Healthy Meals That Your Body Needs To Look And Feel Perfect
Healthy meals are way over looked and only a few percentage of the population worldwide even eat healthy.
I’ve been to many parts of Asia and lived in a few states in America for 20 years.
I can say for certain that people eat what taste and feels good, period.
It doesn’t matter what it is.
If it’s boiled rat skin or pig’s feet and it taste good, then it’s going into someone’s mouth.
Eating doesn’t have to be a pain in the stomach. 🙂
You literally are what you put into your body.
How you feel, look, think, and live as an individually really does have a lot to do with what you eat.
Most of us today (those who can) live to eat, not eat to live, which we have been doing for ages.
Today is the best time of our lives.
Eating and preparing food is pretty much instantaneous.
It doesn’t take the whole day to hunt, gather, fish, or farm for our food anymore.
One hour of work can pretty much pay for 3 square meals a day.
However, in this hot and freshly served article, we want to get into the deepest levels of how and exactly what you need to do to eat healthy meals.
From when to eat, how much to eat, what dishes goes with what because eating is a part of life and there’s more to it than you think.
I know you’re thinking, “you gotta be joking, right?”
Well, if we were, we wouldn’t be writing this article that has over 100,000+ search results a month.
We are only going to break down the most important aspect of each option since it will be easier for you to remember and retain this information.
It’s better to feed the brain with useful info rather than excessive info.
Here are 7 foods and consumable things that all healthy meals should include that we will discuss about backed by sources and proven methods: - Option 1 – Fruits
- Option 2 – Main meals
- Option 3 – Oils and Butter
- Option 4 – Side Dishes (Veggies, carbs, nuts, beans, etc)
- Option 5 – Desserts and Snacks
- Seasonings and Spices
- Drinks and Water
1. Fruits
The best time to eat fruits is in the morning, because of the high amount of sugar.
It is easier to absorbed, especially in the morning on an empty stomach and quickly digested compare to meats and carbohydrates.
Eating fruit in the morning wakes you up, gives you good energy, and no crash (limit to 2-3 servings in the morning).
1.1 Eat Before or After Meals
I eat 2 meals a day and I always eat fruit about 15 minutes in the afternoon before a meal.
You should eat fruits always before a meal or 2 hours after a meal.
Do try to eat fruits daily as part of your healthy meals.
Although eating fruit 15-60 minutes before meals is always the best option because on an empty stomach it digested better and sometimes the bacteria from other foods and fruits do not mix well.
Don’t eat fruits at dinner time or before bed since it can keep you up and most people eat dinner as the biggest meal, it may not be digested probably.
Also some fruits have high fiber content which is excellent but eating them for dinner or before bed may cause some sleep problems.
Although some fruits like bananas are ok before bed.
Remember you want your body to absorb as much nutrient from fruit since they are packed with vitamins and good stuff and are one of the healthiest food groups.
If you eat fruits just after a meal, it won’t be digested probably and you may not get all the nutrient it provides.
It will be sitting on the top of your other foods, after 20 minutes the stomach acid will have already dissolve most of the nutrient instead of digesting it which is pointless.
Key Take Away
Although there are a few articles and sources that say eating fruits whenever is ok, however there are even more articles stating that eating fruits on an empty stomach in the morning is the best time, so it is best if we stick to that method. Eat fruits in the morning on an empty stomach as your first meal.
2. Main Meals (Non-Vegetarians)
2.1 Red Meats
Red meat is not good for you, but in moderation is ok, however people eat almost 8 ounces of red meat a day.
Don’t salt, smoke, cure, or burn your red meat since that is much unhealthier.
Eating raw red meat may have some benefits as compare to cooking red meat.
Raw meats contain no heterocyclic amines (HCAs) but cooked red meat does.
Any potential cancer risk is gone.
Cooked meat is harder to digest than red meat.
Of course eat organic, ranged, grass fed, and cage free cows or bison.
A lot of red meat today is cheap and filled with cheap crap.
Cows are injected with extra HGH (human growth hormones), chemicals and fillers that we have no idea about, extra ingredient and god knows what to fatten the cows for maximum profit.
Same goes for chicken!
That’s not the worst part, the worst part is how they treat, raise, and kill the animals.
It’s absolutely sickening and disgusting.
That’s why I turned vegetarian but that is my personal choice.
2.2 Chicken
It is recommend you eat less than 6 ounces of chicken a day or less by the American Heart Association.
Again, organic, cage free, cruelty free, humanely raised and killed chickens.
Grilling chicken is my absolutely favorite but put a cooking mat or aluminium foil on top of the grill so you don’t burn the chicken.
