What is balanced nutrition and how can you

easily incorporate it into your lifestyle?

1.    Start with consuming 3 meals each day.  Do not forget breakfast.  Aim to eat a meal every 4-5 hours.  If a longer amount of time will occur without a meal, a healthy snack needs to be incorporated.

2.    Use a lunch-size plate (9 inches wide).  This will help protect against super-sizing you meal.

3.    Mentally divide your plate.  Ideally ½ of your plate should be vegetables, ¼ should be protein, and ¼ should be a starch (preferably whole grain).  This is the rule of thumb for a perfectly balanced meal.

4.    Include lean protein rich foods at each meal and snack.  This will satisfy you more with fewer calories. Protein foods consist of chicken and turkey (without the skin), lean beef, low fat cheese, lean pork, eggs, fish, tofu or beans.

5.    Along with a protein, you should also add fiber rich foods to all meals and snacks.  Most Americans only get about half the recommended 25-35 grams of fiber per day.  Fiber foods include 100% whole grain breads, fruits and vegetables. 

6.   Include a variety of colors on your plate.  More colorful fruits and vegetables will lead to a healthier you. 

7.    Stay Hydrated.  Keep a reusable water bottle handy.  Continuously drink water throughout the day.  Think about adding flavor with infused water.  Add oranges, lemons, cranberries, cucumber or mint.  Get creative, adding fruits and vegetables to water not only add a hint of flavor, but also add antioxidants to your water as well.