How to Balance a Meal
There are plenty of concepts tossed around about healthy eating: “everything in moderation”, “control your portion sizes”, “stop eating when you’re 80% full”. If you notice, many of these sayings are gesturing towards a broader idea, that is, don’t eat too much.
This is, of course, rather practical advice, as overconsumption can lead to feeling over-full, sluggish, bloated and gassy, and in the long-run can promote unnecessary weight gain and a dysregulation of hunger signals in the body.
However, eating the appropriate amount of food for what your body needs often has more to do with the content of the meal, rather than self-will. Typically, hunger always wins – meaning that ignoring your hunger in an effort to avoid overconsumption may seemingly work in the short term but tends to fail in the long run. (Learn more about honoring your hunger cues here.)
Foods work synergistically in our bodies, meaning that our body can treat the same food differently depending on what it is paired with. For example, the iron found in spinach is better absorbed when it is paired with vitamin C found in mandarin oranges. Also, the absorption of the glucose found in rice is slowed down when paired with the protein from salmon and the fiber from roasted zucchini. Hunger and fullness cues are affected by the addition of certain nutrients as well. For example, proteins and fats provide a sensation of satiety (fullness), and fiber helps to keep you satisfied for a longer period of time.
That being said, learning how to balance a meal is one of the key components to both avoiding overeating and honoring your hunger. So, how do you balance a meal?
A good rule of thumb is to incorporate at least 3 food groups into a meal and at least 2 food groups into a snack. Food groups include carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables, and fruits. Understanding what types of foods fall within each category will help you to easily put together a balanced meal. Here are some ideas:
Once you begin to identify foods in their general food categories, it becomes easier to understand how to balance your meals and snacks. Eating a turkey sandwich for lunch? Try adding an apple on the side. Chicken fajitas for dinner? Add some bell pepper and onions to the tortilla. The more practice, the easier balancing meals will become.
Working with a dietitian is a great way to learn how to better balance your meals. If you are interested in working with me, schedule a FREE discovery call here.