how a sustainable and balanced diet can help you reach your health goals
Especially around the New Year, it’s easy to get sidetracked from long term health goals. Social media is flush with trendy diets and exercise programs that promise quick results with limited effort. Some diets might exclude entire food groups or restrict calories to childhood levels. It’s important to remember though, quick fixes rarely last, and restrictive diets aren’t good for you long term. A healthy diet and lifestyle is all about balance, nourishing your body, and finding a sustainable approach that best works for you.
Fad diets distract you from long term goals
If your goal is to cultivate lasting, nutritious eating and cooking habits that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, fad diets will only steer you off course. Research shows that trend-based diets generally lack scientific evidence and can lead to health risks. Fad diets also have a bad track record for long term weight loss (1).
Being healthy is about balance, over time
The key to a healthy diet and lifestyle is eating foods that nourish your body, most of the time. And, finding a routine that works for you.
Focus on sustainability
Be kind to yourself. One meal, snack, or holiday isn’t going to upset your long term goal. A healthy diet leaves room for birthday cake, too.
Incorporate healthy habits into your life that support your mental health and busy lifestyle. Not everything needs to be cooked from scratch.
If you don’t have time to make a salad from start to finish, a salad kit works great too!
Roasted chicken not in your wheelhouse? No problem. Rotisserie chickens get dinner on the table quicker and can be turned into several meals. Use it to make tacos, add it to soup, use it to turn a salad into a meal, eat it with rice and a vegetable you like—the options are endless.
It’s wonderful to get legumes into meals whenever you can. For example, canned chickpeas, black or pinto beans, or pre-steamed lentils are packed with fiber and protein, are very tasty, and just as healthy as homemade.
Don’t forget about the freezer aisle for vegetables. If you hate prepping a certain vegetable, chances are someone else does too! Butternut squash, beets, green peas, and more can all be found ready to reheat in the freezer aisle. Bonus—veggies are frozen when in season, meaning they are packed with nutrients.
Ask yourself—is what I’m doing making me healthier, or is it adding stress to my life instead? If what you’re doing is continuously causing anxiety, it’s probably not for you.
What is a balanced diet?
Overall, a balanced diet is flexible, and includes whole foods like legumes, whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and healthy proteins and fats.
The Mediterranean diet is a great example of a balanced diet. It emphasizes a variety of nutritious foods like legumes, grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, and lean proteins, and promotes healthy fats like those found in salmon, nuts, or extra virgin olive oil. Small portions of dairy and wine are also included in this diet that promotes moderation and nutrient-rich foods instead of restriction.
Some people like the Balanced Plate method to inspire meals. A balanced plate includes carbohydrates (potatoes, whole grains, bread, fruit, etc.), protein (chicken, fish, beans, lentils, yogurt, eggs, etc,), fat (extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, cheese, etc.), and volume and fiber from vegetables (leafy greens, cabbage, broccolini, tomatoes, etc.). This can be as simple as pairing a piece of salmon with some brown rice and veggies sauteed in olive oil. It can also look like a plate of tacos, as you have carbs from the tortillas, protein from the filling, fat from the avocado, lime crema, or cheese, and volume and fiber from the cabbage slaw or lettuce and tomatoes (salsa is great here too!). Fried rice is another great option. You have carbs from the rice, protein from the egg, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, fat from the olive oil, and volume and fiber from all of the added veggies.
Fat is an important part of a healthy diet. Some great sources of healthy fats are extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, salmon, and avocado.
Remember a balanced diet should fit easily into your life. Make things easier on yourself when possible. It’s a great idea to use canned chickpeas, pre-steamed lentils, salad kits, and frozen vegetables as a way to include more whole foods in your week.
Consistent eating schedules:
when to eat
Consistent eating schedules: when to eat
Don’t skip meals. Instead, focus on a schedule that works well for you. Are you always too busy to have lunch at noon? Try eating a fulfilling snack to hold you over until 1 or 2pm, then sit down and eat a healthy lunch at your planned time.
Consistency is key. Research shows that our bodies have their own biological rhythms that affect metabolic activity and digestive well-being (2). Women in particular seem to be more sensitive to rhythms and feel more satisfied with meals if eaten at regular times (3). Aiming to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at similar times every day is a good goal. Or, a good rule of thumb is to eat every 3 to 4 hours, meaning you’ll likely have a snack or two daily.
There is no need to intermittent fast. In fact, adherence to intermittent fasting’s exacting schedule makes it hard to have a sustainable diet, which is key to building a healthy relationship with food (4).
Snacks can be great additions! If you’re hungry, eating healthy snacks that pair carbs with protein or fat can be a great way to tide you over until your next meal so you don’t overeat when it’s time to dine. Here are a few snack ideas.
The bottom line
Eating consistently and minding meal times is important. Snacks can help, too. A balanced diet looks different for everyone, but includes whole foods like legumes, grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins and fats. A healthy lifestyle also includes room for your favorite treats from time to time! Lastly, remember that not everything needs to be made from scratch—that may not be sustainable, thus likely not what true health looks like for you.
FAQ
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A fad diet requires dieters to severely restrict calories or ingredients, or abstain from whole food groups in order to lose weight. Fad diets are unhealthy for long periods of time, and sometimes detrimental to our wellbeing right away. Read more here.
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The only fats that are truly unhealthy are trans fats, which are included in some partially hydrogenated oils. They raise your LDL (bad) and lower your HDL (good) cholesterols. Vegetable oils are hydrogenated when producers want to make a food more shelf stable, like for some processed foods. While not the best for you, saturated fats, which solidify at room temperature (think cheese or meat fat) are healthy to eat in limited amounts. It’s good to keep in mind that fats can be very good for you, too, and help to keep the body healthy.
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A Mediterranean diet includes whole grains, fiber, vegetables, healthy fats, fish, and balanced amounts of dairy and protein. It helps to keep bodies healthy, bellies satisfied, and includes a little wine, too!
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Written by Kirstin Jackson
Kirstin Jackson earned a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2024 from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from UC Berkeley in 2006. She is currently working on her M.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences and completing her Dietetic Internship at SF State. As a future dietitian, Kirstin is passionate about helping people realize their best relationships with food, and achieving their nutrition health goals. She has special interests in diabetes, kitchen nutrition, and weight-neutral care. When not interning, Kirstin teaches cheesemaking and cheese pairing classes. In her spare time she cooks, reads, hikes, lifts weights, and watches the Great British Baking Show.
This post was reviewed by Kelly Powers, MA, RDN. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary Nutritionist who takes a holistic approach to nutrition and health. She’s a recipe developer with a food blog highlighting whole foods, simple recipes, and her life in San Francisco. Kelly is the creator of Weeknight Dinners, a weekly meal plan program that helps people get back in the kitchen and feed themselves well. Kelly specializes in meal planning, the Mediterranean diet, and sustainable behavior change, helping her clients reach their health goals while improving their relationship with food. She’s also a nutrition consultant for health and tech startups, food companies, and brands she believes in.