I have a really poor relationship with food. Growing up, my parents never enforced the idea of ‘eat your greens,’ and my mom was mostly focused on body shaming. I’m trying not to slip back into an ED spiral, as I’ve just gotten out of it, and I’m working on disciplining myself—something I was never really taught. I’ve read countless articles, but I’m still struggling to grasp what a balanced diet actually looks like. For example, if I have mostly fats and carbs for lunch, fruit as a midday snack, and protein for dinner, is that balanced? Or should I have a little bit of everything in each meal? And those percentages they mention in articles—how do you even figure those out? I naturally have a small appetite, and I find it really hard to eat as much as I’m ‘supposed’ to. Honestly, I’m clueless when it comes to balanced meals and would love some clarity.
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A diet that provides enough calories and nutrients for you, taking into account your unique physique and activity levels. A balanced diet for a 3-year-old looks a lot different than that of a 25-year-old construction worker, and that looks very different than a 25-year-old office worker who doesn’t exercise.
It might be easier to look at what is NOT a balanced diet. A diet heavy in refined sugars or fats that doesn’t provide adequate nutrition is not balanced. If you are trying to lose weight and your diet has so many calories that you are maintaining or gaining weight, that is not a balanced diet. If you are trying to lose weight and you are eating so few calories that you aren’t getting adequate nutrition, that is also not balanced.
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