Balanced meal plan for a healthy lifestyle

It’s no secret that a balanced meal is vital to maintaining a healthy life. Not only does a balanced meal routine help you keep up your energy, it positively influences your wellness, vitality, and longevity. Eating healthy and exercising daily is without a doubt the two important factors that can keep you going strong. However, most people are confused with the idea of a balanced meal. What exactly is a balanced meal? How do you make sure that you are including all the necessary nutrients in a meal so that it would become balanced? How do you distribute your meals systematically throughout the day as part of a balanced diet routine? These and many more doubts keep you procrastinating from moving on to a healthy eating pattern. 

We at FoodPulsar can offer some help here. FoodPulsar is a hyperlocal food marketplace based in India which brings you clean, organic and home-made food items, veggies and groceries. We’re offering you a few tips for a balanced meal. 

How to keep it balanced

Before knowing how we can plan our daily diet in order to keep it balanced, we need to know what exactly a balanced meal is all about. A balanced meal focuses on providing all the necessary nutrients that our body needs, all the while keeping a check on the recommended daily calorie intake. A balanced meal includes macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fat along with micronutrients that include vitamins and minerals. There are 5 major food groups that we must include as a combination in every meal so that the nutrient requirements of the body are fully met. These are 

• Vegetables

• Fruits

• Whole Grains

•  Dairy

• Lean Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, and seeds

All these 5 food groups are essential for the smooth functioning of your body. So what you should plan is to look to include three main meals coupled with healthy snacks in between. For your better convenience, we are listing below a meal routine you could follow throughout the day. 

Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That is why it should also be the biggest meal of that day. To keep the breakfast healthy include Dietary Fibre or low GI Carbohydrates along with Protein, healthy Fats and Fruits & Vegetables. Avoid high-fat foods and those items that are high in calorie content. Remember that breakfast should keep you full until you have lunch. Here’s a list of food items you can include in your breakfast:

• Oatmeal/ multigrain toast

• Eggs

• Sprouts

• Nuts/ nut butter

• Greek yogurt/ soy milk

• Bananas/ blueberries/strawberries 

Lunch

A nutritionally balanced lunch is crucial to keeping your energy up in the afternoon hours. A perfect lunch shall be a combination of high-fiber whole grains, starchy carbs, and proteins. It is also recommended to add some probiotics and fiber. Let’s take a look at some food items that make a balanced lunch:

• Brown rice/ Barley/Jowar

• Cottage Cheese, Pulses, Chicken / Fish

• Yogurt/ Buttermilk

• Fresh Salads

Dinner

Make your dinner a winner deal. Include high satiety value foods so that you won’t really feel hungry late into the night. Curb carbs, but include them very moderately. Plan on including Proteins, Starch and enough greens that endow vitamins and minerals. Here’s a spread: 

• Brown Rice /Pasta.

• Chicken/ Fish/ Egg/ Tofu

• Vegetables like Zucchini, Green Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Asparagus, Tomatoes, etc. 

These can be the three main meals of a day. But never forget to include snacks in between main meals. Keep it low in calories and keep away from junk foods. Include salads, fresh fruits or nuts. 

FoodPulsar is one of the best food selling apps that lets you order healthy, home-made food items and organic vegetables online. Just download the app, create your profile and wait for a notification from a nearby person who would post a dish or details about his crop. You can instantly place your order and go and get it. To know more, please do check our website here.