Following The 3 C’s Will Make Your Mealtimes 1 Million Times Easier
What is life if not an endless loop of “what should I make for dinner”? Of course, we love to eat and we look forward to our next meal but that doesn’t mean we want to prepare it. When you’re making three meals per day on a loop for forever the process can feel draining and monotonous. But alas, we need to eat.
Fortunately, it’s possible to build a great, nutritious meal without a Michelin star or a private chef. You only have to focus on these three key things: color, composition and cravings.
Sounds simple, right? Good. It’s supposed to. Color, composition and cravings are the core tenants of any great meal especially when you cannot be bothered to do anything fancy. Sure, there might be some days where you’re building masterpieces out of marzipan and artwork out of artichoke, but let’s face it, most days are not those days. But, why do color, composition and cravings matter so much? Let’s get into it.
Color
Food naturally comes in a bunch of different colors, but to make a balanced meal it helps to make sure the colors on your plate have some variety. The thing about color is that it actually tells a story about the nutrients in a specific food. This concept does not apply to the banana Laffy Taffy or something made with Red Dye 40 (shocker!) but, as an example, many naturally orange foods can help to prevent cell damage while purple or blue foods can help fight inflammation.
You might not be able to eat the rainbow at every meal, but you can definitely pull a few different color swatches out of your kitchen pantry. For breakfast, that could include brown oatmeal, red raspberries and yellow bananas. For lunch, think tan bread, green lettuce, purple onion, red tomatoes, white mayo and tan turkey. And dinner could be tan chicken, orange sweet potatoes and green broccoli.
Now, you might be thinking that those meal ideas sound like way too much work and “I just want something simple, plz”. But these concepts still apply to takeout, ready-made meals, or dining at a restaurant. Try to make whatever you order have some color variety. And, not to go all food pyramid on you but fruits and vegetables are a great way to brighten up a meal.
Composition
Another important element of each meal is its composition - specifically its composition of macronutrients. The three macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein and fat. While it’s easy to prioritize certain macros - carbs we’re looking at you - it’s important to have all three in your meals.
Image Credit: Avita Health System
The average diet includes 45-65% carbs, 10-35% protein and 20-35% fat. Your body needs all three elements to function at its best and to feel satisfied after a meal. We’re not expecting that you go all bodybuilder and get out a food scale and start counting macros down to the decimal but it’s helpful to keep carbs, fat and protein in mind when you’re making your meals.
You can mix and match a variety of foods to build your meal like:
Carbs: rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, bread, oats, english muffins
Protein: eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, tuna, tofu, beans
Fat: olive oil, mayonnaise, avocado, peanut butter, cheese
But, once you have your three main items you can focus on adding color to the plate and you’ll have ⅔ concepts tackled.
Cravings
This step will probably be your favorite. It’s definitely ours. No plate is complete without honoring your cravings. The first two C’s already helped to build you a balanced meal, but now it’s time to think about the food that will really make the meal perfect. Maybe you’ve been craving a salty snack or a sweet treat? Time to add it in.
Anyone who has ever tried to diet knows that avoiding the foods we really want will often just lead to us eating more. That’s why including your craving in with your balanced meal can be the best of both worlds. You’ll get the nutrition your body needs and the satisfaction that your mind really wants.
Of course, there’s balance in this principle because 12 cookies on the side of your steak dinner isn’t going to help you feel your best, but one cookie just might. After all, we’ve been following these guidelines for a few years and it’s been a game changer.
This article is for informational purposes only and it not intended to be used in place of professional advice, medical treatment, or professional care. This article is not intended to be and should not be a substitute for professional care, advice or treatment. Please consult with your healthcare provider before changing any health regimen. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease of any kind.
