The Building Blocks of a
Super Healthy Diet
And…a sample meal plan
I know, I know…
• Most people know how to eat
healthy, and know that they should
— it’s just that when it comes down
to implementing this knowledge,
there’s a bridge that needs to be
crossed from knowledge to action.
But How???
• How do you actually eat
healthy, instead of just
knowing that you should eat
healthy?
Now, there are three parts of that solution, if you look
closely, and all three parts are equally important:
• Create a meal plan. Without this, you’ll just know what to eat,
vaguely, but you need to actually make a plan and implement it
(meaning, go shopping for the foods in the plan and actually cook
the foods and eat them).
• Super healthy foods. A meal plan without this doesn’t get you to
where you want to go. Build your meals around stuff that’s really
good for you. You can add other stuff, of course, but the super
healthy stuff should be the majority of the food.
• Food you really love. This is key. If you don’t enjoy the foods, you
won’t stick with the plan for long. No one can eat food they don’t
enjoy for more than a month or so (usually less). It’s why most diets
fail — anyone can stick with a diet for a couple of weeks, but if you
feel that you are suffering by eating it, you’ll fall off it after a little
while. Instead, make sure you love your food. Add variety, of
course, and mix up the plan every few weeks, but stick with foods
you love.
Only THREE Parts?
• Given those simple components, the
solution doesn’t seem so hard, does
it? And with a super healthy meal
plan like this — one that you love —
you can pair it with some exercise
and get healthier than ever.
Oh…I love that!
• What follows are some building blocks. They
aren’t the only possible building blocks, and
you shouldn’t use them exclusively, but
they’re a good starting point for anyone.
Below those building blocks are some sample
meals you can use, but only if you love these
foods. Instead of following it exactly, use it
as a starting place for a few ideas you can use
to construct your own meal plan — with
foods you love.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Spinach and other greens
• Spinach is a favorite of the greens, but other good
ones include kale, bok choy, collards, dark green
lettuce (skip iceberg), and other similar greens. Try
to build a couple of your meals around these
greens, as they are high in fiber, vitamins and
minerals. And best yet: super low in calories. You
can eat a whole plate of greens and while they can
fill you up, you couldn’t possibly get fat on them
(unless you added a bunch of butter or fatty
dressing or something like that).
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Avocadoes
• Full of good fats and good flavor,
avocadoes are perfect for salads,
sandwiches, wraps and more.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Tomatoes
• There are other good fruits and veggies, but
tomatoes are one of the American favorites,
not only for their nutritional content but
because of the flavor they add to any dish —
salads, sandwiches, pastas, soups, anything.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Fruits Don’t worry about their “Carb
content”. Fruits are incredible snacks,
because they are filled with fiber and vitamins
but are low in calories. Eat lots of apples,
oranges, bananas, mangoes, pears, grapes,
melons. Get a big pack of small apples and just
munch on them whenever you’re hungry. Add
fruits to all kinds of uncooked meals, chopped
up or as a side dish.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Berries. They’re fruits too, but they are
like a dessert when eaten cold. Add
them to cereal, yogurt, smoothies,
desserts, oatmeal and more … and of
course just eat them by themselves.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Nuts. Full of fiber and good fats and
protein. Chop them up and put
them in hot cereal or salads or stir
fry’s, or just eat them raw and
whole as snacks. Also enjoy almond
butter instead of peanut butter.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Beans. Great sources of fiber and
protein, low in calories, you can eat
beans all day long. I like them in
chili, soups, tacos and more. Get a
variety — red, black, pinto, white,
lentils.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Whole grains. This is a broad category that
includes all kinds of cereals, breads, wraps,
brown rice, pizza dough, and more. Try to go
for as much whole grain as possible — if you
see “wheat flour” or “enriched wheat flour”
it’s not as good. Sprouted grains, such as
Ezekiel sprouted bread or English muffins or
cereals. Oatmeal is good (avoid instant) as is
muesli.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Olive or canola oil. You need fats, but
they should be the good kind. Avoid
saturated, although a little saturated fat
is fine. Use olive oil or canola oil,
although there are other good ones too.
Again, nuts, avocadoes and flaxseed
also provide good fats as well as fiber.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Lean protein. Fish and lean poultry are
best, and lean red meat can be included
if you don’t eat too much of it.
Vegetable protein — lots of soy protein
and beans and nuts. Whole grains also
contain protein, as do other veggies. It’s
not hard to meet your daily
requirements or protein.
