A Straightforward Daily Reference for Nutritious Eating: The Essential Five

Have you ever experienced feeling inundated with all the advice available regarding healthy eating?

We often ponder numerous questions when we are preparing or planning our meals:

Do I have adequate protein? Am I receiving all necessary nutrients? Will this keep me satisfied? Is this going to be tasty and rewarding?

At Nutrition Stripped, we’ve simplified healthy eating into an easy-to-follow model — which we refer to as the Foundational Five Nourish Meal — that you can implement at every meal.

No macro counting. No need to exclude foods from your diet. And no trendy diets.

In this article, you’ll discover why you should adopt our Nourish Meal Template, which includes the Foundational Five nutritional components when preparing your meals, and how it can aid in enhancing your consistency with healthy eating habits.

Why the Foundational Five is Effective for Daily Living

I’m thrilled to introduce the straightforward checkbox system I’ve been using for nearly ten years with countless clients, as it will empower you to feel much more assured and relaxed when preparing a meal, knowing that you have a well-balanced plate with a quick glance.

The Foundational Five is an integral part of our Mindful Nutrition Method™.

This framework is grounded in Nutrition Science 101 regarding macronutrient balance for optimal health. As dietitians, we learn about the MyPlate and Diabetic Plate Method, which serve as a guide on how to structure your plate with macronutrients. Our Foundational Five is our unique twist on the traditional model, featuring the Flavor Factor, which is distinctive to Nutrition Stripped.

Before we delve into each macronutrient and refresh your understanding of nutrition basics, it’s essential to acknowledge that food plays many roles in your life beyond just physical nourishment. This is where our Flavor Factor significantly comes into play.

Food should also be a source of joy, pleasure, satisfaction, and deliciousness! The Flavor Factor celebrates that not only are we aiming for a balance of macronutrients, but we’re also emphasizing flavor!

Before we discuss the elements that constitute the Foundational Five and how you can incorporate it into your daily life, it’s crucial for you to grasp why we approach nutrition this way at Nutrition Stripped.

Well-Balanced Meals

When we discuss nutrition and taking care of your wellbeing, our goal is to ensure you’re nourishing yourself. However, we also want to prevent anyone from thinking that healthy eating is challenging, tedious, or detracts from life’s enjoyment.

This is why we employ a straightforward template — the Foundational Five Elements of nutrition — allowing you to look at your plate and recognize that you have a well-balanced meal, all without needing to adhere to strict rules or keep count.

This template guarantees that every meal is filled with the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body requires so that you can feel satiated (full), energized, and well-nourished to take on your day, knowing you’ve prioritized your health.

The Foundational Five Nourish Meal Template consists of a range of nutrients to reference whenever you’re crafting or assembling a meal. It comprises five elements of nutrition:

Protein + Fat + Starchy or Sugary Carbohydrates + Non-Starchy Carbohydrates + Flavor Factor

The Foundational Five components encompass the three main macronutrients, which are the basics of nutrition taught in dietitian education! These include carbohydrates categorized into two subcategories based on their function, along with the flavor factor.

No Counting or Tracking Required

We’ve all experienced those diets or programs where every single thing you eat must be counted and tracked. While that might suit some individuals for a temporary solution, it is not a sustainable approach for an entire year or your lifetime.

Often, we find ourselves in situations where tracking every ingredient isn’t even feasible — dining out, eating at friends’ or family’s homes, etc. That’s what normal life entails!

Hence, counting and tracking are impractical for our everyday circumstances, making it cumbersome or even unmanageable to maintain. When you can’t track something, you lack the skills necessary to navigate your food choices effectively.

This is why many people find themselves stuck in a cycle of starting and stopping that hinders them from sustaining healthy eating habits in their daily lives.

Instead of counting or tracking, we perform a visual assessment to ensure all five elements are present on the plate and learn the right portion sizes for each nutrient and our personal hunger cues.

Freedom to Relish All Foods, Without Labeling Any as “Off-Limits”

Once you classify a food as “off-limits” or “bad,” you become excessively aware, hypersensitive, and fixated on that food item.

When confronted with these foods, you may then fall into a scarcity mindset, leading you to overindulge in that food since you don’t know when you’ll encounter it again, having deemed it “off-limits,” as opposed to enjoying a portion and feeling completely satisfied.

The Foundational Five emphasizes the importance of adding a diverse array of foods to your diet and ensuring you eat in a balanced manner, rather than removing options (unless certain items need to be eliminated due to intolerances, allergies, or medical conditions).

One of our members of The Mindful Nutrition Method™ program expressed the following about the Foundational Five:

“I feel freer now that I have so many options for what to eat. Portions have changed a bit, and I’m certainly eating more regularly, which has given me a lot more energy. This weekend, I enjoyed pizza and felt fine about it, without guilt for the first time in ages. I paired it with a side salad, drank extra water, and the next morning returned to my usual routine. I now have food freedom. I eat a wide variety of foods without feeling constrained.”

