Meal Structure
Covering All The Bases
In order to structure your meals, plan your diet, and even shop for groceries efficiently, you have to understand the food categories. In this nutrition guide I’m going to explain how to cover all of your macros, vitamins, and minerals, as well eliminate nutrient deficiencies and keep your diet exciting.
The 5 Food Groups
Fruit is loaded with all kinds of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Most fruit tend to be fairly high in sugar, but those sugar levels are regulated by vitamin C and fiber. The high levels of vitamin C in fruit help to flush toxins out of the body, strengthen the immune system, stimulate collagen production, and connective tissue growth.
Here are the types of fruit that will make up the bulk of your calories.
- bananas
- avocados
- coconut meat
- mango
- dried fruits
- dates
- prunes
If you are pre diabetic, or diabetic you want to consider fruits that are low on the glycemic index (low GI). The glycemic index is a scale that measures how much of an insulin spike a food will cause. Low GI foods score below 55 on the GI scale.
Here’s a list of low GI fruits.
- cherries (score 20)
- grapefruit (score 25)
- dried apricot (score 32)
- pears (score 38)
- apples (score 39)
- all berries (score 40)
- kiwi (score 50)
- butternut squash (score 51)
Non sweet and bitter fruits also play a very important roll in reversing insulin resistance and diabetes. Here’s a short list of some of the fruits.
- bell peppers
- cucumber
- zucchini
Veggies also tend to be pretty low in calories, but loaded with all kinds of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Vegetables have very low levels of sugar and typically have complex carbs which really stabilize blood sugar levels. Dark leafy greens are really important for healing and improving gut health. Dark leafy greens are a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids.
Nuts and seeds are a good high calorie source of protein and quality fats. Nuts are a great food to pair with low calorie foods because of their high calorie content. Nuts and seeds are a great source for minerals like selenium, zinc, and iron. Seeds like pumpkin, chia, hemp, and flaxe seeds are a great source for omega 3 fatty acids.
Grains are very calorie dense and a really easy source for both quick and slow digesting carbs, as well as fiber. The grains with the most fiber are the ones with the slower digesting carbs. An example of this would be white rice vs brown rice. Having more grains in your diet is ideal for high performing athletes and people trying to put on muscle size and strength.
Legumes are foods like beans, peas, and lentils. They’re one of the best protein sources on a plant based diet with an average of each serving being 20% protein. They’re also very carb dense with a good deal of fiber and antioxidants. Its a good idea to let beans soak in warm water 6-8 hours, and lentils for 2-3 hours.
Meal Structuring
Ideally to have a balanced and robust diet, you want to make sure you’re eating a variety of foods from each of the 5 food groups daily. An easy way of doing this is planning your meals in a way where you are combining 2-3 of the food groups in each meal. Pair low calorie nutrient dense foods with high calorie foods. Here’s a few examples.
- 12-16 ounces of fruit (1.5-2 cups)
- 2-4 ounces of nuts (1/4-1/2 cups)
- 4-8 ounces of grains (1/2 cups-1 cup)
OR
- 2-4 cups of leafy greens
- 12-16 ounces of fruit (1.5-2 cups)
- 2-4 ounces of nuts (1/4-1/2 cups
- 1 ounce of seeds (28 grams)
A few choices for consideration
- Fruit – Grapefruit, oranges, apples, kiwi, berries, avocado, mango, pinapple, cucumber, tomato
- Greens/veggies – Spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, arugula
- Grains – Oatmeal, quinoa, farro
- Nuts – Walnuts, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts
- Seeds – Chia seeds, flax seed/flax meal, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds (no shell)
- 8-12 ounces of legumes (1-1 1/2 cups)
- 2-4 ounces of grains (1/2-1 cup)
- 1 ounce of seeds (28 grams)
- 2 cups of leafy greens
A few choices for consideration
- Legumes – Chickpeas, legumes, red kidney beans, black beans
- Grains/starch – Sweet potato, quinoa, rice (of any kind)
- Seeds – Chia seeds, flax seed/flax meal, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds (no shell)
- Greens/veggies – Spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, arugula
- 8-12 ounces of legumes (1-1 1/2 cups)
- 2-4 ounces of grains (1/2-1 cup)
- 12 ounces of mushrooms
- 1 cup of leafy greens
A few choices for consideration
- Legumes – Chickpeas, legumes, red kidney beans, black beans
- Grains/starch – Sweet potato, quinoa, rice (of any kind)
- Mushrooms – Portobello mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, shitaki mushrooms
- Greens/veggies – Spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, arugula, asparagus
Its a great idea to have your meals become smaller and simpler as the day goes on. Also if you’re trying to lose body fat at an optimal rate, eat foods that are slower digesting foods with a lower glycemic index during the day and then foods with a higher glycemic index at night.
Glycemic index is a measure of how fast a food will spike your blood sugar levels. A lower glycemic index is ideal during the day for managing hunger, energy levels, and improving insulin sensitivity, ultimately increasing fat loss results. Spiking your blood sugar at night will feed your sweet tooth and later will allow you to sleep better at night after you come down from the sugar high.