Super Healthy Building Blocks
• Lean calcium. Try to stick with lower-fat
versions, as whole dairy products can
have too much saturated fat. Lower-fat
milk (Skim or 2%), yogurt, and cheese
are good choices. Soy milk and yogurt
are great because they are very low in
saturated fat.
Breakfast
1. Hot oatmeal with chopped fruits or dried fruits,
flaxseed, and/or berries.
2. Whole Grain cereal with soymilk and berries or
other fruits.
3. Grain toast with almond butter, chopped fruits on
the side.
4. Scrambled egg whites with tomatoes, mushrooms,
spinach, onions.
5. Egg White Omelet — fry up with olive oil, onions,
mushrooms, green veggies, soy sauce or tamari
sauce. You can throw in your other favorite veggies.
Lunch
1.
2.
3.
4.
Veggie sandwich or wrap. Can have tomatoes, spinach or other
greens, avocadoes, hummus, bell peppers, maybe some Dijon
mustard and/or Veganaise. Any combo that works for you. On
thick whole grain bread or whole grain wrap.
Whole wheat pita with hummus. Add tomatoes and raw spinach
and sprouts.
Veggie burger. On a whole grain bun, with Dijon mustard and
ketchup and maybe a touch of Veganaise, lots of veggies (greens,
sprouts, tomatoes and avocadoes are my favorites). Add some
homemade sweet potato fries (use olive oil and a little salt) if
you’re feeling decadent. These fries also go well with the
sandwich or wrap.
Big salad. Use spinach or other greens, tomatoes, avocadoes,
feta cheese, nuts, maybe some chopped fruit or berries, and a
little bit of light vinaigrette.
Snacks
1. Fruits.
2. Chopped veggies. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower.
Dip in hummus if you like.
3. Nuts. Almonds are my favorites.
4. Protein shake. Good after a strength workout. Use
soy or whey protein along with soy milk, frozen
berries, banana and ground flaxseed.
5. Protein Bar. Good for before or after a workout (or
during a really long workout, for that matter).
6. Yogurt with berries or fruits and nuts.
Dinner
1. Veggie stir fry. Just stir fry some onions and chopped
veggies — various greens such as kale or bok choi work
well, as do broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, anything
really. Add some soy sauce or tamari, black pepper and
anything else you’d like to add — nuts, sesame seed oil,
ginger, garlic, a little honey all work well in different
combinations. Serve over brown rice if you like.
2. Tacos. Some low-fat refried beans and/or black beans on
soft corn tortillas with salsa, greens, tomatoes, maybe
corn or even some Fat free sour cream.
3. Chili. Turkey or Chicken. Great with brown rice or corn
bread or on its own.
Dinner
1. Spaghetti or other pasta. Cook any kind of pasta you like.
Cook some onions with diced tomatoes and bell peppers
and some tomato sauce and basil. Add some fresh
Parmesan if you like. For a meatier version, cook some
lean ground beef, ground turkey with onions and then
add some pre-made pasta sauce.
2. Homemade pizza. Get a pre-made whole-wheat pizza
crust, add some pre-made spaghetti sauce, and then any
chopped veggies you like, brushed with olive oil. Kale,
broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers all
work great. Add some grated fresh cheese if you like.
3. Home made vegetable soup. Simply awesome. It will last
you several days, even with a ridiculously large family.
Desserts
Ingredients
1 tablespoon semisweet
chocolate chips
1/2 banana, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon nonfat
vanilla yogurt
Per serving: 117 calories; 3 g fat ( 2 g sat
, 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 23 g
carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 14
mg sodium; 277 mg potassium.
Desserts
Ingredients
1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely
chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices thin whole-wheat or white
sandwich bread
3 tablespoons bittersweet or
semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons chopped toasted
hazelnuts, (optional)
Per serving: 151 calories; 7 g fat ( 4 g sat ,
1 g mono ); 6 mg cholesterol; 21 g
carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 131
mg sodium; 28 mg potassium.
Desserts
Ingredients
1 prepared low-fat
chocolate pudding snack
cup
1 tablespoon chopped
pistachios or other favorite
147 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g
mono ); 2 mg cholesterol; 25 g
carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber;
193 mg sodium; 318 mg potassium.
References
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www.eatingwell.com
www.health.com
www.fitsugar.com
www.cookinglight.com
www.eatbetteramerica.com
www.livestrong.com
www.bodybuilding.com