How to Build a Balanced Nutritious Meal

Building a balanced nutritious meal is crucial for maintaining health and preventing diseases. A balanced meal should provide adequate amounts of essential nutrient groups including carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, choosing fresh, diverse foods and distributing portions appropriately will help supply sufficient energy for the body, support metabolism, and maintain a healthy figure. Adjusting the diet to suit individual needs is key to long-term health.

1. What is a balanced meal? 

A balanced meal is one that provides adequate and balanced essential nutrients for the body, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. A balanced meal not only provides energy but also supports development, maintains health, and prevents diseases.

The role of a balanced meal:

• Provides energy: Ensures the body has enough energy for daily activities, including physical activities and basic life functions.
• Supports development and maintenance of the body: Protein helps build and repair muscles, tissues, and organs, while calcium and other minerals help maintain strong bones.
• Enhances the immune system: Vitamins (such as C, E) and minerals (such as selenium, zinc) in meals help improve resistance, prevent infectious diseases and chronic diseases.
• Balances emotions and brain function: Nutrients like omega-3, vitamin B6, and folate play important roles in maintaining psychological stability and brain function.
• Prevents diseases: A balanced meal helps prevent many health problems such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive disorders.

2. How to build a balanced nutritious meal? 

Building a balanced nutritious meal requires balancing essential nutrient groups and meeting the body’s energy needs.

Guidelines for building a balanced nutritional diet:

2.1. Ensure sufficient 4 main food groups 

A balanced meal should include the following food groups:

• Carbohydrates: This is the main energy source for the body. You can choose whole grains, brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, and high-fiber foods.
• Proteins: Include protein sources from both animal and plant sources such as lean meat, fish, eggs, milk, beans, and nuts. Protein helps build and repair muscles and tissues.
• Healthy fats: Choose unsaturated fats from olive oil, canola oil, fish oil, nuts, and avocados. Avoid consuming too much saturated fat and trans fat.
• Vitamins and minerals: Green vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Ensure a variety of colors in vegetables and fruits to provide adequate micronutrients.

2.2. Distribute portions reasonably according to ratio

• Carbohydrates: Account for about 50-60% of total energy, should choose sources from whole grains and foods containing complex carbohydrates.
• Proteins: Account for about 15-20% of total energy. Need to ensure adequate protein from both animal and plant sources.
• Fats: Account for 20-30% of total energy, prioritize unsaturated fat sources from foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, fatty fish.
• Green vegetables and fruits: Should account for at least 50% of the meal portion, ensuring adequate vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

2.3. Pay attention to calorie intake 

Daily calorie intake depends on age, gender, activity level, and health goals. Need to adjust the amount of food appropriately to avoid excess or deficiency of energy. On average:

• Adult men need about 2,000-2,500 calories/day.
• Adult women need about 1,800-2,200 kcal/day.

2.4. Divide meals throughout the day 

Instead of eating 3 large meals, you can divide into 5-6 small meals throughout the day to maintain energy and support metabolism:

• 3 main meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
• 1-2 snacks: Afternoon or late evening, with light foods like yogurt, nuts, or fruits.

2.5. Choose fresh and minimally processed foods

• Prioritize fresh foods: Fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and fish provide more nutrients than processed foods.
• Limit processed foods: Canned foods, industrially processed foods contain many preservatives, sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.

2.6. Limit salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats

• Reduce sugar consumption: Avoid carbonated soft drinks, sweets, and foods high in refined sugar. Use natural sweeteners like honey or fruits instead.
• Limit salt: Reduce salt intake to below 5g/day (about 1 teaspoon), and limit salty dishes, ready-made foods.
• Avoid saturated fats and trans fats: Limit fried foods, fast food, animal fat, margarine.

2.7. Provide sufficient water according to recommended needs 

Need to drink 2-3 liters of water each day to support metabolism and eliminate toxins. Drinking water before and after meals helps better digestion. Avoid drinking too many carbonated soft drinks and packaged juices containing a lot of sugar.

In addition, when building a balanced nutritious meal, it’s also necessary to pay attention to special groups and based on personalized nutrition to adjust the portion appropriately:

• Children: Need to focus on bone, muscle, and brain development, so must ensure adequate calcium, protein, vitamins A, D.
• Pregnant women: Should supplement folic acid, iron, calcium to support fetal development.
• Elderly people: The diet should focus on maintaining bones, joints, muscles, and the immune system by increasing vitamin D, calcium, and antioxidants.
• People wanting to lose weight: Need to reduce carbohydrates, control fat and protein, increase green vegetables and low-calorie but nutrient-rich foods.
• People exercising: Increase protein, complex carbohydrates to provide enough energy and muscle recovery after exercise.

