This is my first blog post and I couldn’t be more excited to share my thoughts and ideas with the world. Thehealthymix got its name from the idea that each meal eaten throughout one’s day should have a whole mix of protein, carbs and fats to make a “well balanced meal.” The reason for this is that each whole grain, or healthy food that you eat contains nourishing minerals and vitamins that your body needs to survive. Without the “mix” your body may not receive all the necessary nutrients and you will be at a greater risk for deficiencies. With this idea of making sure to mix my foods on a daily basis I have come across this lovely name for my blog. An example of mixing foods for one day would be as follows:
Breakfast:
A decent size bowl of whole grain cereal with fiber and very little added sugar. If possible buy cereal that has been sweetened by fruit juice. One brand that I like is “Barbara’s Bakery.” Make sure that you don’t buy their cereal that contains 15 grams of sugar. I believe the corn flakes have about 3 or 4 grams of sugar from fruit juice, which is much healthier for you. Add some nut milk (i.e. almond, hemp or cashew), which contains protein and when possible throw in some fruit. That right there is a very well balanced breakfast!
Lunch:
One example of a balanced lunch can be to eat a salad with mixed greens or romaine lettuce instead of iceberg because it contains absolutely no nutrients. Mix the salad with cucumbers, carrots, and other veggies that you enjoy and add some nuts to the salad for some protein if you don’t want to add chicken, fish or tofu. For dressing try to stay away from the fancy dressings at most restaurants because believe it or not, one of the main ingredients is SUGAR! Next time you go to a restaurant ask them if they have any dressings without sugar and see what they say… trust me, I’ve tried it! I say stick with balsamic vinegar or possibly balsamic vinaigrette without the sugar, or to keep it completely safe just make your own dressing.
If your not a salad eater try a sandwich on whole grain bread or a wrap with turkey and veggies. Can’t go wrong with that!
Dinner:
Dinner is my favorite meal. Its the time where I can be the most creative in my day. My fiance and I are always cooking some wild dish that makes the hallway of our building smell amazing – our neighbors stop by our door to tell us how great it smells! We always make some sort of grain whether it be quinoa, millet, brown rice, buckwheat, or anything else we come up with. If you haven’t tried any of these grains I suggest you give it a whirl since they are delicious and very easy to make. With the grain we steam or boil some sort of veggie. We like kale, sweet potatoes, zuchini, yellow squash, string beans, bok choy, spinach, and so many more. If you throw some olive oil in the pan with some garlic, ginger, tamari and possibly some vegetable stock you will have some great tastes in your mouth. For the protein we either bake tofu or tempeh that we marinate or bake chicken or fish. All of these foods mixed together are guaranteed to give you lots of nourishment and taste wonderful at the same time.
I’m glad I am able to express my thoughts to you and can’t wait to post again! Enjoy and hopefully you can take some of my suggestions into your food preparations. Until next time…
