Meal ideas for a balanced breakfast/lunch/dinner for a beginner?😬
stjheaton
Posts: 8 Member
Just started this app, I eat quite healthy or at least I thought I did till lookin through all the stats of the things I eat daily, especially potassium ect, could do with few meal ideas that are solid in nutrients an as balanced as you need? Appreciate it
0
Replies
-
What kind of foods do you like?3
-
Just started this app, I eat quite healthy or at least I thought I did till lookin through all the stats of the things I eat daily, especially potassium ect, could do with few meal ideas that are solid in nutrients an as balanced as you need? Appreciate it
Potassium isn't a required nutrient for nutrition facts in the US. There are many high potassium products that don't even list it, like many greek yogurts.
There is no one definition of balanced. Start with what you are eating and play around from there, rather than looking for an IDEAL MENU.3 -
I’m on an 1800 calorie plan with 30% carbs, 30% fats and 40% protein.. struggling with finding a balance and a good meal plan.. Any ideas?? Thanks!!1
-
I love cooking or eating a mix of veggies. I also love one pot dishes.
Kind of a sample of how I eat:
Dinner: seasoned seared or baked meat cooked in olive oil with veggies one or more, all in one dish or pot. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, squash, asparagus. (Enough meat cooked to cover the next day's breakfast and lunch).
Breakfast, favorite is left over dinner meat, with sauteed sliced peppers and diced onions, mix in an egg (maybe a light sprinkle of cheese) for a breakfast scramble or omelet.
Lunch, left over meat over top of greens (mixed, lettuces, spinach, and/or arugula). Top with sliced avocado, black olives, raw diced onions-pre-chopped at breakfast, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, a little bit of sour cream, cheese, and salsa for a Tex-Mex salad.
I tend to snack on fruits: cherries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, etc.
Can also cook rice to throw in with any of these or chickpeas, black beans, etc.
These are my favorite kind of foods. Can do the same kind of cooking using different flavor profiles, sometimes I do similar with Greek, Italian, Mid Eastern, Indian, etc.1 -
concordancia wrote: »Just started this app, I eat quite healthy or at least I thought I did till lookin through all the stats of the things I eat daily, especially potassium ect, could do with few meal ideas that are solid in nutrients an as balanced as you need? Appreciate it
Potassium isn't a required nutrient for nutrition facts in the US. There are many high potassium products that don't even list it, like many greek yogurts.
There is no one definition of balanced. Start with what you are eating and play around from there, rather than looking for an IDEAL MENU.
I am just after ideas I don’t eat rubbish for example breakfast will be oats with water, banana, honey, sometimes nuts, sometimes berries just interested in what everyone else would consider balanced as such
2 -
Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »I love cooking or eating a mix of veggies. I also love one pot dishes.
Kind of a sample of how I eat:
Dinner: seasoned seared or baked meat cooked in olive oil with veggies one or more, all in one dish or pot. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, squash, asparagus. (Enough meat cooked to cover the next day's breakfast and lunch).
Breakfast, favorite is left over dinner meat, with sauteed sliced peppers and diced onions, mix in an egg (maybe a light sprinkle of cheese) for a breakfast scramble or omelet.
Lunch, left over meat over top of greens (mixed, lettuces, spinach, and/or arugula). Top with sliced avocado, black olives, raw diced onions-pre-chopped at breakfast, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, a little bit of sour cream, cheese, and salsa for a Tex-Mex salad.
I tend to snack on fruits: cherries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, etc.
Can also cook rice to throw in with any of these or chickpeas, black beans, etc.
These are my favorite kind of foods. Can do the same kind of cooking using different flavor profiles, sometimes I do similar with Greek, Italian, Mid Eastern, Indian, etc.
Thankyou, love my peas/beans with any meal little things that I tend to forget to add to my meal!1 -
If you're looking for healthy meal ideas, Youtube and Pinterest are both pretty good sources. Peeking at your friends' food diaries and asking them about tasty homemade foods is also an option ;p
Balanced meals are going to look different for everyone. For me, as a vegetarian, my meals are balanced if I have enough protein, fats, and hit about 500~ish calories (Goal/day: 1770 cal) I don't bother looking at my carbs or fiber because I know that I'll have those covered. Micronutrients I get from the veggies and fruit, as well as a multivitamin.
