Building a ‘perfect meal’

Is it possible to have that balanced meal with the right amount of protein, starch and veggies? Read on and find out.

Shrimp fajitas and fixings, in LaGrangeville, N.Y., March 29, 2016. There hasn't been much innovation in fajitas since the dish became an American dining staple three decades ago -- but putting veggies on equal footing with the proteins is a good start. (Rikki Snyder/The New York Times)

All things said and done, nutrition finally dwindles down to eating the right thing as many times as possible in the next how-many-ever years you want to stay healthy and fit. The more often you do this, the better your health. The less often you do then, the more your health and weight issues. But to eat the right thing, you need to build perfect meals.

What is a perfect meal?

It is a tasty meal which contains all the required macronutrients and as many micronutrients as possible. That is, it should contain protein, carbohydrates and fat along with as many natural vitamins and minerals. It should also be tasty enough for one to consume it without feeling deprived.

How do you build that perfect meal?

Step 1: Find a simple protein. This is the hardest bit for most of us, especially vegetarians. But protein is the building block and is one of the three nutrients we absolutely need. Eggs, paneer, other cheese, meat and seafood are your best options. Protein supplements can be used if you train. Vegetarians who don’t consume eggs should include more curds, milk, lentils and legumes to increase overall protein consumption. Obviously, this shouldn’t be fried or in some oily gravy. You’re looking for words like grilled, tandoor, kebab, tikka, baked and broiled.

Step 2 : Find vegetables. These are not hard to find but they’re not as fun as starch, so we tend to ignore them. Well, don’t. Make sure there is a cup of vegetables – be it a salad, avial, poriyal or just some cut up onions, tomatoes and cucumbers, with every meal that you consume. This is where you get all your fibre and water soluble vitamins and minerals from. Don’t say no to gold.

Step 3: Find a safe starch. This is easy and is everywhere around us. Rice is the safest starch there is because it has nothing to offer or steal. Other starches like wheat, oats etc. contain anti-nutrients (gluten, avenin etc.) which tend to rob our bodies of nutrients that are provided by other foods. But rice does no harm. It is simple, safe and, as long as you can keep the portions under control, its the best starch option there is. Other starch options like oats, millets, corn and potatoes can be used but simple cooked white rice goes wonderfully well with our traditional food and does the job safely.

Step 4: Fix portions. We are used to eating starch dominant meals. This was necessary back in the day when we moved around a lot and needed the abundant quantity to give us quick energy. Today, we move half as much as people did in the past. So make sure you only eat as much starch as there are vegetables on your plate. If you want more starch, eat more vegetables first. As long as this ratio is maintained, you’ll find yourself consuming lesser carbohydrates than you do now and more vitamins and minerals.

And that’s it – just four steps to building an everyday perfect meal.

But what about the fat? Most cooked food comes with fat from cooking. So as long as your protein and vegetables are cooked, you will get all the fat you need. Just make sure nothing on your plate is oily, and your fat intake will be taken care of.

Every time you sit down to eat, you want to think “Protein + Vegetables + Starch”. Ask yourself if there is a simple protein on the plate. Can you find vegetables? How about a safe starch? Are you sure nothing is ‘oily’ on the plate? Is the starch = vegetables? That’s it then. Let’s eat!