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What Is Soul Food? Cultural Importance and Nutrition Tips African Americans' traditional cuisine is known as soul food. This article explains how to create a healthy soul food plate with cooking tips and recipes.

12 Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services of 2023: Dietitian-Tested and Approved

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According to Healthline’s resident registered dietitian, Sunbasket is the best healthy meal delivery service.

A quick look at the best healthy meal delivery services
Best overall healthy meal delivery service:
Sunbasket
Skip to review
Best healthy prepared meal delivery service:
Factor
Skip to review
Best healthy meal delivery service for families:
Green Chef
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Best healthy meal delivery service for athletes:
Trifecta Nutrition
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Best healthy plant-based meal kit:
Purple Carrot
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Best organic healthy meal delivery service:
Daily Harvest
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Best healthy plant-based prepared meal delivery:
Sprinly
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Best healthy meal delivery for keto and paleo:
Snap Kitchen
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Best healthy meal delivery service for variety:
The Good Kitchen
Skip to review
Best chef-crafted healthy meal delivery service:
Territory Foods
Skip to review
Best healthy gluten-free meal delivery service:
Epicured
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Best healthy meal delivery service for kids:
Nurture Life
Skip to review

Meal delivery services are a great way to save time on meal prep and enjoy fast, delicious dishes at home.

Healthline’s dietitians and testers reviewed more than 25 of the most popular meal delivery services to determine which ones are the best if you’re trying to eat healthier.

Specifically, we looked for services with meals that are made with mostly whole ingredients and that contain lean proteins, healthy fats, and a generous serving of vegetables. We also included services to meet a variety of dietary needs and preferences.

Keep reading for our picks of the 12 best healthy meal delivery services.

Disclaimers: Pricing information is current as of publication and is subject to change. All the services tested below were tried by Healthline writers or editors, who received the meals for free. All opinions are our own.

Healthline’s picks for the best healthy meal delivery services
Best overall healthy meal delivery service
Sunbasket

4.6 (3.4K+) FROM TRUSTPILOT
Price per serving: $9.99–$25.99
Meal type: meal kits and prepared meals
Menus: Gluten-Free, Paleo, Carb-Conscious, Mediterranean, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, Keto-Friendly, and Diabetes-Friendly
Shipping: $9.99
SHOP NOW AT SUNBASKET

Healthline's review
Why we love it: Sunbasket specializes in chef-designed, dietitian-approved recipes. With options for nearly any eating pattern, it is one of the most diverse services available and is our pick for the best overall healthy meal delivery service.

How it works: Sunbasket offers meal kits and fully prepared meals, which can be reheated and enjoyed in 6 minutes or less.

The service also stands out for the number of dietary needs it caters to, with meal plans such as Mediterranean, Keto-Friendly, Vegetarian, Diabetes-Friendly, and more.

Meals feature mostly organic produce, eggs, and dairy products and responsibly sourced meats and seafood. Pastured-raised and grass-fed proteins are also available.

What our tester says

Pros & cons

Product details
Best healthy prepared meal delivery service
Factor

4 (43.5K+) FROM TRUSTPILOT
Price per serving: $10.99–$13.49
Meal type: prepared meals
Menus: Chef’s Choice, Keto, Calorie Smart, Vegan & Veggie, Protein Plus, Flexitarian
Shipping: $10.99
Use code “HEALTHLINE50” for 50% Off Your First Box

SHOP NOW AT FACTOR

Healthline's review
Why we love it: Factor — formerly Factor 75 — features flavorful, dietitian-designed prepared meals that don’t get mushy or watery after reheating. In addition to creative flavor combinations, we also appreciate that the service caters to everyone from keto fans to plant-based eaters.

How it works: Factor offers fully prepared meals that are easy to stack in your fridge.

All recipes are designed to be nutritionally balanced and are free of gluten, refined sugars, hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs.

What’s more, all subscriptions include a free 20-minute consultation with a registered dietitian. Monthly coaching packages are available for an additional fee.

