Balanced Diet For Weight Loss: Fitness Trainer Shares 3 Simple Tricks To Make Your Meals Balanced

Balanced diet for weight loss: Add protein to each of your meals

Weight loss: It is said that consuming a balanced diet is important for your overall health, weight and immunity. But the right way to follow a balanced diet is easier said than done. This especially if you want to lose weight or maintain your current weight. A balanced diet is one which includes fibre, carbs, proteins and fats in a balanced way. An interesting way to have a balanced meal is to have a variety of foods on the table. For example- a simple meal like dal rice, which is a protein-rich meal with a complete amino acid profile, can be eaten with a dollop of ghee, a serving of salad, a bowl of home-set curd and a small serving of pickle or chutney.

Weight loss: Other tips to make your meals perfectly balanced

The aforementioned meal includes protein (lentils), healthy carbs (lentils and rice), good fat (ghee, curd), probiotics (curd and pickle or chutney). This is just one example. Adding a salad to your meals, or a boiled egg or two to other common meals in the Indian diet plan, can make your simple and basic Indian meals perfectly balanced.

Also read: Weight Loss: High Protein Diet Can Help You Burn More Fat, New Study Finds

Sweat trainer Kayla Itsines shares more such ideas on how you can make your meals more balanced. Itsines has previously shared that she follows the Mediterranean diet with Greek food. "Food is such a big part of Greek culture and I grew up eating a LOT of Greek food because of my grandparents - and it's definitely my favourite cuisine now!" she writes in the caption of her post.

She goes on to share how her family usually eats with lots of different dishes on the table, which enables one to try a bit of everything. "And it's easy to make sure your meal is balanced with a lot of variety. We usually have a few salads and vegetable dishes, which always make up a big portion of my plate," she adds.

Also read: Make These Age-Old Traditional Immunity-Boosters A Part Of Your Diet This Winter

According to Itsines, a few simple tricks can make your meals balanced and diverse.

1. Vegetables: Itsines agrees with the idea of eating your meals with a side salad. You can make it with chopped tomato, cucumber, lettuce and feta with a dressing of olive oil. If not salad, you can roast or steam a few vegetables and eat it with your meals. It also an effective way to add fibre to your diet.

Have a serving of salad or steamed vegetables on the side of your meals to make them balanced
Photo Credit: iStock

2. Protein: Always add protein your meals. Protein is an important macronutrient for weight loss and muscle build-up. If your meal does not include a protein-rich food, then you can add protein by eating one or two boiled eggs or omelette on the side. Ideas of protein-rich meals are in abundance. Grilled chicken, barbecue meat like skewers (made with fish, chicken or lamb). Vegetarians can make skewers with marinated tofu or prepare some chickpea falafels, recommends Itsines. Indian meals that are a good source of protein include dal rice, khichdi, legumes (kidney beans, chickpeas), palak paneer, paneer bhurji and chicken curry to name a few.

Also read: Do You Need Protein Supplements? What Nutritionists Have To Say

3. Good fats: Fats is another important macronutrient which is required by your body for several reasons. In winter, they help you keep warm. They facilitate better lubrication in joints and are also needed for fat-soluble vitamins a, d, e and k. You can add ghee to your meals or cook food in healthy oils like mustard oil, coconut oil, olive oil or groundnut oil. "I like drizzling an olive oil, oregano, lemon, salt and pepper dressing on most of my dishes. You can also add avocado to your salads, or sprinkle nuts and seeds over your dish," Itsines adds.

The idea is to understand that all food groups are important for your health, weight and immunity. Do not follow diets that are restrictive in nature and consume a balanced diet at all times.

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Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.