Canton Medical Clinic

A BALANCED DIET IS ALL IT TAKES

Take your daily protein, essential fats, and green vegetables

A balanced diet gives your body the nutrients it needs to function correctly.

For a well-balanced meal plan, researchers suggest your meals include these ingredients:

  • a daily protein source
  • an essential fat item
  • fresh vegetables
  • concise portions of complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains

Now it depends on you, how you assemble these into a perfectly balanced meal, that can make:

  • this is a low-carb plan
  • this is a low-calorie plan
  • A perfect balance of the low-carb and low-calorie plan

Daily Protein

For you to lose weight and maintain muscle mass, it is very essential to eat a recommended amount of daily protein.

Research also suggests that having an appropriate daily protein intake also improves sleep quality, blood pressure, cardio-metabolic risk factors, appetite, and even reduces pulmonary arterial hypertension which is a growing ailment in the population of all ages.

Many factors determine your specific daily protein needs according to your age and body type, but generally, an average person needs:

  • 56–91 gms per day for the average male
  • 46–75 gms per day for the average female

High protein diets also help to:

  • Build lean muscle mass
  • Curb obsessive hunger cravings
  • Fill you up most of the times

Nutrition experts are of the view that people who are on a higher protein diet eat relatively fewer calories per day than normal calorie consumption.

So if you want a smart protein intake, your healthy protein must include:

  • meat: beef, chicken and lamb
  • fish and seafood: salmon, trout, and shrimp
  • eggs: whole eggs with the yolk
  • plant-based proteins: beans, legumes, quinoa, and tofu

Leafy green vegetables and Low carb

If diets have a rule, this should be the first and foremost rule: Never be afraid to fill your plate and of course palate with leafy green vegetables.

They are packed with healthy nutrients that just not only are great at keeping the calories and carbs away in fact bring an overall fresh glow to your skin.

Vegetables that you can include in your low carb or low-calorie meal plans:

  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • spinach
  • tomatoes
  • kale
  • brussels sprouts
  • cabbage
  • lettuce
  • cucumber

You can either eat in the form of salads or use these ingredients with the daily protein intake to make an overall enhanced combo of protein and vegetables.

Healthy (essential) fats

Yes! you heard it right! Don’t be afraid of eating fats. There are some essential fats that your body requires no matter what diet plan you choose for yourself for losing weight. You may want to take note of these fats which should be used only in moderation due to their higher saturated fat content.

Summary

Don’t forget to assemble each meal out of a daily source of protein, essential fat, complex carb, and shards of leafy green vegetables. This is ultimately a great meal combo of low calories and essential body nutrients.

Nida Latif, MD

Dr. Latif is a co-founder of Canton Medical Clinic. She is a graduate of The Aga Khan University Medical College and has been practicing medicine since 2004. Dr. Latif completed her Family Practice residency from a Michigan State University campus and is board certified in Family Medicine. She has always been passionate about prevention and “lifestyle” medicine. For this reason, she pursued and board-certified in Obesity Medicine in 2018. She also performs wet cupping therapy (Hijama) on women and children.