Orders are shipped using environmentally friendly packaging materials, and information on how to recycle each component is available online.

What our tester says

Pros & cons

Product details
Best healthy meal delivery service for families

How to Meal Plan: 23 Helpful Tips
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Meal planning and prepping are wonderful skills to have in your personal health and wellness tool kit.

A well-thought-out meal plan can help you improve your diet quality or reach a specific health goal while saving you time and money along the way (1Trusted Source).

Here are 23 simple tips for developing a successful meal planning habit.

1. Start small
If you have never created a meal plan or are getting back into it after a long hiatus, it may feel a bit daunting.

Developing a meal planning habit is no different than making any other positive change in your life. Starting small and slowly building confidence is a great way to make sure your new habit is sustainable.

Begin by planning out just a few meals or snacks for the week ahead. Eventually, you’ll figure out which planning strategies work best, and you can slowly build upon your plan by adding in more meals as you see fit.

2. Consider each food group
Whether you’re preparing meals for a week, month, or just a few days, it’s important to make sure each food group is represented in your plan.

The healthiest meal plan emphasizes whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, high-quality protein, and healthy fats, while limiting sources of refined grains, added sugars, and excess salt (2Trusted Source).

As you scour through your favorite recipes, think about each of these food groups. If any of them are missing, make a point to fill in the gaps.

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3. Get organized
Good organization is a key component to any successful meal plan.

An organized kitchen, pantry, and refrigerator make everything from menu creation, grocery shopping, and meal prep a breeze, as you’ll know exactly what you have on hand and where your tools and ingredients are.

There’s no right or wrong way to organize your meal prep spaces. Just make sure it’s a system that works for you.

4. Invest in quality storage containers
Food storage containers are one of the most essential meal prep tools.

If you’re currently working with a cupboard full of mismatched containers with missing lids, you may find the meal prep process very frustrating. It’s well worth your time and money to invest in high-quality containers.

Before you make a purchase, consider each container’s intended use. If you’ll be freezing, microwaving, or cleaning them with a dishwasher, make sure you choose containers that are safe for doing so.

Glass containers are eco-friendly and microwave safe. They’re widely available in stores and online.

It’s also handy to have a variety of sizes for different types of foods.

5. Keep a well-stocked pantry
Maintaining a baseline stock of pantry staples is a great way to streamline your meal prep process and simplify menu creation.

Here are a few examples of healthy and versatile foods to keep in your pantry:

Whole grains: brown rice,
quinoa, oats, bulgur, whole-wheat pasta, polenta
Legumes: canned or dried
black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, lentils
Canned goods: low-sodium
broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, artichokes, olives, corn, fruit (no added
sugar), tuna, salmon, chicken
Oils: olive, avocado,
coconut
Baking essentials: baking powder, baking soda, flour, cornstarch
Other: Almond butter,
peanut butter, potatoes, mixed nuts, dried fruit
By keeping some of these basic essentials on hand, you only need to worry about picking up fresh items in your weekly grocery haul. This can help reduce stress and improve the efficiency of your meal planning efforts.

10 Anti-Diet Experts Unpack Body Neutrality
What it means
What's missing
Representation
The future
Takeaway
Matt Hunt/Stocksy United
Posts on body positivity have been floating around social media as pushback to diet culture. These messages encourage folks to fall and stay in love with their bodies, regardless of what they look and feel like.

Still, body shame is prevalent and has tangible effects. That means the pressure to feel great about your body each and every day may feel unattainable.

When we talk about bodies, health, and nutrition, it can feel hard to be stuck between forced positivity or shame coming from healthcare professionals.

To break down the concept of body neutrality and learn about its importance, read on to hear from health and body image experts.

Ask the experts: ‘What does body neutrality mean to you?’
Shana Spence RDN, CDN of Nutrition Tea: It’s the understanding that we are not always going to love our bodies for various reasons, but we should have a respect for them.