Building a balanced nutritious meal requires balance between nutrient groups, reasonable distribution of meal portions, and selection of fresh, clean foods. This helps keep the body healthy, maintain energy, and prevent diseases.

3. Mistakes to avoid when building a balanced nutritious meal 

When building a balanced nutritious meal, there are some common mistakes that are easy to make. These mistakes can affect health and the effectiveness of the diet.

Notes to avoid when building a balanced nutritious meal:

3.1. Lack of balance between nutrient groups 

Focusing only on one type of food or one nutrient group (such as eating only protein or only vegetables) while ignoring others. Consequences: The body will be deficient or excess in nutrients, leading to nutritional imbalance, causing fatigue, malnutrition or even chronic diseases. How to avoid: Ensure each meal has all nutrient groups: carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.

3.2. Eating too much or too little 

• Mistake: Consuming too much food in one meal, or eating too little due to fear of weight gain. 
• Consequences: Overeating leads to excess calories, causing weight gain and digestive problems. Conversely, eating too little will make the body lack the necessary energy and nutrients, causing fatigue, weakening health. 
• How to avoid: Balance food consumption, monitor portion sizes and eat just enough to provide energy for the body to function.

3.3. Skipping breakfast 

• Many people skip breakfast to lose weight or due to lack of time. 
• Consequences: Skipping breakfast can reduce work performance, cause weight gain due to overeating at later meals, while reducing concentration ability and metabolic rate. 
• How to avoid: Eat breakfast with nutrient-rich foods such as whole grains, fruits, yogurt or eggs to provide energy for the new day.

3.4. Consuming too much sugar and processed foods

• Eating a lot of processed foods such as sweets, carbonated soft drinks, and fast food containing a lot of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. 
• Consequences: Leads to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. 
• How to avoid: Limit processed foods, replace with fresh and natural foods, reduce consumption of sugar, salt and saturated fat.

3.5. Relying solely on dietary supplements 

• Mistake: Using functional foods and vitamin supplements instead of a natural diet. 
• Consequences: The body cannot absorb nutrients from functional foods as effectively as from fresh foods, and abuse can be harmful to health.
•  How to avoid: Dietary supplements should only be used when necessary and as directed by a doctor. Daily diet should be prioritized with natural nutrient sources.

3.6. Not paying attention to healthy fats 

• Mistake: Fearing that fat causes obesity, many people completely eliminate fat from their diet. 
• Consequences: Lack of healthy fats (omega-3, omega-6) will harm the brain, cardiovascular system, and skin. The body needs fat to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K. 
• How to avoid: Choose unsaturated fats from olive oil, chia seeds, avocados and salmon instead of completely eliminating fat from the diet.

3.7. Eating too little vegetables and fruits 

• Mistake: Many people eat too few green vegetables and fruits, not reaching the necessary amount. 
• Consequences: Lack of fiber, vitamins and minerals increases the risk of constipation, heart disease, cancer and other health problems. 
• How to avoid: Should eat at least 400g of vegetables and fruits every day, including different colors to ensure adequate nutrients.

3.8. Improper food preparation 

• Mistake: Cooking with too much oil, frying or overcooking which loses important nutrients. 
• Consequences: Reduces the nutritional value of food and increases the amount of unhealthy fat. 
• How to avoid: Should use healthy cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, baking, or light sautéing with little oil.

3.9. Not adjusting meals according to health status and activity 

• Mistake: Not adjusting the amount of food or type of food according to lifestyle, physical activity, or personal health status. 
• Consequences: People who are less active but eat too much can lead to overweight, while people who exercise but do not eat enough nutrients may lack energy and become physically exhausted. 
• How to avoid: Adjust meals based on energy needs, health status and daily activities. People who exercise should add more protein and carbohydrates, while people with chronic diseases need to follow a diet as directed by their doctor.

Diet is very important for good health, long-lasting beauty. You need to eat scientifically, actively take care of your health early to live healthy and long. Therefore, you should avoid common mistakes when building a balanced nutritious meal to help maintain health, prevent diseases and improve quality of life.

Reference sources: nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu, habs.uq.edu.au, nia.nih.gov