A Dietitian Explains What It Really Means to Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet
Balance, variety and moderation are all key.
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When most dietitians are asked about the key to maintaining good health, their answer is often, "Eat a healthy, balanced diet.” It may not sound all that exciting, and you’ve probably heard it so many times that you can now predict the response. But what does this advice really mean? I'll be the first to admit that a registered dietitian’s interpretation of what makes a healthy, balanced diet may be different from what you may think. Below, I’m breaking down what we really mean when we recommend it.
The Principles of Healthy Eating
Nutrition is a science, one I've been teaching at various universities and culinary schools for close to 30 years. As such, words like "healthy" and "balanced" are worth defining. Healthy eating includes three key principles: balance, variety and moderation. The goal of each one is to ensure that you get all the nutrients your body needs to be, and stay, healthy.
What Is a Balanced Diet?
A "balanced diet" is one that includes healthy proportions of all nutrients. For example, if your diet consists mainly of animal-based products like eggs, chicken and beef, you’re eating too much protein and fat and not enough carbs, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Conversely, if your diet is made up mainly of bread, pasta and rice, you’re probably eating too many carbs and not enough protein, fats and certain vitamins and minerals.
What Role Do Variety and Moderation Play in a Healthy, Balanced Diet?
Much like balance, variety and moderation are also important. A "varied diet" includes many different foods. If you choose to eat the same fruits daily, like bananas and apples, you'll be missing out on some vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients and other benefits a more varied diet can provide. To get the most benefits, you want to eat fruits of various colors and varieties.
When it comes to "moderation," you want to consume an adequate amount of calories and nutrients. As such, someone who restricts their calories or overconsumes them is not eating a moderate diet.
What Does a Healthy, Balanced Meal Look Like?
We don’t eat one nutrient or one food at a time; rather, we eat many foods at once at multiple times a day. This is known as a dietary pattern or diet. Here's what one day of eating a healthy diet based on the principles of balance, variety and moderation may look like:
Breakfast
- A whole-grain waffle topped with Greek yogurt, sliced banana and chopped almonds with a touch of 100% maple syrup
Lunch
- A tuna sandwich made with reduced-fat mayonnaise on whole-wheat bread, topped with lettuce and tomatoes
- Baby carrots
- A glass of milk
- A pear
Dinner
- A green salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, topped with balsamic vinaigrette
- Roasted salmon
- A baked sweet potato
- Steamed broccoli and cauliflower
- Whole-wheat bread with a pat of butter
Snacks
- Whole-grain crackers with Swiss cheese
How to Make Your Own Healthy, Balanced Meal
The above is a simple view of how to eat a healthy, balanced diet. But dishes aren’t always as straightforward as they may seem. What about mixed dishes like lasagna, pizza or even a charcuterie board? Admittedly, I’m not about counting calories or macros — it just doesn’t work for a lot of people. As a rule of thumb, I recommend having at least four food groups at any meal, and at least two for a snack. The food groups include fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, dairy and healthy fats.
In reality, a plate should be half fruits and/or vegetables, one-quarter grains and one-quarter protein with a splash of healthy fat and some dairy. Even when you have a mixed dish like lasagna, count the pasta as the grains, beef as the protein and cheese as the dairy. You can then add a fruit for dessert and/or a salad on the side.
The Bottom Line: The idea is to eat a healthy, balanced diet as often as you can — but nobody is expected to be perfect. There are holidays, nights out, football watch parties and other days where you may be eating more calories than your body needs. The goal is to eat a healthy, balanced diet most of the time. If you find yourself eating too much — or too little — take a step back and see what you can do to rebalance your regular meals and snacks.
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