Nutrition Therapist and Intuitive Eating Counselor Ayana Habtemariam MSW, RD, LDN of Truly Real Nutrition: Life just comes with transitions and so do our bodies. [They’re] meant to evolve. We have to make an effort and find a way to adjust.

Dalina Soto, MA, RD, LDN of Your Latina Nutrition: It’s important for everyone to know that you won’t love your body every day, and that’s okay. You still need to nourish it and take care of it.

Jessi Kneeland, author and body neutrality coach: Given the world we live in, I do genuinely believe the mentality [of body neutrality] is our birthright. It’s just seeing your body for what it is.

Missing a part of the conversation
Shana Spence, RDN, CDN, of Nutrition Tea says that the body positivity movement has taken notes from the fat acceptance movement, but left behind important intersections.

This means it’s failing to champion the folks who need the most support.

“Body positivity has really become a movement for thin women who have belly rolls when bending over,” says Spence, a self-proclaimed “eat anything” dietitian who pushes against food restriction and body shaming.

“It’s a far cry from the movement that fat black women started which was about bringing to light actual weight stigma and discrimination that those in larger bodies face,” she says.

Of course, your personal approach to nurturing your body is completely up to you.

Still, it’s important to recognize that pushing a general and total body positivity perspective does nothing to address the stigma that folks in larger bodiesTrusted Source face.

This discrimination is amplified for those who are BIPOC, disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, or any other marginalized identity.

“You can’t self-love your way out of the way society treats you.”
— Shana Spence, RDN, CDN

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The importance of representation
All of the experts spoke about their desire for folks of varied sizes, genders, sexualities, abilities, races, and ethnicities to feel at home in their bodies, despite what Western media may portray.

What is the benefit of having different types of bodies represented in the nutrition and health space?
Habtemariam: Representation fosters a sense of community and belonging. If diverse bodies were adequately represented, more people would feel safe within these spaces.

Marisa Moore, RDN, LD: Representation matters and can have a direct impact on healthcare outcomes. Having providers who can deliver size-friendly care helps reduce biases and other barriers to effective care.

Having different types of bodies represented in the nutrition and health space normalizes that healthiness shows up in many different shapes, sizes, forms, and faces.

Spence: The space is overwhelmingly white, able-bodied, and straight-sized, so people who don’t identify in those categories have a hard time believing that advice or messages can apply to them.

Especially when talking about cultural foods because so many cultural foods are on the “do not eat” lists (white rice, bread, potatoes, tropical fruits, etc.) that diet culture gives out until the industry finds a way to make a profit off of them.

Christie Melonson, LPC and Regional Psychotherapy Director with Mindpath Health: This legitimizes the fact that different types of bodies exist naturally, and that people are supposed to look different. This emphasizes the idea that one size does not fit all.

Valerie Agyeman, RD, and Women’s Health Dietitian with Flourish Heights: There is also a lack of imagery all around, especially when it comes to skin complexion and even hair textures.

There is a gap and the only way for it to be filled is if the mainstream media puts more diverse faces and voices at the forefront of wellness.

Kneeland: I feel it’s the very least that we can do right now. Good lord, can we just have regular people being shown?

It just seems like the simplest way to make things a tiny bit less oppressive, because when you see people of all shapes and bodies and abilities and genders represented, then you are in a position of being able to see yourself.

Soto: Body diversity is real, so we need people of all body types and abilities doing all types of movement and just living life.

“Representation matters and can have a direct impact on healthcare outcomes. Having providers who can deliver size-friendly care helps reduce biases and other barriers to effective care.”
— Marisa Moore, RDN, LD

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Hopes and lessons for the future
These experts are doing their part to shift the state of our health systems, either by consulting with businesses and organizations about how they treat their employees or working directly with folks who want to better their overall health.

They shared some of their lessons learned thus far and their hopes for healthcare moving forward.

What have you learned about your own body through this work?
Habtemariam: My needs are ever-changing. There is no such thing as a perfect way for me to eat or move my body. It changes depending on the season of life that I’m in.

