The 4 Step Process to Choosing a Healthy Meal

“What should I eat for dinner?”

The age old question what 90% of the time gets followed up with, “I don’t know.”

Seriously! I mean, we all know the cliche situation where the guy asks the girl where she wants to go out for dinner and she responds with, “I don’t know, whatever you want.”

Or the wife asks the husband what he wants for dinner while he’s half listening and says, “uh I don’t know- anything works.”

UGH. It’s already enough work to cook or shell out the cash to order food. PLUS, you’re trying to reach your body and health goals so you don’t want to succumb to the seductive calling of pizza. Do you really need to waste MORE TIME AND ENERGY to just decide what to even eat??

No.

Thankfully, I have a solution for you. And this works for dining IN or dining OUT.

Here’s the 4 step process you can take with you in any eating situation to stress less and eat better.

1. Pick a protein.

• Choose something that you enjoy or that fits within your dietary preference and ask yourself a few questions like:

  • Is it lean? If not, is there a leaner way for it to be cooked (like grilling instead of frying)?

  • Is it the right portion size? This will vary person to person and depending on the protein, but generally speaking you can aim for the size of an open palm or a deck of cards.

  • If it’s too much or too little protein, can you request for it to be adjusted? Same with the cooking style- can you ask for it to be prepared differently.

2. Pick at least 2 vegetables. Make at least 1 non-starchy.

• Think, “eat the rainbow,” but with veggies. If you’re choosing starchier veggies (like corn, carrots, potatoes, peas, etc.) try to also choose a non-starchy veg like spinach, broccoli, bok choy, etc.

  • If you’re eating out, are there veggies included in the dish? Can you order a side of veg or request veg to be added to the meal?

  • How is it cooked? Aim for roasted, grilled, lightly sautéed, or steamed instead of deep fried or heavily stir-fried.

  • If the veggies are covered in sauce, ask if you can have it prepared with light oil/ light sauce or even sauce on the side.

3. Pick a high-fiber starch

• Try to choose a whole grain more often than not like brown rice, quinoa, oats, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, etc. Even a starchy vegetable like potatoes can be the starch star of the meal!

  • At restaurants, check if refined grains can be substituted for whole grains.

  • Aim for a portion size right for you, this generally is anywhere between 1-2 cupped palms.

4. Pick a healthy fat. Think liquid oils instead of solidified butters.

• Don’t skimp on the fat! It’s necessary for your body to have. Try going for minimally processed fats like avocados, nuts, and seeds. If your meal is prepared with fats, try leaning more into vegetable oils like olive oil and avocado oil instead of saturated fats like butter, lard, and coconut oil.

  • If you’re at a restaurant, you can typically request dishes to be made with oil instead of butter and also ask them to go “light” on it if you want.

All in all, you want your macros covered and eat a varied diet. Remember, this is just a guide to help give you a general direction to go off of, but every body and everybody is different! That’s the beauty of LIFE! This is NOT a prescription for your meals, but it’s definitely something to think about if you’ve been feeling icky, drained, heavy, and sleepy after your meals lately.

Please don’t ban certain foods or entire food groups from your diet unless it’s driven by allergies, religion, or ethics. Everything has nutrients in it and can nourish our bodies in different ways. (Just like how I will have some ice cream because it’s fulfilling a social or emotional craving on some days and I’ll gladly have blueberries and mangos because it’s more nourishing and fulfilling on other days).

You are equipped with the knowledge or the ability to gain the knowledge needed to make healthy choices for yourself. If you feel like you need some more guidance, I’m more than happy to chat with you and answer your questions. Just email me at jen@jencuihealth.com and we can set up a time to talk :)

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