Welcome to week 4! This week, we will be focusing on balancing our meals and modifying the processed foods in our diet.

Balanced Meals:

This can mean so many things, but for our build the base series this week, we want to try to make this as simple as possible. When we think of a balanced meal, there are three main sections that are important to incorporate on your plate.

Vegetables: We have built a foundation of adding more vegetables in our diet, now let’s try to add them to our meals consistently. Make it a priority on your shopping list and on your plate and have your staple vegetables that you buy each week as well as one new vegetable you want to try.

Protein: Most commonly found in meat- chicken, beef, fish, turkey, sausage, etc.

Carbohydrate: When thinking about the types of carbohydrates you consume in your meals keep in mind what we are trying to eliminate this week and focus on having non-processed carbohydrates, eliminating the amount of processed foods you are consuming.

• Potatoes (gold, Yukon, and sweet potatoes)

• Grains (rice, couscous, corn tortillas, quinoa)

A couple of tips:

• Make sure you stock your house with what you know your body will be nourished with; meat, vegetables, carbohydrates and healthy snacks.

• Don’t make it complicated! You don’t have to make a fancy 20 ingredient recipe for each meal. Start simple by cooking your vegetables, meat, and carbohydrates separate to make sure you are incorporating all three on your plate.

• Make cooking fun! Put on your favorite podcast, playlist, or show and enjoy yourself while you prep and cook your meals. Don’t think of it as a chore, but more as a benefit to your daily routine.

Processed Foods:

We don’t want this to be an extreme concept where you are throwing out all of your food that isn’t fruit, vegetables, and meat. All we want is you to be mindful of the foods that are entering your body. Make a habit of looking at the labels of the most common foods you consume and educate yourself on what is helping nourish your body on a daily basis. One rule of thumb when looking at labels is if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, then it isn’t a great option; the less ingredients listed the better. If you have a snack bar that you consume daily that you know isn't nourishing your body the way you would like it to, that doesn’t mean you have to stop consuming all bars. There are so many options for everything we buy at the grocery store, and we encourage you to educate yourself on other options that have a short list of wholesome ingredients.

A couple of tips:

• Make a habit of looking at the ingredient list on everything you buy. It is so important to know what you are consuming and what types of things are going into your body.

• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store

• Try and make it at home- If you have a habit of buying pre-made meals or eating out on a consistent basis, focus on making your meals at home even if it is exactly what you would have bought at the store already made. Going through the process of baking, chopping, and prepping your meals gives you the knowledge, appreciation, and satisfaction of what you are consuming.

Let us know (through direct message or email) what kinds of things you would like to see on our social media platforms to help you through week 4. Remember- our coaching staff is here to help! We will be posting different recipes and tips throughout the week to support and encourage you through your base building. Keep it up!