In today’s world, it is becoming more and more fashionable to eat healthy and take care of your physical appearance. Therefore, it is not surprising that the web is crowded with different diets and food plans that range from far-fetched to health-threatening, since much of this information is not offered by nutrition experts. As if that were not enough, there is also the perception that eating healthy is boring and associated with poor taste. Nothing could be further from the truth.
To elaborate an adequate and delicious menu, nutritionist Kharem Marín proposes the following guidelines:
Law of quantity: the portions and adequate amounts of each nutrient must be respected according to the objectives and physical conditions of everyone.
Law of quality: the ingested food must be of high quality, that is, we must give priority to those that are of natural and organic origin.
Law of harmony: the plate must be balanced. This means that it must be made up of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Law of adequacy: food should be adapted to the biological moment, to people’s tastes and habits, to their socioeconomic situation and to the pathologies they may present. In other words, it must provide the amount of nutrients necessary to carry out metabolic processes and physical activity.
“It is necessary that the meal plan provides quality nutrients and fulfills vital functions. In other words, it must contain carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber,” says Marín.
To measure the balanced amounts, the expert suggests the use of percentages of total calories: between 15 and 20 percent protein, 50 and 60 percent carbohydrates, 25 and 30 percent fat and 3 percent fiber.
Finally, for a menu to be really healthy, Marín explains that it should be variable: “The diet should contain approximately 41 to 50 different foods per week to be considered adequate”.
Here are two examples offered by this nutrition expert that can serve as a model if you plan to improve your eating habits starting next year.
Healthy menu 1
Breakfast
Oatmeal pancakes with fruit and seeds.
Lunch
Mixed salad (tomato, lettuce and raw seasonal vegetables) with olive oil, accompanied by baked chicken and sweet potato as main carbohydrate.
Dinner
Cassava with tuna salad and olive oil.
Healthy menu 2
Breakfast
Whole wheat or banana bread with scrambled eggs and a fruit.
Lunch
Fish fillet with asparagus and steamed yucca.
Dinner
Whole wheat tortillas (as main carbohydrate), accompanied by chicken and sauteed vegetables.
Finally, Marín recommends including two snacks (one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon) such as, for example, seeds or fruit, and drinking enough water throughout the day.
Source: Esto es azúcar