Healthy, varied and balanced weekly menus

Start this section of healthy, varied and balanced weekly menus in my purpose to help you organize your daily meals and dinners at home, and of course, to help you have a healthier diet.

First of all, I encourage you to subscribe by clicking here, so that I can send you my HEALTHY, VARIED AND BALANCED MENUS every week.

Because for how many of us is not a headache to think about what to do or what to eat every day? We run out of ideas, we are bored to eat always the same, or we simply do not know, and in addition, this joins our concern for wanting to eat in a healthy way and to take care, not only of ourselves, but also of our family or people who live with us or we take care of them.

Therefore, I will try every week to publish a weekly menu on the blog, as well as on my instagram @cocinayviajes, leaving Sunday as a free day of rest, in case you go out to eat out or treat yourself with food delivery, or even as a ”day of use”.” which, as I say, is a day to eat leftovers or make a stir-fry with whatever you have in the fridge. That way we don't throw food away, we save and we do our part to contribute to the conservation of the planet.

How do we plan our menu to be balanced and healthy?

The first thing to keep in mind, and very important, is that each individual has specific nutritional needs depending on their age, sex, physical activity, health and emotional state, or other specific conditions such as pregnancy, growth stage, illness, etc.

The basic rules for healthy eating would be:

• An adequate energy balance, In other words, that there is a correct balance between the intake or calories ingested and the energy expenditure we need (very variable, depending on age, sex, and which is the energy our body needs for our basal or vital metabolism and our physical activity).

• Let it be complete and varied, The food is made up of a blend of all the necessary nutrients, both energetic and non-energetic, proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as vitamins, minerals, fiber and water.

• To provide us with the proportions, that the energy intake for each macronutrient is correct. According to WHO, the distribution for an adult person would be:
  • Between 50-55% of total energy expenditure of CARBON HYDRATES (pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, flours, tender legumes...better in its integral version). of which a maximum of 10% of simple sugars.
  • UN 12-15% of PROTEINS, equal parts of animal origin (fish, lean meat, dairy products) and vegetables (legumes, soybeans, etc.).
  • Between a 30-35% of LIPIDS OR FATS of which:
    • 8% maximum saturated fat (animal fat: meats, milk...)
    • 10% of polyunsaturated( oily fish, seed oil, nuts)
    • 12% of monounsaturated: olive oil.

In addition, it is recommended:

• Physical activity, one hour a day or 10,000 steps.
• Drink 4-6 glasses of water per day.
• Use healthy cooking techniques :avoid frying, better to grill or bake, and cook steamed or boiled but with little water to avoid dilution of vitamins and minerals.

Recommended daily or weekly portions and amounts:

We will be guided by the current recommendations  for a healthy adult person according to the food pyramid. SENC, Sociedad Española de Nutrición complementaria (Spanish Society of Complementary Nutrition), which would be as follows:

• Carbohydrates: 4 to 6 servings a day, of bread, pasta, rice, flours, (better in its integral version) tender legumes...The sizes of a serving would be:
  • Pasta or rice: 60/80 gr
  • Bread: 40/60 gr
  • Potato: 150/200 gr
• Fruits and vegetablesMinimum of 5 servings in total per day.
  • Fruits: 120/200 gr
  • Vegetables:150/250 gr
• Olive oil3/6 tablespoons per day.
• Proteins:  Recommended quantity 0.8 to 1 g per kg of weight per day, alternating eggs, white meats (turkey, chicken, rabbit...) with fish (blue and white), legumes and nuts. A week 2/4 times legumes, nuts 3/7 and the rest 3/4.
  • Fish: 125/150 gr
  • Lean meat : 100-/125 gr
  • Eggs: 2
  • Legumes: 60/80g
  • Nuts: 20/30gr
• Dairy2 to 3 times a day (better semi or skimmed).
  • Milk: 250/300 ml
  • Yogurts: 2
  • Cheese: 40/60 gr
• Foods to moderateRed meats and processed meats such as sausages, cold cuts... Products rich in sugar, fats and salt such as industrial pastries, snacks, butter... Alcohol (one glass of wine a day).

What are the advantages of planning your weekly menu and preparing a single shopping list?

• HEALTHY EARNINGS

To plan your weekly menu, you are going to eat healthier and more balanced. This means knowing which food groups to include each week, in what quantity, and how to combine them each day so that your dishes are balanced. In other words, cover all your nutritional needs with all the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) as well as the micronutrients or vitamins and minerals.

In addition, in order to make your diet even healthier, we will incorporate seasonal foods, and if possible, of proximity.

And of course, planning and organization, It will free us from the headache of thinking about what to eat every day!

• TIME SAVING

Another point in favor of our health, is in relation to saving time and even more so if you cook everything in one afternoon or morning. (batchcooking: click on this link if you want information about my next workshop).

Unfortunately in our society today, our time is money. If we add up all the time we spend every day thinking about what we are going to cook, the time to cook it, the time to do the weekly shopping and then to go and get the ingredients we are missing, you would be surprised how many hours we spend on it.

This technique will leave us much more free time to devote to other things that make us happy and take away stress, such as going to the gym or for a walk, spending more time with our children or loved ones, reading a book peacefully.....

• SAVING MONEY

It is not only because of the weather, but also because when planning the menu for the week, we are going to elaborate a shopping list, We are not going to fill the fridge with unnecessary food, which will go bad and we will throw it away, or with whims, which make our shopping basket more expensive and endanger our health.

• YOU HELP THE PLANET

By throwing less food in the garbage, and by choosing seasonal and local products, you help to ensure that there is less food waste. less overproduction and all that this entails (gas emissions in production processes, transport, or waste treatment, overexploitation of crops, etc.).

I hope these tips will help you to achieve a healthy and balanced diet and that my menus will be of help, guide or inspiration.

If you have any questions you can write to me and I will be happy to answer them as far as I can.

I remind you that on my instagram @cocinayviajes you can find the post of the healthy, varied and balanced weekly menu as well as many recipes and video recipes, succulent raffles and my gastronomic recommendations for you to discover new destinations, restaurants and wonderful products.

With all my love,
Mireia Alum