Melissa Alazraki RD, CDCES of Culina Health: I am a woman in America and came of age in the 90’s, so I have plenty of my own noise around weight and body and eating behaviors — I’m on the journey too.

How to Find Wisdom in Food Cravings, Plus 7 Ways to Make Peace With Them
Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN, Nutrition — By Crystal Hoshaw on December 23, 2022
The craving upside
What's underneath
Techniques
Tips
Takeaway
This is Present Tense, a series on mindfulness for busy people (read: all of us). Whether you're at work, on a walk, or hanging with loved ones, mindfulness can help you stay connected and engaged – no matter what the circumstances.
If you’re human, you’ve probably had a food craving.

From jonesing for your favorite sweets to comforting memories of mom’s home cooking, there are plenty of reasons you might have the urge to reach for a certain food.

While you may desire a certain food due to its nutritional content, much of the time food cravings can have emotional roots.

Instead of looking at cravings as something to resist, ignore, or stamp out altogether, it’s possible to gain insight from food cravings as a way to meet the deeper needs hiding underneath.

Here’s how to mine the wisdom your food cravings hold to find peace in your relationship with food.

Why food cravings aren’t the enemy
If diet culture is to be believed, food cravings are something to be controlled and resisted. But what if there’s another approach?

While food cravings can have many causes, they can often indicate that deeper feelings and stressors that are lurking under the surface.

Instead of restrictive dieting, intuitive eating embraces desire as something to be celebrated and enjoyed.

According to a 2021 reviewTrusted Source, intuitive eating is considered an adaptive mental health strategy that’s connected to several positive outcomes, including increases in:

positive body image
self-esteem
overall well-being
A 2020 study followed 1,491 participants from adolescence to young adulthood. At an 8-year follow-up, continued intuitive eating practices were associated with lower incidences of a number of disordered eating behaviors.

This included lower odds of:

high depressive symptoms
low self-esteem
high body dissatisfaction
unhealthy weight control behaviors like fasting and skipping meals
extreme weight control behaviors like taking diet pills or vomiting
binge eating
According to Geneen Roth, author, speaker, and compulsive eating workshop leader, an intuitive approach to food cravings can transform them into a source of liberation.

In her book “Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything,” Roth details her own journey with disordered eating and how she came to lead workshops to support others going through the same thing.

Her philosophy is based on the idea that dieting isn’t so much about food and weight loss as it is about a sense of inner lack.

PRESENT TENSE
“Compulsive eating is only the symptom; believing that you are not worth your own love is the problem.”
—Geneen Roth, “Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything”

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Roth teaches that embracing the desire for food as natural, safe, and trustworthy is to reclaim the inner voice that’s often overridden by popular messaging about dieting, weight loss, and what it means to ‘eat healthy.’

“It’s never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale,” writes Roth. “When we start defining ourselves by that which can be measured or weighed, something deep within us rebels.”

Similar to Roth, food freedom and holistic wellness coach Sloane Elizabeth first experienced her own difficulties with food before she became a guide to others.

“I had my own history with disordered eating and body image struggles, and that’s what ultimately inspired me to help other women,” she says.

For Elizabeth, food cravings were actually covering up a fearful need for control.

“I realized that it wasn’t really about the food at all, but it was about control issues and perfectionism,” she says. “Food just so happened to be the thing that I used to express that fear.”

Though she was encouraged by the increasing popularity of intuitive eating, Elizabeth felt there was another layer to be unpacked.

“I was just seeing kind of more surface-level stuff about intuitive eating, like ‘just eat what you’re craving’ and that’s kind of it,” she says. “That wasn’t enough for me to heal.”

PRESENT TENSE
“I realized that it wasn’t really about the food at all.”
—Sloane Elizabeth

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The truth underneath compulsion
If food cravings are covering up deeper feelings, repressing or controlling them doesn’t ultimately solve anything.

10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Cinnamon
Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds. Some research suggests that it may help you manage blood sugars, protect against heart disease, and reduce inflammation.

Cinnamon is a spice that has been prized for its medicinal properties for thousands of years.

