Not balanced meals between protein, carbs and fat

dancingwithmyself

So everyday I have diffirent nutrition statistics. Sometimes its 60% carbs, 20% fat and 16% protein while other times I can hae 34% carbs, 39% fat and 27% protein.

I know pretty much nothing about cooking, and to make it healthy it usually ends up being a salad with like tomatoes, cucumber and tuna. Do you have any advice on meals that makes up a balanced diet?

Or could someone write what meals would be good to eat in a day?

erickirb

meals don't really matter, just aim for hitting your min fat and protein everyday while getting close to your calorie goal. What you eat to get there doesn't really matter as long as you also get your required vitamins and minerals. Google IIFYM

JosieRawr

Here's a little versatile mix..


a serving of meat
4-6 oz Chicken, fish, turkey etc
If the meat is really lean I'll add 1/2-1tbls of oil, coconut oil, or butter

a large serving of frozen vegetables(frozen tastes soooo much better than canned and I tend to let fresh go bad..)
100- 150g of sweet peas, broccoli florets, spinach, corn, carrots, mixed vegetables

a serving of grain
1/2 to a cup(cooked) of quinoa or rice

Dice up the meat(except fish) cook in a skillet with what ever seasonings you like(I like garlic, onion, and parsley or lemon pepper usually) and I usually add water while cooking, enough to cover the bottom of the pan..

When the meat is done, I like to add the veggies directly to that pan.

I like simplicity and I usually serve the veggie/meat mix on top of the grain in a bowl.

FatFreeFrolicking

Breakfast:

2 eggs, 2 slices Sara Lee 45 calorie bread

OR

Cottage cheese with fresh fruit

OR

Greek yogurt with fresh fruit

OR

Protein shake

Morning snack:

Almonds

OR

Apple slices with peanut butter

OR

Grapes with 1 oz. cheese

OR

Protein shake

Lunch:

3-4 oz. meat, sweet potato, veggies

Afternoon snack:

Veggies with hummus

OR

Protein shake

Dinner:

3-4 oz. meat, brown rice, veggies

Late night snack:

Air popped popcorn

3laine75

We can't teach you what you need to know in one thread. Use the days where you did get a sensible macro split to plan ahead - you'll soon get the hang of it.

ETA: I'm on top of it most days, feel free to nosy at my diary

Dragonwolf

meals don't really matter, just aim for hitting your min fat and protein everyday while getting close to your calorie goal. What you eat to get there doesn't really matter as long as you also get your required vitamins and minerals. Google IIFYM

This. It's the overall trends that really matter, and even then, not much (generally speaking).

Additionally, you don't have to have a perfect 1/3 split between the three macros, even over the long term.

For example, my breakfasts tend to be protein/fat heavy and a near-absence of carbs (bacon and eggs type of stuff), while my lunch tends to be a little more carby (salads and whatnot), and dinners are a bit of a mixed bag. Even overall, though, my ratios are in the ballpark of 60f/25p/15c, because that's what works best for me (for a number of reasons, including both personal sustainability and medical), though sometimes they stray one way or another, depending on what I'd decided to eat -- potato instead of broccoli, or a lean protein cut instead of a fattier one, etc. It's not a big deal that they're not always exact.

As for learning to cook, overall -- start collecting cookbooks or online recipe sites, particularly anything that focuses on things like "under 30 minutes," "quick and easy," or "crockpot/slow cooker" meals. The simpler they are, the more likely you'll be willing to try them without getting intimidated.

nicailyzee

Hello

I would say I am no expert but from what I have been reading and seeing thus far is as goes.

Don't go crazy with fruit they are high in sugar but much much better than cookies and cake. Do some research on glycemic index to see which fruits are worse

For Breakfast: Only drink 8 ozs

If you have a blender do a smoothie with berries (strawberries, blue berries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)
try to get the freshest fruit or frozen with no sugar added. I would say add some non sweetened almond milk or 0% Greek yogurt for thickness ice optional.

You can also eat egg whites with turkey bacon and veggies spinach, mushrooms, onion whatever you like that is not runny like tomatoes (put those on the side)

Lunch:

Have a salad without to many additives leave the extras off just have as much veggies and an occasional fruit added if you like. Measure your salad dressing. Some say dip the salad in the dressing I prefer to measure and eat less depending on what intake I would like to have.

Dinner:

Some type of lean protein with non starchy veggies. Like avoid potatoes, corn, etc., if you have to have them no more than a half a cup. measure measure measure! Go for green and colorful veggies.

Snacks:

Small Apple and 12 almonds, popcorn without butter, hummus( I can never find this in a small container so if you are not a fan it will go to waste) and veggies.

Think about what you like and ask yourself how can I make it healthier by making substitutions. GOOOOOOD LUCK!

wigglypuff

I'm very similar to you on that issue. I like to be consistent with the percentages as well, but it's not something I worry too much over since it can easily be managed. For example, after I eat breakfast I log it into my food diary and then check the percentages. If I'm too high on carbs, then I will have a high protein snack in a few hours. Then during lunch time, I can go simple with my plate and have 1/4 cup of microwaved corn, 2 chicken legs with an orange glaze, and a thick slice of toasted French bread (wheat) with olive oil and garlic powder. This kind of plate is very healthy, and you can switch it up with some steamed veggies, brown rice, mini sub sandwiches, soba noodle salad, sushi, or low sodium soup. Whatever macro is lacking can be your next snack. Just log in your foods right after you eat them.

If you want to balance out the fat, I'd actually consider even buying protein powder. I really only started caring about my macros once I began working out on a daily basis. You want to have higher protein in the early parts of the day, and you should be getting tons of fiber out of most meals. Dinnertime should have a large portion of salad with nuts, goat cheese, and vinegar to go along with a serving or two of lean protein. Hope this helps!