One of the best ways to find balance and sustainability in planning out your meals is to start slow. I don't know what your goals or food look like, but take it one meal at a time. Focus on a single category of meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc) and make that meal as nutritious (and delicious) as possible. Stay under your intake for the day or at least at maintenance while you find out what works for you. Once you feel solid with your progress, work on the next meal.
I had to do this myself recently. Eating the way I do requires a lot of iron and I wasn't getting enough through my vitamin and my diet to go through certain monthly activities. I got dizzy and nauseous and had to leave work. So, I began looking at ways to add dark, leafy greens into my diet whenever I could. I started with lunch (adding kale and spinach to sandwiches, stews, and casseroles) and worked my way through each meal until I hit the recommended amount of iron for vegetarians. I had to do something similar with protein and again with fats.
TL;DR- Everyone is on their own specific journey with their own specific needs. Find inspiration for food based on what you like and make small, sustainable changes to meet your nutrition goals.1 -
I’m on an 1800 calorie plan with 30% carbs, 30% fats and 40% protein.. struggling with finding a balance and a good meal plan.. Any ideas?? Thanks!!
Check out the zone diet. Not recommending it as a diet, but a starting point to how to hit macros near yours. Might get some ideas.1 -
If you're looking for healthy meal ideas, Youtube and Pinterest are both pretty good sources. Peeking at your friends' food diaries and asking them about tasty homemade foods is also an option ;p
Balanced meals are going to look different for everyone. For me, as a vegetarian, my meals are balanced if I have enough protein, fats, and hit about 500~ish calories (Goal/day: 1770 cal) I don't bother looking at my carbs or fiber because I know that I'll have those covered. Micronutrients I get from the veggies and fruit, as well as a multivitamin.
One of the best ways to find balance and sustainability in planning out your meals is to start slow. I don't know what your goals or food look like, but take it one meal at a time. Focus on a single category of meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc) and make that meal as nutritious (and delicious) as possible. Stay under your intake for the day or at least at maintenance while you find out what works for you. Once you feel solid with your progress, work on the next meal.
I had to do this myself recently. Eating the way I do requires a lot of iron and I wasn't getting enough through my vitamin and my diet to go through certain monthly activities. I got dizzy and nauseous and had to leave work. So, I began looking at ways to add dark, leafy greens into my diet whenever I could. I started with lunch (adding kale and spinach to sandwiches, stews, and casseroles) and worked my way through each meal until I hit the recommended amount of iron for vegetarians. I had to do something similar with protein and again with fats.
TL;DR- Everyone is on their own specific journey with their own specific needs. Find inspiration for food based on what you like and make small, sustainable changes to meet your nutrition goals.
Thankyou, I’m always on YouTube and do eat fairly good (So I think), could definately add more vegetables too each meal any recommendations on things you could eat everyday without becoming problematic? For example I read too much spinach can cause all sorts of problems...0 -
Thank you, I’m always on YouTube and do eat fairly good (So I think), could definately add more vegetables too each meal any recommendations on things you could eat everyday without becoming problematic? For example I read too much spinach can cause all sorts of problems...
I eat a variety of fruit and veggies every day. Peppers, onions, beans, peas, broccoli, apples, spinach, kale, peaches/nectarines, grapes, melons, greens, lentils, carrots, zucchini, celery, beets, eggplant, squash...you name it lol I've never had an issue with eating as many veggies/fruits as I like, but if you're not used to eating a lot of fiber, you might want to increase your intake slowly because I've heard it can cause some distress.