In recent years, modern science has started to confirm many of the potential health benefits associated with cinnamon.

Here are 10 health benefits of cinnamon that are supported by scientific research.

1. Contains powerful medicinal properties
Image credit: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock
Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner bark of trees scientifically known as Cinnamomum.

It has been used as an ingredient throughout history, dating back as far as Ancient Egypt. It used to be rare and valuable and was regarded as a gift fit for kings (1Trusted Source).

These days, cinnamon is affordable and widely available in most supermarkets. It’s also found as an ingredient in various foods and recipes.

There are two main types of cinnamon (1Trusted Source):

Ceylon cinnamon: This type is also known as “true” cinnamon.
Cassia cinnamon: This is the most common variety today and what people generally refer to as “cinnamon.”
Cinnamon is made by cutting the stems of cinnamon trees. The inner bark is then extracted and the woody parts removed.

When it dries, it forms strips that curl into rolls, called cinnamon sticks. These sticks can be ground to form cinnamon powder.

The distinct smell and flavor of cinnamon are due to the oily part, which is very high in the compound cinnamaldehyde (2).

Scientists believe that this compound is responsible for most of cinnamon’s powerful effects on health and metabolism (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).

SUMMARY
Cinnamon is a popular spice. It’s high in cinnamaldehyde, which is thought to be responsible for most of cinnamon’s health benefits.

2. Loaded with antioxidants
Antioxidants protect your body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals (5Trusted Source).

Cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants, including polyphenols (1Trusted Source).

One study found that cinnamon supplementation could significantly increase antioxidant levels in the blood while reducing levels of markers used to measure inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (6Trusted Source).

In fact, the antioxidant effects of cinnamon are so powerful that it can even be used as a natural food preservative (7Trusted Source).

SUMMARY
Cinnamon contains large amounts of highly potent polyphenol antioxidants.

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3. May have anti-inflammatory properties
Inflammation is incredibly important, as it helps your body respond to infections and repair tissue damage.

However, inflammation can become a problem when it’s chronic and directed against your body’s own tissues (8Trusted Source).

Cinnamon may be useful in this regard. Studies show that this spice and its antioxidants have potent anti-inflammatory properties (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).

SUMMARY
The antioxidants in cinnamon have anti-inflammatory effects, which may help lower your risk of disease.

4. Could protect against heart disease
Cinnamon has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death around the globe (11Trusted Source).

According to one review, supplementing with at least 1.5 grams (g), or about 3/4 of a teaspoon (tsp.), of cinnamon per day was able to reduce levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and blood sugar in people with metabolic disease (12Trusted Source).

Another review of 13 studies found that cinnamon could reduce triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, both of which are risk factors for heart disease (13Trusted Source).

Cinnamon has also been shown to reduce blood pressure when consumed consistently for at least 8 weeks (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).

When combined, all of these factors could help reduce your risk of heart disease.

SUMMARY
Cinnamon may improve some key risk factors for heart disease, including cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.

5. Could improve sensitivity to insulin
Insulin is one of the key hormones that regulate metabolism and energy use (16Trusted Source).

It’s also essential for transporting blood sugar from your bloodstream to your cells (16Trusted Source).

However, some people are resistant to the effects of insulin. This is known as insulin resistance, a hallmark of conditions like metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (17Trusted Source).

While more research is needed, some studies suggest that cinnamon may be able to reduce insulin resistance (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).

By increasing insulin sensitivity, cinnamon can lower blood sugar levels and support better blood sugar control.

SUMMARY
Cinnamon has been shown to significantly increase sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which may improve blood sugar control.

6. Helps lower blood sugar levels
Cinnamon is well known for its blood-sugar-lowering properties.

Apart from the beneficial effects on insulin resistance, cinnamon can lower blood sugar through several other mechanisms.

First, cinnamon has been shown to decrease the amount of sugar that enters your bloodstream after a meal.

It does this by interfering with numerous digestive enzymes, which slows the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive tract (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).

Second, a compound in cinnamon may mimic the effects of insulin to improve the uptake of sugar into the cells (22Trusted Source).

Numerous human studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of cinnamon, showing that it can lower fasting blood sugar levels and improve hemoglobin A1c, a marker of long-term blood sugar control (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).

The effective dose is typically 1–6 g, or around 0.5–2 tsp. of cinnamon per day (24Trusted Source).

SUMMARY
Cinnamon has been shown to reduce fasting blood sugar levels when used in doses ranging from 1–6 g or 0.5–2 tsp. per day.

7. May have beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by progressive loss of the structure or function of nerve cells (25Trusted Source).

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are two of the most common types (25Trusted Source).

Certain compounds found in cinnamon appear to inhibit the buildup of a protein called tau in the brain, which is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (26Trusted Source).

In a 2014 study in mice with Parkinson’s disease, cinnamon helped protect neurons, normalized neurotransmitter levels, and improved motor function (27Trusted Source).

However, these effects need to be studied further in humans.

SUMMARY
Cinnamon has been shown to lead to various improvements for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in animal studies. However, human research is lacking.

8. Cinnamon may protect against cancer
Cinnamon has been widely studied for its potential use in cancer prevention and treatment.

Overall, the evidence is limited to test-tube and animal studies, which suggest that cinnamon extracts may protect against cancer (28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source).

It acts by reducing the growth of cancer cells and the formation of blood vessels in tumors and appears to be toxic to cancer cells, causing cell death.

One study in mice with ovarian cancer found that cinnamaldehyde could block the expression of certain proteins involved in cancer growth (31Trusted Source).

These findings were supported by test-tube experiments, which showed that cinnamaldehyde could reduce the growth and spread of ovarian cancer cells (32Trusted Source).

However, more research is needed to evaluate the potential anti-cancer effects of cinnamon in humans.

SUMMARY
Animal and test-tube studies indicate that cinnamon may have protective effects against cancer. More research in humans is needed.

9. May prevent bacterial and fungal infections
Cinnamaldehyde, one of the main active components of cinnamon, may be beneficial against various kinds of infection.

Test-tube studies suggest that cinnamon oil could help kill certain fungi that cause respiratory tract infections (33Trusted Source).

It may also inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, including Listeria and Salmonella (34Trusted Source, 35Trusted Source).

Plus, the antimicrobial effects of cinnamon may also help prevent tooth decay and reduce bad breath (36Trusted Source).

However, the evidence is mostly limited to test-tube studies, so more research in humans is needed.

SUMMARY
Cinnamaldehyde has antifungal and antibacterial properties, which may reduce infections, as well as tooth decay and bad breath. Further research in humans is needed.

5 Hacks This Nutritionist Uses to Master Meal Prepping For beginners and even experts, meal prepping can seem like a chore. Instead of letting that deter you, learn how this nutritionist and registered dietitian simplifies the process. Stick to these five tips to make meal planning time-saving, cost-effective, and relaxing.

Nutrition in Daily Life: A Trinbagonian Dietitian's Journey The multicultural cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago, my home country, informed how I think about food and wellness — as complex, diverse, and intertwined. As a dietitian, I'll show you how I consider nutrition in my daily life.

Healthy Eating Is Human: Joys, Challenges, and 3 Things You Can Do
What it means for me
Seeing the big picture
It can be challenging
3 things I do
Bottom line
If you ask a group of people what eating healthy means to them, you’ll probably get a different answer every time.

For some, healthy eating means reining in a fast food habit or consuming more fruits and vegetables, while for others it may mean occasionally enjoying a piece of cake without feeling guilty.

Still yet, those who have certain medical conditions and even food allergies may conceptualize the concept of healthy eating in their own unique way.

In short, there’s no single right answer to what healthy eating means.

Healthy eating is human, and as humans, we all have different wants and needs, which inevitably affect our food choices.

What’s more, what healthy eating means to you may even change throughout the different stages of your life as you grow and adapt to your ever-changing needs.

This article explores the human side of healthy eating, and I provide my own go-to tips to make it easier.

SKC/Stocksy United
What healthy eating means for me
The definition of healthy eating has changed for me a couple of times in the past few years.

By the time I was in college, healthy eating was about following nutritional guidelines and doing everything by the book. However, it meant that my view of the food on my plate had changed. I went from seeing meals I enjoyed to only seeing nutrients.

Suddenly, I went from seeing traditional Costa Rican gallo pinto — or rice and beans — to seeing complex carbs and plant-based proteins.

Then, when I started practicing as a nutritionist, the notion that a dietitian should look a certain way or fit into a specific body type led me to believe that healthy eating meant measuring my food to know exactly what I was consuming. I would eat whatever I wanted, as long as the nutrients I needed were accounted for.

I gave my body everything it needed to be healthy, but healthy eating goes beyond the nutrients. It’s also about how it makes you feel, and with food being an essential part of culture and social events, eating should be something we enjoy.

Today I have a different approach to healthy eating. I’m far more flexible with my meals, and I understand that balance is key to being nourished and happy with food.

Healthy eating now means that, most of the time, I make sure to have food from all food groups on my plate without measuring anything or thinking about plant-based vs. animal-based protein or simple vs. complex carbs.

It also means that I get to enjoy a bit of everything — including sweets, fast food, and desserts — with moderation and without the need to measure or account for it.

As you can see, finding the balance that worked for me didn’t happen overnight. On the contrary, my definition of healthy eating has been changing as I’ve gone through the different stages of my life.

As long as you aim to nourish your body and listen to what it needs, you can also give healthy eating your own meaning, because healthy eating is for everyone.

SUMMARY
For me, healthy eating is about nourishing your body and being at peace with food at the same time. Your definition of healthy eating may change over time as you mature and your priorities change.

Seeing the bigger picture
As with many things in life, eating healthy doesn’t always end up as you planned.

You may find yourself stuck at work late at night or too tired to prepare a home-cooked dinner, and that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t order take-out and actually enjoy it.

If healthy eating means being flexible with what you eat, you’ll need to learn to adapt to the circumstances, which may happen more often than not.

In cases when I’m choosing food on the spur of the moment, I try to opt for the best choice out of what I’m given. Whenever I can, I try to order the closest thing to a home-cooked meal or go for a sandwich, salad, or bowl.

Yet, sometimes I do crave some pizza — so I eat and enjoy that, too!

At times like this, I remember to see the bigger picture. That is, that healthy eating is not defined by single meals but by the choices we make day after day.

A close friend once told me a saying that goes, “One bad meal will not make you sick, just as one good meal will not make you healthy.”

SUMMARY
When it comes to eating healthy, one meal doesn’t define your habits — your overall food choices do.

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It may be challenging sometimes
When you’re a dietitian, many people think that eating healthy comes naturally to you. Yet, we’re human beings, too, and we love dessert and crave foods like anybody else.

In my case, one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to face was when I had to give up most carb-containing foods to manage recurring infections.

Carbs are present in many food groups, including grains, starchy vegetables, legumes, fruit, and dairy. They’re also present in processed foods and sweets.

Experts often categorize them into two groups according to their fiber content (1Trusted Source):

Whole grains: retain their naturally occurring fiber
Refined carbs: are processed to remove their fiber and contain added sugar
In theory, I was supposed to eliminate refined carbs, which some people would argue is the healthiest thing to do.

However, in practice, I ended up giving up all kinds of processed carbs, including whole wheat bread and pasta, alongside starchy vegetables, grains, and dairy.

Thus, the list of carb-rich foods I could eat was limited to fruits, oats, quinoa, and legumes — lentils, beans, chickpeas, and edamame.

Some people told me that this transition wouldn’t be so hard for me as a dietitian. However, it took me a while to adjust to my new eating pattern, especially when planning on-the-go snacks or eating out.

I learned that organization and creativity are key to managing my nutritional needs.