Burnt meat is carcinogenic and millions of us eat burnt meat daily without realizing its danger.
Make sure chicken is fully cooked with no pink or red spots left.
Uncooked chicken can cause death because of the E. coli!
You can cook chicken however you want but poaching is the healthiest way.
Basically you bring the water to a boil in a pan, then put the chicken into the boil water and lower the heat.
Simmer until it is fully cooked. (Oils and spices are mentioned down below)
2.3 Fish
Healthy meals should include fish, since they are extremely good for us.
Make sure it is wild caught and NOT farmed raised!
Pescetarian vegetarians have a 19% lower risk of death than all other food group eaters.
Tuna, salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, rainbow trout, tuna, etc. have good amounts of omega-3’s.
Taking omega’3 pills is good but you need a high dosage, eating fish is the healthiest and best way to get your omega-3’s so don’t waste your money on omega-3 pills.
So, what’s all this good stuff you’ve been hearing about omega-3’s?
- Good for your heart.
- Helps with mental disorder.
- Reduces inflammation.
- Lowers some cancer risk.
- Can help with bones and joint.
- Improve acne and skin condition.
- Can help make you look younger.
If that doesn’t give you a reason to eat omega-3 fish, then I don’t know what will.
There has been a debate about raw vs cooked fish, here’s some opinions that you can decide for yourself.
I say that for the most part, raw fish is healthier than cooked fished.
Most fish you can eat raw and here’s a list, but always be-careful, it is best to eat at a restaurant or somewhere you know it is safe and has been checked by the FDA or food commissioner:
- sea bass
- tuna
- mackerel
- blue marlin
- swordfish
- yellowtail
- salmon
- trout
- eel
- abalone
- sweetfish
- flatfish
- certain types of tuna, including yellowfin, southern bluefin, northern bluefin, Thunnus alalunga, Thunnus atlanticus and Thunnus obesus
Also some fish have high levels of mercury which is very toxic for humans (assuming you eat these fish everyday).
Here’s a list of fish with high mercury content that you should eat less than 6 ounces a week .
Consumer reports suggest that fish without high mercury levels can be eaten 2-3 times a week at 4-6 ounces or less per serving.
Pregnant women should avoid fish with mercury at all cost!
Key Take Away
Eat more omega-3’s fish, some chicken, and less red meat. If possible eat less than the recommended amount since vegetarians live longer than meat eaters except for pesco vegetarians who are the healthiest people on earth.
3. Oils and Butters
3.1 Oils
Most meals today are cooked with oil or butter.
Why?
Here is why fatty and fried food taste sooo good.
When cooking with oil, the temperature is almost twice as much as boiling point.
Some oils have the ability to change the food’s flavor by entering directly into the food itself.
The surface of the food is dehydrated which allows the oils and crispiness to take shape.
Water molecules escape and leaves gap that allows the oil molecules to enter the food.
Therefore you are tasting the cooked oil along with the main dish as opposed to just the main dish itself with water.
Many healthy meals are cooked with oils but not healthy oils which can make healthy meals become unhealthy!
The healthiest oils you should cook with based on this source is:
- Canola oil (I don’t agreed though, made from genetically modified rapeseed oil)
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Rice bran oil
Now how you cook oil can affect their nutrients.
Here is an amazing summary word for word by chowhound.com about cooking with oil.
“Oil gets heated up to different temperatures during a cooking process.
It is heated almost up to its smoking point for deep-frying and to lower temperatures for other types of cooking process.
Oil starts to smoke when it is over-heated and starts to form aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, dienes, and acids.
As a result, if you continue to cook something in the same oil, the food product will taste poorly.
More importantly, the smoke of rapeseed, soybean, peanut oil and lard can cause serious mutagenicity and genetic toxicity.
A few culprits to consider are an aldehyde called acrolein, as well as alkenals and alkadienals (unsaturated aldehydes) – they are formed during the burning/smoking process of the above-mentioned oil.
There are quite a few fast food restaurants that use peanut oil to deep-fry their fries.
Lard is widely used in pie crusts, and soybean is popular is households.
Acrolien in very toxic to our cells and genes – they degrade our cells and genes; they also generate free radicals.
Free radicals are responsible for cell aging.
Recent studies have shown an increased amount of acrolein in Alzheimer’s disease patients’ brains.
In a nutshell, oils with low smoking point (rapeseed, soybean, peanut oil, and lard) ⇒ acrolein ⇒ free radical ⇒ Alzheimer’s disease + premature aging.”
If that doesn’t change your mind, then I don’t know what will.
3.2 Butter
Avoid margarine, they are unhealthy, high in all kinds of fat, and contain salt and other crap you don’t need.
There is so many butter brands in the supermarket today.
Even organic, vegan butter can contain unhealthy ingredients.
- Trans-fat free
- Low content of salt
- Saturated fat is good for you but too much is bad. So look for less than 3 grams per serving if possible.
- 6 grams of total fat or less including saturated fat per serving
- No hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils
- If you are watching your weight then look for the least caloric butter
Remember that butter and oils have high amount of calories in a very small serving.
Don’t over do it or you will paid the price as you get older.
Key Take Away
Most healthy meals taste bland without oils or butter. Do not fry oils or butter if you can avoid it and only consume healthy oils since most oils used in restaurants are unhealthy and cheap.
4. Side Dishes
4.1 Veggies
I don’t need to source or link any other sites here.
Here is some of the healthiest veggies on this planet back by study and research, eat 5-7 servings of veggies a day to reap their benefits, live longer, and healthier:
- Spinach
- Carrot
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Brussels Sprouts
- Kale
- Green Peas
- Swiss Chard
- Ginger
- Asparagus
- Cabbage
- Sweet Potatoes
- Collage Greens
- Kohlrabi
Eat them with any meal and not too late since the fiber can keep you up at night.
I do not suggest that you eat them in the morning.
Simmer your vegetables for maximum nutrients.
Some vegetables provide more nutrient raw than cooked, these include:
- Arugula
- Bok choy
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Watercress
Here is just a few benefits of vegetables back research and well known companies:
- Boost brain power
- Can help maintain a healthy sight
- Gives you energy
- Fiber to do “it”
- Helps fight immunity
- Hydration for your entire body
- Healthy skin and glowing skin
- Supports bone and joint
Regular potatoes and corn are good once in a while but they aren’t even close to the healthiest veggies.
Corn is super genetically modified, so be very careful!
4.2 Nuts
This one is extremely hard to back up with proof since there is so many contradicting articles.
Some citation say that almonds are bad for you while others say it is good for you.
To be safe, everything in moderation.
Let’s start with the healthiest nuts and their benefits (this website you can pick which nut and it provides you all the information about vitamins and minerals for each nut!).
Actually, there really is no “healthiest nut”.
That website allows you to select your option that you need.
For example: best nut to lose weight, best nut for cholesterol, etc.
It carters your problem and tells you which nut is the best best on nutritional content, how awesome is that.
Each person has individual needs so it is best if you look at their chart and see which nut is the best one for you.
4.3 Carbohydrates
Everyone eats bread, noodles, and carbs.
Here is some dangers associated with simple carbohydrate foods.
- Eating high amounts of simple carbs daily can lead to weight gain.
- Is not filling so your body requires you to eat more to get the full feeling.
- Contains little to no fiber so good luck trying to eliminate them out of your body.
- You build a tolerance for simple carbs like sugar. The more you eat them, the more you are accustomed to their taste. So 600 grams of carbs a day becomes 700 grams and so on.
- If you’re not burning those carbs your body will convert it and store it as body fats for later use. If your a pro athlete or exercise regularly then this isn’t really an issue.
- Junk food, processed food, and carbs are engineered to be addictive. It’s a business strategy, money talks and walks. They have to compete with the other food giants to sell as much as possible. And whole foods are just simply not nearly as profitable as processed foods.
If you prefer to cut back on carbohydrates, eliminate simple carbohydrates such as sucrose and lactose.
This version of carbohydrates breaks down rapidly and is absorbed into the bloodstream quickly.
It provides energy that lasts only a short time.
Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, take a longer time to digest, which slowly raises your blood glucose and gives you longer-lasting energy.
Pasta and bread on the other hand contain little nutritional value for our body.
4.4 Legumes
Another really hard food group that is like nuts but even more controversial.
Just type “are legumes good for you” in google and you will see mix results.
To be honest, when I ate them I didn’t feel any better than when I didn’t eat them.
I did fart and fart like a whole lot. (It felt good but that’s just me)
My poor dog though… (I lived in a small house too)
Legumes are high in these nutrients:
Fiber, iron, protein, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, phosphorus, and vitamins B1, B3, and B5.
They are quite low in calorie, and actually keep you feeling full longer.
Now the good part (the cons of legumes).
Some are toxic, but not dangerous.
Soak the beans overnight and then boil them for 10 minutes at 212 F to reduce or eliminate lectins.
Extreme bloating and gas.
Chipotle may not seem like an ideal date dinner.
Although then contain so much nutrients, all of it may not be absorbed by the body, in fact maybe only a very little bit, so it is dead nutrient.