One easy way to start incorporating more fruit/veggies is checking out what's in season or on sale. As a matter of fact, I made a deal with myself when I became a vegetarian to try one new fruit or veggie each week and looked up new recipes specifically using my chosen ingredient! It was fun and important to me because I was determined that I would be able to eat a variety of things. Almost a year later and I'm still finding new stuff to eat
1 -
If you're looking for healthy meal ideas, Youtube and Pinterest are both pretty good sources. Peeking at your friends' food diaries and asking them about tasty homemade foods is also an option ;p
Balanced meals are going to look different for everyone. For me, as a vegetarian, my meals are balanced if I have enough protein, fats, and hit about 500~ish calories (Goal/day: 1770 cal) I don't bother looking at my carbs or fiber because I know that I'll have those covered. Micronutrients I get from the veggies and fruit, as well as a multivitamin.
One of the best ways to find balance and sustainability in planning out your meals is to start slow. I don't know what your goals or food look like, but take it one meal at a time. Focus on a single category of meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc) and make that meal as nutritious (and delicious) as possible. Stay under your intake for the day or at least at maintenance while you find out what works for you. Once you feel solid with your progress, work on the next meal.
I had to do this myself recently. Eating the way I do requires a lot of iron and I wasn't getting enough through my vitamin and my diet to go through certain monthly activities. I got dizzy and nauseous and had to leave work. So, I began looking at ways to add dark, leafy greens into my diet whenever I could. I started with lunch (adding kale and spinach to sandwiches, stews, and casseroles) and worked my way through each meal until I hit the recommended amount of iron for vegetarians. I had to do something similar with protein and again with fats.
TL;DR- Everyone is on their own specific journey with their own specific needs. Find inspiration for food based on what you like and make small, sustainable changes to meet your nutrition goals.
Thankyou, I’m always on YouTube and do eat fairly good (So I think), could definately add more vegetables too each meal any recommendations on things you could eat everyday without becoming problematic?For example I read too much spinach can cause all sorts of problems...
I think you’d need to be eating at least 7lbs of spinach or so on a very regular basis for this to be anything like an issue! It seems unlikely that you’d actually do this, so I think you’re good! Same for other foods that you can find scare stories about if you care to look around the internet! Normal food consumed in normal quantities is really not going to harm you! (Allergies and specific medical conditions taken into account, obviously).1 -
BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »If you're looking for healthy meal ideas, Youtube and Pinterest are both pretty good sources. Peeking at your friends' food diaries and asking them about tasty homemade foods is also an option ;p
Balanced meals are going to look different for everyone. For me, as a vegetarian, my meals are balanced if I have enough protein, fats, and hit about 500~ish calories (Goal/day: 1770 cal) I don't bother looking at my carbs or fiber because I know that I'll have those covered. Micronutrients I get from the veggies and fruit, as well as a multivitamin.
One of the best ways to find balance and sustainability in planning out your meals is to start slow. I don't know what your goals or food look like, but take it one meal at a time. Focus on a single category of meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc) and make that meal as nutritious (and delicious) as possible. Stay under your intake for the day or at least at maintenance while you find out what works for you. Once you feel solid with your progress, work on the next meal.
I had to do this myself recently. Eating the way I do requires a lot of iron and I wasn't getting enough through my vitamin and my diet to go through certain monthly activities. I got dizzy and nauseous and had to leave work. So, I began looking at ways to add dark, leafy greens into my diet whenever I could. I started with lunch (adding kale and spinach to sandwiches, stews, and casseroles) and worked my way through each meal until I hit the recommended amount of iron for vegetarians. I had to do something similar with protein and again with fats.
TL;DR- Everyone is on their own specific journey with their own specific needs. Find inspiration for food based on what you like and make small, sustainable changes to meet your nutrition goals.
Thankyou, I’m always on YouTube and do eat fairly good (So I think), could definately add more vegetables too each meal any recommendations on things you could eat everyday without becoming problematic?For example I read too much spinach can cause all sorts of problems...
I think you’d need to be eating at least 7lbs of spinach or so on a very regular basis for this to be anything like an issue! It seems unlikely that you’d actually do this, so I think you’re good! Same for other foods that you can find scare stories about if you care to look around the internet! Normal food consumed in normal quantities is really not going to harm you! (Allergies and specific medical conditions taken into account, obviously).
I thought as much but thankyou.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions