There’s nothing like the thought of summer coming up to motivate us to eat better.  Two months ago, my mom decided to clean up her diet so she’d look & feel better when she went on holiday.  Although it’s not always easy to eat 100% perfectly, I’ve got to commend my mom for her efforts.  Without fail, she’s up every single morning at 6:15 to go for a walk.  As for the “diet” side, she consciously makes better choices when she can. While it’s slightly more difficult when she’s eating out and in the company of others, the meals which she eats at home, i.e. the ones which she has control over, are well-balanced.
A few weeks ago my mom was eating a huge bowl of stir-fried veggies for dinner and asked me whether it was a “healthy” meal. The concept of what constitutes a “healthy” meal has become somewhat skewed especially in light of so many faddy regimes.  Yes, vegetables are healthy but as a meal, they’re not enough.  Of course food in general is very personal but as a guideline, a “healthy” diet can be broken into 5 components:
1) Adequacy
: A diet that provides all the proper essential nutrients to maintain a healthy body weight. For example adding some brown rice as a source of wholegrain carb & fiber, grilled chicken for lean protein and a drizzle of sesame oil as a healthy fat would have made my mom’s meal more substantial.
2) Balance: All essential nutrients are consumed in the proper balance. That means not OD’ing on protein to make up for a lack of carbs and vice versa.
3) Calorie-control: While it’s not crucial to count calories on a daily basis, it’s a good idea to have some understanding of your general calorie intake. Essentially the purpose of food is to provide the body with energy. Being in calorie control means that your food intake correlates with your energy needs in order to support your weight management goals i.e. lose, maintain, or gain.
4) Moderation: Food is so much more than the fuel we feed our bodies; it’s a celebration of life. Certain occasions will call for alcohol, dessert, burgers and so forth and despite their lack of nutrients, there’s no reason to completely eliminate these foods.   Consider them a contribution to your mental health 😉
5) Variety: To put it simply, eating a varied diet will increase your likelihood of meeting your nutritional needs. In terms of fruits & veggies, think colour!
Whether you’re trying to lose/maintain your weight or just improve your overall wellness, I wholeheartedly believe that it can be achieved through optimum nutrition. Â And by that I mean following a diet characterized by adequacy, balance, calorie–control, moderation and variety.
What does a “healthy diet” mean to you?
Great post, K! A healthy diet for me is most definitely balance and never depriving myself of the things I love. Like you said, food is not only fuel for the body but also a beautiful part of living life.
It kinda irks me when people say you should “Eat to Live” rather than “Live to Eat”…eating and living go hand-in-hand!
yes, yes, yes
Love it!!!! Thanks for sharing!! Im gonna try tht tofu + hummous + veggies. Balsamic is my hero!!! Love ut.. I tried it with my sprout salad recently.
I actually store a bottle of Balsamic in my drawer at work- always a good option if I need to flavor up a meal!
A healthy diet to me is similar to what you said, balance with all the key nutrients my body needs. As a vegetarian/vegan I need vitamins I don’t get because I don’t eat meat..Education about what your body needs when cutting out certain food groups in important. Balancing food with exercise. Indulging once in a while. Moderation for SURE!
And occasionally cupcakes and a multi vitamin for b-fast. Yum.
I’m glad you mentioned education. Although it’s commonly said that vegans ‘don’t get enough protein’, I don’t agree at all…especially if the vegan is question is well-informed about vegan alternatives to meat!
This is so well put, thank you for writing this. I think healthy has gotten so warped in the media and i hate seeing people dragged down because of it. I agree so much with all you wrote.
Thanks Alex :)! I was reading through a magazine which offered “Summer Shape Up Menu Plans” and I couldn’t believe how pathetically small some of the meals sounded.
Great post on balanced healthy eating – I totally agree with the point you’ve made on not eliminating any food groups. For me a healthy diet is following the 80/20 rule. Allowing myself indulgences helps me stay on track and want to be healthier most of the time. The quinoa tofu bowl looks phenomenal!!! I need to re-create it tomorrow for lunch.
Thanks, sissy :)! Hope you enjoyed the quinoa tofu bowl…I know it’s a meal you would love!
Such a great post! I could not have explained healthy eating better…life with no birthday cake or pizza would be a sad one indeed. I do believe balance is key, and the feeling of satisfaction after a meal is so important (or chances are you’ll find other ways to invade the kitchen to search for what your missing)
Thanks Sonal! So true about feeling satisfied after a meal…otherwise you’re (general you) setting up yourself for a binge!
Those dishes look great…mmmm and super healthy. I agree, balance is the key. I am not about any kinda self deprivation, if I want to eat something…I will. 🙂 Obviously you don’t want to have anything in excess.
Sometimes it’s easier to just give into the cravings rather than finding “healthier” alternatives and still not be satisfied!
I get asked questions like that a lot because my friends/family know I try to eat healthfully. It’s hard to explain sometimes that you seriously have to have a balance!!!
It’s definitely about the balance…as much as I love cookies & ice cream, there’s only so much my body can take before it starts craving a good ol’ salad!
These are great ideas! Moderation is key to life
Thank you 🙂
Great post missy… and words and facts that I need to be reminded of! A healthy overall being is someone who is, like you are saying here, balanced. Moderation is the absolute key to happiness, because both sides of the extreme are just not good at all.
Amen…it’s easy to foster an ‘all or nothing ‘ mentality but it’s so much easier to live/eat healthily with a balanced approach.
I 100% agree with everything you said here! It makes me sad to see people filling up on veggies and neglecting other foods because they think they’re being healthy. Our bodies need carbs, fats and proteins too, and all the nutrients that come with them!
Exactly…plus balancing out all those veggies will sure prevent a fiber baby from forming ;)!
Hi Khushboo,
I have been following your blog since past 6 months 😀 and finally I comment! I totally love your writing style,and the determination you have for living a healthy lifestyle is remarkable.
Thanks to you, that I have decided to blog too @ http://akanitkar.wordpress.com/
Hope that you get to see my blog sometime,and give me tips!
As far as this post goes,I agree with you totally!
Cheers!
Hi Abhilasha! Thanks for such a nice comment :)! Congrats on your blog and will definitely check it out!
well said K. That tofu teriyaki looks so good. Does your house cook make all this for you? Man, I’d love a house cook who can cook healthy. For me a healthy diet is eating all the nutritious stuff, whole grains, protein, low fats in moderation. I do allow myself dessert daily, which can also mean a piece of dark chocolate. doesn’t always have to be a cupcake. 🙂
Fortunately our cook at home has picked up how to make most of my kinda meals but I still go in the kitchen as I enjoy cooking :)…although it sure is great for those days when I’m feeling lazy!
Balance baby! you nailed it on the head there. And yes sometimes that means breaking the ‘rules’ once in a while 😀
For sure, it’s good to be a “rebel” every so often ;)!