Key Take Away
Nuts, legumes, and carbs are great once in a while but vegetables are the best. You really can’t go wrong with eating too much vegetables. Eat more vegetables, I can’t stress how good they are for you.
5. Desserts and Snacks
5.1 Desserts
Most desserts are high in sugar and artificial sugar.
They will do more harm than good and they are expensive especially if you’re going out.
I would avoid and only eat them on special occasions since healthy meals do not required this type of food.
Imagine desserts as an expensive car.
It looks great on the outside, but how much time and work does it take one to actually get an expensive car.
And then you can only drive them for a few thousand miles a year.
Desserts are the same, you should only eat them a few times a month (year).
5.2 Snacks
Even worse than desserts because snacks are meant for everyday eating.
Most snacks are fill with garbage and does nothing for you, if anything they are bad for you.
Snacking is actually bad for you.
Your body is either digesting or repairing.
If you are always eating then it can’t really repair itself.
That is why fasting is so good for you because you are literally repairing yourself inside and out.
I strongly recommend you to quit snacking forever, I don’t remember the last time I snack.
When I eat my 2 meals a day, I eat everything there and then.
It keeps me healthy, in weight, in focus, work longer, and I feel much better this way.
Key Take Away
Avoid, avoid, avoid.
6. Seasoning and Spices
6.1 Tasty and Healthy Spices
India has over 2,000 spices, and many are grown organically and natively there.
That’s why every nation wanted to attack and control India.
Want to make your healthy meals even healthier?
Here is the best and healthiest spices for you and all of them actually taste good, just remember to buy them fresh and not in plastic containers to get the maximum benefits:
- Turmeric – Has anti-inflammatory properties, and can stop certain cancers.
- Rosemary – Helps the immune system fight of short and long term flu and diseases.
- Basil – Boost cardiovascular health.
- Cumin – For digestive benefits, and helps avoid diabetes.
- Nutmeg – Aids the liver to expel toxins and helps the kidneys get rid of impurities.
- Saffron extract – Can help with Alzheimer disease.
- Ginseng – Helps with the immune system.
- Cardamon – It can help indigestion, upset stomach, and heartburns.
- Curry – Ma fav. Has anti-inflammatory benefits, and anti-cancer properties.
- Thyme – Abundant in antioxidant.
- Cayenne pepper – Detoxifies and cleansing properties.
- Licorice root – Relaxes the body down and avoid feelings of stress / anxiety.
- Oregano – Contains minerals, fiber, and omega-3.
- Cilantro – Rid the body of toxicity from heavy metals.
- Lavender -Relaxes the mind and change your mood.
- Sage – Reliefs excessive inflammation in the body.
- Ginger – Anti-cancer food.
- Cinnamon – Cleanse the body of bacteria, improve cholesterol levels, anti-inflammatory properties, regulate your blood sugar levels, boost your metabolism.
- Parsley – Rich in Vitamin K and Vitamin C.
- Fennel – Rich in antioxidant.
6.2 Dangers of Salt
Notice how salt and pepper is not anywhere on this list.
One should use sea salt or Himalayan salt, not the salt in the grocery store which actually dehydrates your cells and contains no nutritional value.
Sea salt actually has minerals that your cells and blood stream will adsorb and so many other good things for your body.
Americans consume about 3200 mg of sodium a day which is 6 times more than the recommended amount.
- can negatively affect the function of the inner lining of the blood vessels
- can lead to heart failure
- high blood pressure
- kidney failure or kidney disease
- affect the brain and can pump out high amount of stress hormones
Key Take Away
Ditch the table salt and go for sea salt. Add any spice to your meals for extra flavor and health benefits.
7. Beverages and Water
7.1 Beverages (non-water)
Sodas contain way to much sugar so that’s all I’m going to say.
1 or 2 cans a week is ok, not a day like many people I know drink.
Alcohol is actually good for us, 1-2 cans a day for men and 1 can a day for women.
Of course this all depends on your size and how healthy you are.
Exercising, eating healthy, getting good sleep, etc. can effect how much you can detoxify alcohol and how much you can drink.
If you sit all day and smoke all day then you shouldn’t even be drinking alcohol.
7.2 Water
You should not drink anything with your meals.
I can either copy and paste an article we, Easy Life Journey wrote extensively on the benefits of water, when to drink it, how to drink, and so on.
Or you can check it out here and get an extensive in-dept understanding of water.
Key Take Away
Sip, again sip some water or beverages with your healthy meals is ok, don’t drink more than 3-4 ounces of liquid with your meals.
Finally, The End
Now that you have a clear and mental understanding of healthy meals.
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