Creating balance in the kitchen

BY: CHANCE ALLEN / Contributing Student Writer

In recent times, the American people have struggled to put their health as the first priority. 

The reasons for unhealthiness include not exercising, over eating or simply not eating enough healthy foods. 

According to the Better Health Channel, healthy foods aren’t there to stop you from eating bad, they actually help your body prevent diseases and cancer.

Although there are a number of factors that contribute to why people buy the food they buy, educating yourself on how a balanced meal is made is the first step. Knowing what foods to incorporate into a meal is a place to start.  

Incorporating carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals will provide you with the energy to thrive, according to Herbalife. Using the knowledge you gain from learning what foods carry which macronutrients, you can begin to see what meals you can make out of that.

A meal that I eat often to ensure my functionality and productivity throughout the day is a simple combination of nutrients. 

The first step in making sure you have some protein in the meal. My two favorite proteins right now are chicken breast and salmon. 

These are an amazing source of protein for an average of 426 calories and 52 grams of protein. The next step is finding a vegetable that you can eat consistently. I love to make a garlic chili sauce and sauté some cabbage, broccoli and asparagus in it. 

Carbohydrates fuel your brain to do your everyday tasks. I love to incorporate either brown rice or russet potatoes on the side of my meals. With my carbs, I like to make a Greek yogurt sauce to go over just about everything. Eating fruits throughout the day will grant you amazing amounts of fiber.

There are many important steps to ensure that you get all of the nutrients you need. Portion control is one of the hardest. Being able to be satisfied with not being full, not eating huge meals and spacing out the eating throughout the day to keep the metabolism running. 

Educating yourself is the most powerful weapon when it comes to changing your lifestyle. You would be surprised how far it can take you.