken everyday and you've never eaten them before, how long do you think that will last?
FOOD SHOULDN'T ACTUALLY CHANGE US IN ANY NEGATIVE WAY.
We're led to believe that we should eat food and go sprinting down the street, the reality is we need the food that works best for us.
Healthy food shouldn't make us desire to eat more even when we're not hungry.
Your current daily diet is the best diet to work with because it is yours and you can do it but take a look at the food and the behaviour you have around those foods, then list them, this will help you make the best choices.
Red light foods:
Which foods make you sick or can’t digest well.
Ones that you can’t eat sanely and moderately.
One's that change your behaviour and choices such as alcohol.
Yellow light foods:
These foods might have been processed in some way but you like them, they digest fine and they're easy to prepare and acquire.
Green light foods:
Foods that you like
Food you know how to prepare,
Food that digests well and that you can eat often.
Find the foods, people and situations, that you can't be an adult around and quiz yourself:
"On average, is this making me healthier?"
Pointing out and calling your best foods that have minimal impact on your behaviours then shows you exactly what you should eat and why.
Have a little of what you fancy, hell yeah, but in choosing meals and food you know that sticking to your plan will need some diversity and direction.
You make the plan, we fit it into the guidelines.
List of foods that we see work very well in healthy diets:
All types of vegetables and salad greens.
Essential healthy fats from animal and plant sources.
Whole grain starchy carbohydrates such as rice, oats, buckwheat and quinoa as well as carbohydrates from fruits, root vegetables and naturally occuring sugars such as in milks and honey.
Here's a list of foods and their macro and calorie typical values per serving.
Chicken breast (113g)
P:25g F:1g C:0g
109 Calories
Salmon (113g)
P: 23g F:7g C:0g
155 Calories
Lean steak (113g)
P:25g F:7g C:0g
163 Calories
Egg (large each)
P:7g F6g C:0g
85 Calories
Almonds (28g)
P:6g F:14g C:6g
182 Calories
Avocado (50g)
P:0g F:7.5g C:5g
80 Calories
Edamame (100g)
P: 8g F:3g C:9g
95 Calories
Brown rice (125g)
P:3g F:0.9g C:26g
175 Calories
Sweet potatoes (125g)
P:1.7g F:0g C:22g
103 Calories
Spinach (80g)
P:2g F:0.2g C:2g
17 Calories
Broccoli (80g)
P:2g F:0.3g C:6g
36 Calories
Blueberries (80g)
P:0.5g F:0.2g C:10g
42 Calories
Eating these foods means you have more nutrition, lower caloric load, high quality food to support high quality lifestyles.
Here's two recipes to try with the above ingredients for a nutritious meal under 500 calories high in protein:
Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken breast, sliced (113g)
- 1 cup broccoli florets (80g)
- 1/2 cup brown rice (63g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions:
1. Cook brown rice according to package instructions.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add sliced chicken and garlic, and cook until chicken is browned on all sides.
4. Add broccoli and soy sauce, and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until broccoli is tender-crisp.
5. Serve the chicken and broccoli stir-fry over brown rice.
Nutrition information (per serving):
Calories: 390
Protein: 34g
Fat: 11g
Carbohydrates: 38g
Salmon and Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 fillet of salmon (113g)
- 2 cups spinach (80g)
- 1/4 avocado (25g), sliced
- 1/4 cup blueberries (40g)
- 1/4 cup almonds (28g), chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper, and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. In a large bowl, mix together spinach, avocado, blueberries, and almonds.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make the dressing.
5. Top the salad with the cooked salmon and drizzle with the dressing.
Nutrition information (per serving):
Calories: 483
Protein: 34g
Fat: 30g
Carbohydrates: 20g
A Day Of.. With Wiggle Room
Here's a meal plan for a whole day using the ingredients listed:
Breakfast:
- 2 boiled eggs (large each)
- 1/2 cup spinach (40g)
- 1/4 avocado (25g)
- 1/4 cup blueberries (40g)
Snack:
- 1 oz almonds (28g)
Lunch:
- Chicken breast (113g)
- 1 cup broccoli florets (80g)
- 1/2 cup brown rice (63g)
Snack:
- Edamame (100g)
Dinner:
- Salmon (113g)
- 2 cups spinach (80g)
- 1/4 avocado (25g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Total nutrition information:
Calories: 1,240
Protein: 102g
Fat: 59g
Carbohydrates: 77g
This meal plan provides a balanced mix of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates, all while staying under 1,500 calories.
This gives you a lot of wiggle room to include some extra foods you enjoy.
Adjust portion sizes as needed to meet your individual calorie and macronutrient needs.