How to Build Your Healthy Plate

There 3 Sorts of ‘Macros’:

Protein

• Builds and repairs all cells in the body
• Required in every meal

Fat

• Provides energy
• Synthesizes hormones
• Aids in brain function
• Activates fat soluble vitamins
• and much more
• Required in every meal

Carbohydrate

• Provides energy, vitamins, minerals and fibre
• *Non-starchy required in every meal, starchy only post training

Putting it all together:

Protein

The first thing you need to do is work out is how much protein you need. This will depend on:

• Your activity level
• Male or Female
• Your age
• Your body weight

2 ways you can work this out:

• Using a macro calculator

  • Benefit:
    • Accurate
  • Downfall:
    • Complicated
  • Suitable for:
    • Athletes

• Using a rough guide of food weight

  • • • Benefit:
        • Simple
      • Downfall:
        • Not 100% accurate
      • Suitable for:
        • General population

Below are both methods but for the purpose of this article I will then only focus on food weight for all food sources (macros) as this article is designed for general population.

Using a Macro Calculator:

To accurately calculate your protein requirement, multiply pure protein per kg of your body weight:

Females:

Sedentary :	Active:	Very Active:
(Trains 0-1 time per week)	(Trains 2-3 time per week)	(Trains 4+ time per week)
0.8g – 1.0g	1.1g – 1.2g	1.3g – 1.5g

Males:

Sedentary :	Active:	Very Active:
(Trains 0-1 time per week)	(Trains 2-3 time per week)	(Trains 4+ time per week)
1.2g – 1.4g	1.5g – 1.7g	1.8g – 2.0g

For Example:

You weigh 94kg and train 3 times per week

94 x 1.2g = 113g of pure protein per day

Work out how many meals you want to have per day. Let’s say it’s 3. 113g ÷ 3 = 37g of pure protein per meal

*Example of how it looks in food format, 154g of chicken breast contains 37g of pure protein in it

*Source ‘My Fitness Pal’

Using Rough Food Weight:

Protein

(Food weight, weighed raw. Generally it works out to the size of your palm, length, width and thickness.)

Females:

3 Meals per day:	4 Meals per day:
130-150g per meal	100-130g per meal

Males:

3 Meals per day:	4 Meals per day:
200-250g per meal	150-200g per meal

Source includes but is not limited to:

Chicken Lamb Beef Fish

Goat Deer Kangaroo Pork

Organ meet Duck Rabbit Eggs

‘Good’ Fat

(Food weight, weighed raw. Generally it works out to the size of your thumb, length, width and thickness.)

Females:

3 Meals per day:	4 Meals per day:
15-20g per meal	10-15g per meal

Males:

3 Meals per day:	4 Meals per day:
20-25g per meal	15-20g per meal

Source includes but is not limited to:    

Coconut Oil Olive Oil Organic Butter Lard

Ghee Avocado Nuts Seeds

Duck Fat Goose Fat Flaxseed Oil

Trans-fats so best to avoid:

• Vegetable Oils
• Canola Oil
• Margarine
• Processed food
• *Anything that contains the terms ‘homogenized’
• or ‘partially homogenized’

Non-Starchy Carbohydrates

(Food weight, weighed raw. Generally it works out to 2-3 cups or your 2-2.5 hands cupped together. Add more if you are still hungry.)

Females:

3 Meals per day:	4 Meals per day:
130-400g per meal	100-300g per meal

Males:

3 Meals per day:	4 Meals per day:
250-550g per meal	200-400g per meal

 Source includes but is not limited to:  

• *80/20 Rule – 80% green 20% Colored

Artichoke Asparagus         Bamboo shoots Beans, green Bean sprouts Beets Bok Choy Brussels sprouts Broccoli Cabbage

Carrots Cauliflower Celery Collards Cucumber Eggplant Leek Lettuce (all) Mushrooms Okra

Onions Peas Peppers Radish Snap peas Tomato Turnips Water chestnuts Yard-long beans

Starchy Complex Carbohydrates

(Food weight, weighed raw. Weight will vary depending on food source so will provide specifics)

*Ideally post workout only, for optimal results, unless otherwise advised by a health care professional or Nutrition Coach

Females:

Post Training only:

350g (2 cups) of Pumpkin  100g (3/4 cup) of Sweet Potato 25g of Rice, Quinoa, Oats 1 Serve of fruit (a serve is equivalent to a large handful) 3-4 Rice Cakes

Males:

Post Training only:

400g (2.5 cups) of Pumpkin 125g (1 cup) of Sweet Potato 40g of Rice, Quinoa, Oats 1.5 Serve of fruit (a serve is equivalent to a large handful) 4-6 Rice Cakes

Treat Meals

• Anything Processed
• Keep to 1-2 meals per week for optimal results
• Schedule them in. This increases compliances, because then you know you are not being deprived and you can still socialize

Meals VS Snacks

• If you eat 3-4 meals per day you will feel full enough so that you do not require snacks
• Lion vs cow – the lion eats, the cow grazes all day. Which do you prefer to look like?

Why are you snacking?

• Hungry – If you are genuinely hungry then increase your meal portions
• Bored – If you are eating out of boredom, find something else to do
• Habit – Time to create new good habits to abolish the old bad ones

Pantry Staples:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Rice
• Quinoa
• Wheat free oats
• Rice cakes
• Tins of tuna, salmon, sardines

Quick and Easy Food:

• Cans of tuna, salmon or sardines
• Boil a dozen eggs and keep in fridge (last a week)
• Avocados
• Bought BBQ Chicken
• Salad packs
• Chopped veggies in fridge
• Prep and freeze
• Slow cooker or stews

– Terri Batsakis, Nutrition Coach

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