What Balanced Eating Looks Like [Infographic]

What should I eat? How often should I eat? How should I structure my meals? Should I eat carbohydrates after 7pm? Should I save all my protein for after my workout? Do I have to eat breakfast? We get questions like this all the time!

And like most things in life, there’s often more than one way to skin a cat! But we know that answer isn’t particularly helpful to you and trust us, we want to help you! Both Jason & I have been there, we know nutrition can be confusing and that’s why we’re in the business of making nutrition simpler. So we put our heads together and gave these questions some serious thought. How can we strip nutrition down to it’s bare bones and give you one easy answer to all of these questions?

If you’ve ever solved a rubik’s cube you’ll know that no matter how you twist or rotate your cube, the center pieces always stay in the same position. Knowing this is integral to deconstructing this infuriating puzzle! Why? Because the center pieces tell you what color each face should be, giving you a simple starting point and a clear path to cracking the code. Understanding nutrition is no different to solving a rubik’s cube. At first glance, it might be seemingly messy and confusing with no obvious pattern, but once you identify some core principles you can easily mix and match your macros and create something that resembles a balanced diet.

Flexible eating or tracking your macros does exactly that for you. With our formula, you can calculate your macronutrient requirements specific to your goals, gender and activity level. These numbers give you a structure, a framework from which you can then easily make your food choices. Ever find yourself lingering in the supermarket aisles debating over whether you should buy that box of chewy chocolate cookies or sugar dusted donuts? Thoughts like, “Hmm I’m not sure I deserve it I haven’t exercised in days,” or “but I ate half a pack of cookies yesterday, I should really be good today” whirling around in your head, clouding your judgment & making your decision-making process exasperating. Stop wasting your valuable time! If you follow our program, all you need to do is ask yourself, “does it fit my macros?” and check your My Fitness Pal for the answer. Let the numbers speak for themselves!

But, what happens if for some reason you can’t track? What if you leave your phone at home and have no access to your food diary app? Or you’re on a work trip in the middle of nowhere and have no internet access, or you’re on your annual family vacation and need a digital detox? What if, for some unthinkable reason, you just can’t track?! How do you know what to eat?! How can you structure your meals so that you give your body the balance of foods it needs?

It’s very simple. Just follow the principles of balanced eating. Here’s a handy visual to explain what exactly that means in macros.

What is Balanced Eating?

A balanced diet for most people will mean splitting your macronutrients according to the percentages as laid out in the above infographic: 40% for carbohydrates, 30% for fat, 30% for protein.

With our macro formula and coaching expertise, we can get you as close to your lean body mass goals as you like, but we find the above will at least serve as a good jumping off point.

When it comes to balancing your meals, you can use the same principle. Roz has gotten such a good feel for a well-balanced meal now that it’s second nature. Check out her super simple grilled salmon with salad, garbanzo beans and rice.

Macronutrient Breakdown in Grams

Macronutrient Percentage Breakdown

You will still need to calculate your daily caloric needs to establish exactly how much you should be eating a day but if you already know that then you can apply the above concept and easily figure out your caloric needs for each macronutrient.

Not sure how to calculate your caloric needs? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered! Our Beginner Macro Video walks you through our formula, explains the whole flexible eating method and gives you strategies for making it an easy fit into your life.

Math not your strong suit? Or are your numbers not giving you results? Let us do a  macro double check of your numbers for you and put your mind at ease.

“A balanced diet for most people will mean splitting your macronutrients according to the percentages as laid out in the above infographic:
40% for carbohydrates, 30% for fat, 30% for protein.”

Why Balanced Eating is Beneficial:

1. You can’t track your numbers and you want to stop your day from going completely off the rails
2. You can track but you struggle with satiation
3. You can track but you struggle with cravings
4. You can track but you’re ALWAYS struggling to hit one or more of your macronutrients (over or under)
5. You can track but you NEVER hit your protein

Remember, planning ahead and tracking is always recommended to give you the ultimate flexibility with your day and your foods. But if for some reason you can’t track or you can track but you’re struggling with issues like the ones identified above, then following the guidelines of this infographic for each of your main meals will be of great benefit to you. Giving your body the right balance of macronutrients will help you look, feel and perform at your best. It will help you achieve your weight loss goals and give a simple structure to your diet.

What do you think about balanced eating? Do you like to balance your macronutrients throughout the day? What other strategies do you use to make your nutrition simple? We’d love to hear from you, please comment below!