How to Effortlessly Eat a Balanced Diet

Do you mindlessly gobble down the same old boring breakfast before rushing out the door each morning? Or are you stressed out every night wondering what you should have for dinner without falling into a rut?

So many of us have virtually the same meals day after day. And even if you do make a conscious effort to mix up what you’re having for lunch, you still might not be eating a huge variety of foods. Most food products you find in the supermarket contain the same handful of ingredients: wheat, soy, corn and sugar.

But eating a lot of different foods is crucial to obtain all the nutrients you need for a healthy body and mind. A balanced diet ensures you get the entire range of vitamins and minerals, without consuming too much of one particular nutrient. Because the same rule applies to both fast food meals and uber-healthy foods: “The dose make the poison.”

Even eating big ass salads and huge amounts of steamed broccoli on a daily basis for many years could potentially lead to health problems, when small amounts of harmful compounds in dark leafy greens and cruciferous veggies build up over time. Don’t worry, you’d need to consume huge amounts of one vegetable over a long period of time before this would happen, but you get my point.

Coming up with new recipes every day can be an overwhelming challenge. Luckily, there are two strategies to effortlessly eat a more balanced diet without stressing out:

1.  Rotate your favourite staple ingredients. Every other day or whenever you buy new groceries, challenge yourself to vary the core ingredients of your standard breakfast and lunch. For example, if you enjoy having cereals every morning, regularly pick a different grain (barley, oats, quinoa), liquid base (Greek yoghurt, almond milk, kefir) and topping (goji berries, chia seeds, walnuts) for your breakfast.
2. Use a personalised template for weekly meal planning. I’ll be showing you examples of how you can better deal with the dreaded question “What’s for dinner?” in an upcoming post!

How to Rotate Your Staple Ingredients for a Balanced Diet

Let’s take a look how you can easily add more variation to your diet by switching up the ingredients you use in your usual smoothies, sandwiches, yogurt bowls and porridges.

Green Smoothies

Have you jumped on the green smoothie wagon? Green smoothies are a tasty way to boost your daily veggie intake and provide your body with tons of vital nutrients, but even with superfoods like spinach and kale, you can have too much of a good thing. All dark leafy greens contain trace amounts of toxins to protect the plants from being entirely consumed by grazing animals. If you eat or drink large quantities of these anti-nutrients over a long period of time, they can build up and harm your health.

However, there’s no need to freak out; you can still enjoy the benefits of green smoothies by simply rotating your greens. Just choose a different leafy green whenever you go into the grocery store and give chard, collard greens, romaine lettuce, arugula, beet greens or fresh herbs a try.

Here are some delicious smoothie recipes to get you started rotating your greens:

1. 15-Minute Blender Green Juice from Nyssa’s Kitchen – with kale, mint, cucumber and celery.

2. Chocolate Mint Green Smoothie from Oh My Veggies – with spinach, avocado, mint and cacao.

3. Watercress and Blueberry Green Smoothie from Foodalicously – with watercress, basil, matcha and berries.

4. All Day Glow Green Smoothie from Oh She Glows – with romaine lettuce, cilantro, parsley and mango.

Of course you can also choose different veggies than leafy greens, like the beets in this Pink Power Detox Smoothie from Oh She Glows or carrots in this creamy Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie from Healthy Little Vittles.

No mater which vegetables you enjoy, check out this easy smoothie formula to effortlessly get all your nutrients in, with seasonal produce.

Yoghurt & Granola Parfaits

When you’re still half asleep and in a hurry to get out the door, is there anything easier than reaching for breakfast cereals?

Unfortunately, lots of store-bought granola and muesli are packed with sugar. A simple solution to this problem is to make your own yoghurt parfaits with layers of fresh fruit, nuts and seeds. When you make this healthy and quick breakfast in a jar, you could even eat it on-the-go on those mornings when you’re rushed for time.

Tip: Making your own granola with your favorite ingredients is fairly easy and allows you to limit your sugar and fat intake. Have fun experimenting with the mouthwatering recipes below:

1. Banana Granola from Green Kitchen Stories

2. Bircher Muesli with Spiced Strawberry Sauce from My New Roots

3. Pomegranate & Granola Breakfast Bowl by Love and Lemons

4. Honeyed Grapefruit Yoghurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth from The Kitchn

Porridges

A nourishing bowl of porridge can be an ideal breakfast to warm your winter mornings. There’s no need to limit yourself to classic steel-cut oats with butter milk when there are so many other (pseudo) grains, liquids and healthy toppings to choose from!

1. Banana – Pecan Amaranth Porridge from Naturally Ella

2. Coconut Black Rice Pudding from My New Roots

3. Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa from 101 Cookbooks

4. Morning Glory Oats with Carrots & Cinnamon from Joy the Baker

Sandwiches

Do you bring the same old sandwich to the office every day? Changing up your work-week lunches won’t just tantalize your taste buds, but it will also help you cover the entire range of vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive.

One effortless way to add a little variation to sandwiches is alternating your choice of protein. Don’t just stick to the usual deli meats and cheeses but mix things up with plant-based spreads like hummus, nut butters or avocado-mayonnaise. And of course putting veggies on your sandwich is always a fabulous idea!

You could also rotate the ‘carrier’ of your sandwich fillings; not just by switching whole wheat bread for slices of spelt, buckwheat or sourdough bread, but by substituting your sandwich for a corn tortilla or lettuce wrap.

Note: Always choose whole-grain products, even if the recipes listed below use white bread or other refined grains!

1. Spring Baguette with Egg, Asparagus and Pickled Onions The Kitchen

2. Swiss Chard Wraps with Tuna Salad from Cristina’s Kitchen

3. A Hummus Vegetable Sandwich from Martha Stewart

4. Sandwich with Mozzarella, Field Salad and Sourdough Bread from Juls’ Kitchen

5. Mediterranean Chicken Wrap from Martha Stewart

How to Effortlessly Eat a Balanced Diet

You don’t have to overhaul your meals for a balanced diet. You can still have your regular breakfasts and lunches, but by switching up the ingredients – different grains, different proteins, a mix of toppings – you can easily get a wider variety of nutrients in to boost your health.

Eating seasonal produce is another great way to alternate between greens, starchy vegetables and fruits without too much thinking.

What’s your favorite strategy to rotate your staple meals? 

For more advice on eating a balanced diet, head over to “What’s for Dinner?” Two Templates for Stress-Free Meal Planning and try the 7 Stress-Free Strategies to Get More Variation in Your Diet.