With Simplicity Comes Consistency

One truth we hold is that what comes easily is easier to sustain. What we do consistently — rather than occasionally — truly affects our feelings, well-being, and ultimately our lives. That’s why the Nutrition Stripped Motto is: health is a daily practice!

Thus, we prefer to keep things uncomplicated!

The Nourish Meal Template, utilizing the Foundational Five Elements of nutrition, makes it simple for you to glance at your plate and visually confirm that you have all the necessary components. It’s also an ideal method for creating quick meals within 15 minutes, great for weekday lunches and dinners, helping you maintain this dietary routine consistently.

This approach can be applied to any meal at any time — whether it’s a nourish bowl, soup, salad, smoothie, or yogurt bowl, the Foundational Five works perfectly. Additionally, it can be tailored slightly to fit personal needs.

Now that you understand how this eating style supports you and your healthy habits, let’s go into detail about what The Foundational Five is so you can utilize it at your next meal!

How To Eat Well With Ease Utilizing the Foundational Five

First and foremost, we aim to use whole foods as frequently as possible.

What do we mean by whole foods precisely?

The real items, food components that are closest to their natural state; whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and proteins, for example.

Bear in mind, this is merely a guideline. Each individual’s interpretation of the Foundational Five may appear somewhat different!

whether you prefer animal-based proteins or choose a vegetarian or vegan diet, the Foundational Five remains applicable.

Now that we have covered the fundamentals, let’s delve into the specifics.

Protein

Protein is the initial component in our Nourish Meal Template with the Foundational Five elements of nutrition.

It’s a crucial macronutrient to include in each meal for several reasons. From ensuring you feel satisfied after eating to supporting digestion, muscle and tissue synthesis, immune health, and other essential functions — it’s clear that protein is vital.

Protein constitutes every cell in our bodies, including the cells that make up our skin, hair, nails, muscle tissue, digestive system, and much more. Given its role in our cellular makeup, it’s important to consume adequate amounts and select high-quality sources when possible.

Nutrition research indicates that including protein in every meal, particularly at breakfast, can lower the hunger hormone ghrelin and increase feelings of fullness. Depending on your personal preferences, your protein sources can consist of plant-based proteins, animal-based proteins, or a combination of both!

Some sources are beans, legumes, tempeh, tofu, seitan, quinoa, nuts, seeds, nut butter, grass-fed lean beef, eggs, seafood, poultry, and more.

When shopping for animal-based proteins, look for options labeled organic, 100% grass-fed, wild-caught, sustainable, and humanely raised to ensure a high-quality selection.

If you’re purchasing from the butcher, inquire about sourcing and communicate your specific preferences to ensure you acquire the best quality!

Fat

Next, we consider fat. Mostly, we’re discussing unsaturated fats here. Of course, there are exceptions to this broad statement.

Unsaturated fats primarily come from plant-based and seafood sources. Think along the lines of extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butter, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines. We also advocate for coconut and coconut oil, which technically classify as unsaturated fats but are noted as exceptions, and you can find more details regarding this here.

In a meal, fat is key for satiety (or fullness). Certainly, protein contributes to this as well, but fat plays a leading role.

Omega-3 fats, for instance, present in fatty fish and some plant sources, have been shown to enhance cardiovascular health and support brain function.

Moreover, fat is essential for the absorption of certain nutrients. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble, meaning they require fat for proper absorption. These vitamins maintain the health of our brains, cells, hormones, tissues, hair, skin, and nails.

Proper fat intake is further crucial for insulating organs as well as for cellular and hormonal health.

These are just a handful of reasons why incorporating healthy fats into your daily diet is so important.

Carbohydrates

In technical terms, when examining the nutritional structure of carbohydrates, we identify 3 subcategories, so let’s examine those for your awareness.

Glucose serves as the body’s primary source of energy. Our brains, muscle tissue, and cells draw energy from various carbohydrate types as they convert into glucose, albeit in different amounts and proportions.

1. Sugars: short-chain carbohydrates that are easily and quickly digested. Examples include honey, maple syrup, fruit juices, and added sugars.
2. Starches: Often referred to as starches, whole, or complex carbohydrates—these long chains of glucose molecules are subsequently broken down into simple units of sugar. Examples encompass bread, pasta, potatoes, peas, and beans.
3. Fiber: This may be referred to as fiber or non-digestible carbohydrates. Fiber is found in all fruits and vegetables, whole grains, peas, and beans. We do not digest fiber; it passes through our digestive tract.

To simplify using the Foundational Five system, I prefer dividing carbohydrates into two primary categories: starchy and non-starchy.

