Building a Balanced Plate

If you’ve ever said, “oh, I can’t have that” or “if being healthy means giving up (fill in the blank), I’m out,” this episode is for you! Eating a balanced diet is more than eating this, not that; it’s how we think about food and how we build the plate.

On today’s episode, Jenn is giving her best tips on how to build your plate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. She gives some insightful advice around creating quality meals and how to manage the way you eat your favorite, more indulgent foods. If you’ve never heard of food stacking or are feeling frustrated by eliminating food groups, this episode is for you! Tune in for some tangible tips on eating to nourish your body and feel the best you’ve ever felt! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.

IN THIS EPISODE:

●   [7:01] Tips on building a balanced breakfast.

●   [7:47] Building a delicious yogurt bowl that will keep you satisfied for 3-4 hours.

●   [12:36] How to build a well rounded bowl of oatmeal.

●   [13:29] The low-down on toast and how to build a meal around the toast.

●   [18:28] How to create a delicious breakfast salad.

●   [20:11] What are good on the go breakfast options?

●   [24:50] Some delicious snack tips when craving bread, crunch or sweets.

●   [32:54] What is food stacking? 

●   [34:45] How to ‘food-stack’ when eating out at a restaurant. 

●   [37:23] Utilizing “quick” food items for meals.

●   [40:48] Making plain veggies taste good.

●   [41:08] How to eat healthy meals that could otherwise be seen as “junk food” - pasta, pizza, burgers, etc. 

●   [47:48] Key takeaways of building plates for your main meals. 

●   [48:39] Tips for getting more veggies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

●   If you have 1-3 oz of protein, it's going to sustain a woman for an hour or two. If you’re having 4-6 oz of protein it's going to sustain that person for about 4 hours. When making a meal, notice how much protein you are having and how long it’ll last you. Build the plate to last for your next meal.  

●   Eat your proteins, veggies, fiber first before you add in any of the extra stuff like rice or noodles. This allows the proteins, veggies and fiber to digest first which can help balance your blood sugar and limit fat storage. 

●   Here are the amounts of foods you should have each day: 8-12 servings of vegetables, 1-2 servings of fruits, protein each time that you eat, and then quality fat 2-4 times per day. Focus on variety. Plan your meals around your vegetables, not the protein.

QUOTES: 

“Our focus should be getting the protein, quality fat, and fiber that's gonna keep our blood sugar balanced and start our day really well.” - Jenn Trepeck

“A meal for a woman is 4-6 oz of protein, a meal for a man is 6-8 oz of protein, so how are we building that?” - Jenn Trepeck 

“The objective is just to make it work and figure it out, not to let this completely consume your life.” - Jenn Trepeck 

“The only difference between a meal and a snack is how much we’re having at a time.” - Jenn Trepeck

“Essentially the food stack is such that we are blunting the impact of the higher glycemic carbohydrates on our system, whether you start with the veggies or the proteins or you have them together.” - Jenn Trepeck  

“It's about how we think about food, how we build the plate, that mental shift, focusing on nourishing and nutrition rather than ‘oh I can’t have that.’” - Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram