With all the different diet crazes around it’s sometimes hard to figure out what healthy meals consist of.  Do you eat carbs, no carbs, low cal, low fat? It’s all so confusing! Well I have found a very simple way to put together healthy meals. It’s as simple as remembering protein and produce.

When you are trying to put together healthy meals that will keep you healthy and aid you in losing belly fat ~ or any other kind of fat for that matter, you have to have both protein and produce.

The protein will give your body what it needs to hold on to and create muscle.  Without protein you will find you lose weight, but some if not a lot of your weight loss will be lean muscle weight.  Now I’m not talking about going over the top and eating an all protein diet. I am talking about making sure you have a small portion of protein at each meal.  It can be a small piece of chicken or fish, some nuts, a piece of cheese, even a tablespoon of peanut butter. However you do it, you have to have some protein with your meal.

Now on to the produce. This is simple enough, just a small portion of fruits or vegetables. Anything that comes in the fresh food aisle is fair game for this part. You can use frozen or canned produce, but it is absolutely best to use fresh fruits and vegetables as often as you possibly can.

You may have noticed the healthy meal equation does not include a starch. Now this threw me for a loop. I was raised to have meat, and something green (produce) and something yellow (starch) on your plate for every meal.  It’s taken me a bit to get over this one, but I realize I am feeling so much better and losing weight with the protein produce equation.

You will have more than enough carbohydrates in your fruits and vegetables, you really don’t need an extra starch on your plate.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you CAN’T eat all those yummy foods. You can, choose wisely, choose whole grain alternatives.   What I am saying is if you are in a pinch, just remember all you need is protein and produce.

It can be something as simple as a turkey sandwich and an apple for lunch. You could have a roasted chicken breast and some broccoli for dinner.

This works out especially well if you are following the concept of eating 6 small meals throughout the day. I had trouble making these meals small. I was having a full meal 6 times a day!  Whew, glad I figured that one out! Now snacks consist of a hard boiled egg and a piece of fruit or some nuts and fruit. Small meals through out the day will definitely add to your weight loss, and you will never feel hungry!

So if you are trying to find ways to put together healthy meals, remember two little words, protein and produce!

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