Balanced Meal Formula: GRAIN OR STARCH* + PROTEIN + COLOR (fruit or non-starch vegetable) with a dash of HEALTHY FATS
Starch: banana, potato, sweet potato, corn, squash, bread
*Notice that the formula states a grain OR starch. Eating pasta AND bread or oatmeal AND banana or sweet potato AND rice together focuses a meal too heavily on grain and starch foods and less on lean protein, fruits, and vegetables (basically you will overdo with grain AND starch and displace much needed lean proteins and vegetables).
This meal is in balance: sweet potato + raw sprouted tofu crumbled + greens sautéed in extra virgin coconut oil + sunflower seeds
This meal is not in balance (doubles up on grain AND starch): brown rice + sweet potato with tofu crumbled sauteed in extra virgin coconut oil
1450 CALORIE MEAL PORTION GUIDE
To create your main meals, choose one item from each column below. This will create a meal that is approximately 425 calories. The portions offered in each column represent the calorie listed at the top of the column (i.e. all the portions listed in the ‘Grain or Starch’ column are equal to 60 calories, ‘Color’ 65 calories, ‘Lean Protein’ 150-175 calorie and ‘Healthy Fats’ portions are equal to 100 calories). Knowing the calorie load that each portion represents will allow you to easily increase or decrease your portions to reach your desired calorie load.
Consider eating fruit at breakfast and at your snacks and eating vegetables at lunch and dinner. This is not a steadfast rule, yet it helps to plan out when you will include vegetables (so you don’t skip them or displace them with fruit). Feel free to include vegetables at every meal and snack, but keep fruit to breakfast and snacks only.
BALANCED MEAL CHART | |||
Grain or Starch 110 calories Visual Portion: ½ cup = Tennis Ball | Color 65 calories Visual Portion: 1 cup = a baseball | Lean Protein 150-175 calories Visual Portion: 3 oz = deck of cards, size of your cell phone, palm of your hand | Healthy Fats 100 calories |
| 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, quinoa, quinoa pasta, polenta, buckwheat, millet | ½ cup marinara sauce | ½ cup lentils or beans, cooked | Nuts: 13 almonds, 10 cashews, 4 pecans, 3 whole walnuts, 4.5 macadamia nuts, 27 pistachio nuts, 18 peanuts |
| 110 calories of gluten free granola | 2 cup cooked or raw vegetables (non-starch. For corn or squash, see grain/ starch column) | 4 1/2 T hummus | 100 calories yogurt (coconut preferred – try So Delicious brand. Or almond, Amonde brand) |
| 2 cups summer squash, zucchini or spaghetti squash cooked OR 1 cup acorn squash, cooked | 1 piece organic fruit (1 medium apple is a serving – use this as a visual for other fruit. 2 kiwi and 2/3-1 cup berries is a serving) | 1 cup of lentil or bean soup | 1 T nut butter (peanut, almond, walnut or sunflower seed butter) |
| 2/3 cup cooked sweet potato or corn | 1 cup fruit salad | 2 small pastured eggs | 1/3 avocado |
| 1 brown rice wrap or corn tortilla | 2-3 cups raw vegetables (if not on cleanse) (For corn or squash, see greain/ starch column | 150 calories NF Organic plain cow yogurt (dairy is optional) | 2 T sunflower seeds, hulled |
| ¼ cup cooked GF oats | 1.5 cups portabella mushroom, grilled | 19 olives | |
| 2 slice rice bread toast or gluten free bread | 3-9 oz raw organic sprouted tofu (soft or firm, non-GMO) * calories vary widely with packaged tofu, check the label | 1 oz of cheese (organic, aged preferred, which adds more flavor) cheddar, gouda, parmesan… etc (optional) | |
| 110 calories of rice crackers or other gluten free grain crackers | ½ cup edamame, prepared (non-GMO) | 2 T tapenade | |
| *1/4 cut nutritional yeast *45 calories per serving and 6 grams of protein | 1.25 T pesto | ||
| Shy 1 T extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil, or ghee | |||
| FREE TO ADD: salsa, pica de gallo, relish and wilted greens (arugula, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, mixed greens), herbs (any), spices (any), sea vegetables (seaweed), squeeze of lemon or lime, vinegar, and lettuce (if used as a lettuce wrap) | |||