Starchy Carbohydrates

Starchy carbohydrates are precisely what you envision when thinking about carbohydrates. This category of carbohydrates provides energy, making it essential to include in every meal.

For this carbohydrate category, consider foods like potatoes, quinoa, rice, bread, peas, pasta, beans, corn, and fruits. These foods contain substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals, energy, and fiber, all valuable for our energy, gut health, heart health, hormonal balance, and appetite.

Added Benefit of Soluble Fiber

One cornerstone whole food we highly recommend incorporating into most meals is beans! Beans and legumes serve as excellent sources of whole-food carbohydrates, soluble fiber, minerals, and a bit of protein. Furthermore, beans are notably versatile, delicious, accessible, and budget-friendly.

If beans aren’t your preference, explore other soluble fiber sources like vegetables, chia seeds, sweet potatoes, broccoli, pears, figs, carrots, flax seeds, oats, or barley that fit the Starchy and Sugary Carbohydrate component.

Soluble fiber nourishes beneficial bacteria in the gut, fostering healthy digestion and gut microbiota and potentially lowering levels of hunger-stimulating hormones produced by the nervous system, which may rise due to stress, food scarcity, or yo-yo dieting.

Non-Starchy Carbohydrates

On the opposite end, non-starchy carbohydrates (fiber) do not necessarily provide significant energy. These carbohydrates are primarily recognized for their fiber, prebiotics, vitamins, and minerals.

When considering non-starchy carbohydrates, think of greens and vegetables! These include leafy greens like arugula, kale, and romaine, along with veggies such as Brussels sprouts, bok choy, tomatoes, cucumbers, and many others.

Fiber is crucial to any diet as it helps balance cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, regulates bowel movements, stabilizes blood sugar levels, controls satiety, lowers the risk of certain cancers, diminishes diabetes risk, and facilitates overall digestion.

These plant foods should dominate your plate — the more, the merrier! Their high fiber and water content assist in maintaining fullness and delivering your body with essential nutrients for promoting healthy digestion.

Flavor Factor

Finally, but certainly not least, we have the flavor factor. This is where the fun begins!

Your flavor factor might be a sauce or mustard, herbs, spices, or seasonings — anything you enjoy using in your cooking to elevate the flavor and even the nutritional value of your meals.

Yes, herbs and spices enhance the taste of food, but they’re also abundant in antioxidants that promote your internal health.

If you’re a novice in cooking and starting to explore seasonings and spices, check this out for some basic knowledge!

Foundational Five Portion Sizes

Now that we know what constitutes our Nourish Meal Template with the Foundational Five, how much of each nutrient should we incorporate?

In reality, portion sizes differ between individuals. That said, we have a starting point for you.

Begin by focusing on adding one serving of each of the five components to all your meals. Similar to the plate method taught to dietitians, this highlights the need for vegetables since many Americans do not consume enough daily. Generally speaking, your plate should somewhat resemble the following illustration:

However, keep in mind that portion sizes will vary based not only on your specific requirements but also on your nutrition objectives.

From a mindful perspective, start with these general recommendations and adjust as needed based on your personal hunger and fullness signals. If you’re unsure how to listen to your body and identify your portion sizes, check out our free workshop for deeper insights!

Implementing the Nourish Meal Template with the Foundational Five Elements of Nutrition

Let’s embark on this journey!

First, if you haven’t yet grabbed the Nutrition Stripped Guide for Developing Healthy Eating Habits, be sure to download it now to obtain the steps and practices that simplify maintaining these healthy eating habits!

Then, explore some of our favorite recipes that will help you get accustomed to the Foundational Five approach and try one in your next meal prep.

Breakfast

1. Gut Health Supportive Smoothie
2. Smokey Huevos Rancheros
3. Baked Raspberry Porridge

Lunch

1. Buffalo Tempeh Nourish Bowl
2. Hearty Vegetable Bowl
3. Chickpea Burgers

Dinner

1. DIY 15-Minute Nourish Meal
2. BBQ Tacos
3. Chicken Tortilla Soup
4. Chana Masala

Utilize the Foundational Five Nourish Meal Template for Daily Healthy Eating

Now that you comprehend the Foundational Five system, it’s time to put it into practice. Ideally, we aim to incorporate the Foundational Five at every meal, but as humans, especially when starting to learn this system, it’s unrealistic to expect immediate perfection. Therefore, identify one meal of the day where you feel the most challenged. Try using the Foundational Five at that meal and see how it goes!

Also, remember that depending on your specific nutrition objectives, health conditions, medical history, allergies, or intolerances, this guideline may need adjustments to better accommodate your individual circumstances. Members of our Mindful Nutrition Method™ program can access 1:1 coaching for personalized advice in these situations.