There’s been a lot of controversy concerning health and the environment. People talk about switching to ‘green’ energy and the dangers of RFK Jr. and fossil fuels, but these are big things, expensive things that we, as individuals, can’t really do much about. In the grand scheme of things, it won’t be the huge decisions that will make the biggest impact. It’ll be the little things. The small, seemingly insignificant decisions that YOU (yes, YOU) could make easily to improve your health and the health of the world we live in.
Effort level: ★★☆
What makes a good meal? What is a meal? Because it’s different from just food. You can eat a banana for a snack on a whim. That’s not a meal. Or if it is, it’s not a healthy one. There are certain things every healthy meal should have, and here’s why:
Protein
Protein is extremely important. According to Harvard, a human being should eat 0.36 grams of protein per pound. Using our old pal Phil as an example, Phil would need to eat 57.6 grams of protein every day (Phil weighs 160 lbs, the ideal weight for a 6.0’ adult according to Banner Health). Many foods contain protein, such as almonds, chicken, eggs, black beans, yogurt, salmon, shrimp, etc. (Factor75)If you noticed a lot of meat here, that may be because meat is the main source of protein on this planet, one that we desperately need (we are omnivores, after all). For all you vegetarians out there, you might have also noticed that many other foods contain protein in the above list that you can eat without consuming meat. While I’d argue that meat is ideal, so long as a fourth of your meal is composed of protein, you’ll be eating healthily.
Grain
According to the Harvard food plate, one fourth of the food you eat per meal should be some kind of grain. Lots of foods are whole grain. Barley, oats, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, to name a few. You may have noticed the exclusion of white rice and the constant repetition of whole wheat. That’s because refined grains are not as healthy or as filling as whole wheat. Still, ¼ of a plate composed of refined grains is better than nothing. While these options may seem a little, well, bland, that’s only because they are. However, no one said that these parts of your meal have to be separate. You can always add some sauce of some kind, which brings me to the next section.
Vegetables
Most of your meal, I’d say about a third, should be vegetables. And I say vegetables, I am including tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, peppers, and all those other vegetables that are technically fruits. Once, I’d be on the side of those smart-alecks who insist on going “Erm, actually, pumpkins have seeds, and are therefore fruits” but for the purpose of this column, and according to THE SUPREME COURT in the Nix v Hedden case all these ‘fruits’ are vegetables in the eyes of the US government, so there. Anyway, vegetables are a key part of your meal. This can be a salad, or some broccoli in your pasta, or a sauce, onions on top, tomato on your pizza, whatever the heck you want. The important thing is that you have a good variety of vegetables on your plate. Fruits are also important, but not as much as vegetables. Having a side of an apple or maybe some apricots will do.
Water
I don’t think I have to say much about this. Every living thing on this planet needs water. Life started in the oceans. Humans are 80% water. Hydrate or Diedrate, people.
Someone to Share it With
I am lucky enough to be able to share almost every meal with my family. It’s something that I may have taken for granted one too many times. To my surprise, more people die of loneliness in the United States than those who die of obesity. Eating alone could be detrimental to your mental health, which is just as important as your physical health. A healthy meal means so much more when there’s someone to share it with.
