Ingredients Of Healthy Meal

A healthy mind in a healthy body...

This is the statement that rings at the back of my mind every time I'm making a meal. Knowing that we eat does indeed become a part of us, it's essential to know what the components of a healthy meal are.

Cooking your meal at home is not only a great way to ensure that you eat healthy but you also save time and money. With a little basic knowledge about the basic nutrients and components of food, you can have fun planning you meal and let your creativity flow. Incase your unsure about where to get started, there are a lot of websites and services that offer free trails and help you make the healthy meal that your family will love.

A Balanced Diet:

So what are the ingredients of a healthy balanced diet? A healthy meal consists of all the basic components of food; proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins. A successful meal plan should span a week, even though you can plan daily as well. But the bottom line is, your daily diet should cover your basic nutritional requirements.

A healthy distribution of these components is 30% protein, 30 % fats, 20 % carbohydrates and 20% minerals and vitamins.

Most foods contain a good combination of nutrients and rarely will you come across a food that contains only one nutrient.



1. Proteins: proteins provide your body with nature's building blocks, the amino acids. Your best choice for proteins would be white meat, eggs, beans etc. read meat is also good, but if your aiming to have lower calories in the meal than try sticking to white meat.

2. Fats: fats should mostly the unsaturated kind like olive oil. Saturated fat tends to cause blockage of the arteries but a little bit of it is good for maintaining steady hormone levels. Avoiding the grease is sound advice.

3. Carbohydrates: taking high fiber carbs like those found in whole grain, whole wheat, and brown sugar is an excellent source of nutrition and energy for your body. Cereals are generally refined carbs that get digested too soon and simply add to your waste line.

4. Minerals and Vitamins: fresh fruits and vegetables are a great source for minerals and vitamins. They are better than taking any supplements as well. Avoid the canned stuff and get them fresh from the grocery store. Fresh fruits are a great choice for deserts.

Here's a sample meal plan for two days to help get you started;

Monday:

Beefy Taco Soup

Makes 4 servings

1 pound ground beef, browned

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (1 1/4-ounce) packet taco seasoning mix

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Stir ingredients together; pour into a slow cooker. Heat on low setting for 6 to 8 hours; stir occasionally. Add water to thin consistency as desired.

Serve with bread sticks.

Tuesday:

Buttery Garlic Chicken

Makes 4 servings

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup round buttery crackers, crushed

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup butter, sliced

1. Place eggs in a shallow bowl; set aside.

2. Mix cracker crumbs and garlic salt in a separate bowl; set aside.

3. Dip chicken in eggs and then coat in crumb mixture. Arrange in an ungreased 13" x 9" baking pan; dot with butter.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.

A great website to get to know about the calorie count of foods and recipes of your choice and liking is http://whfoods.org/ . Have fun and I hope you enjoy the new world of creative cooking now at your finger tips.

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