The Foundational Five: A Simple Way to Eat Well Every Day
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with all of the information out there telling you how to eat well?
There are so many questions we ask ourselves when preparing or planning meals:
Do I have enough protein? Am I getting all of my nutrients? Will this keep me full? Is this going to taste good and be satisfying?
Here at Nutrition Stripped, we’ve “stripped” eating well down to a simple template — which we call the Nourish Meal Template using the Foundational Five — that you can follow at each meal.
No counting macros. No need to eliminate foods from your diet. And no fancy fads.
In this blog, you’ll learn why you should use our Nourish Meal Template including the Foundational Five elements of nutrition when preparing your meals and how it can help make you more consistent with your healthy eating habits.
WHY THE NOURISH MEAL TEMPLATE WITH THE FOUNDATIONAL FIVE WORKS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
I’m so excited to share the simple checkbox system I’ve been using for almost a decade with thousands of clients, with you because it’s going to help you feel so much more confident and at ease when you go to make a meal, knowing you have a well-balanced plate with a quick check.
The Foundational Five and Nourish Meal Template are 1 of 3 elements that I teach in our proprietary Method and framework with our members to create long-lasting healthy eating habits with ease.
This system is rooted and inspired by nutrition science 101 in balancing macronutrients for health. As Dietitians we’re taught all about the MyPlate and Diabetic Plate Method, both of which provide a guide for how to organize your plate with macronutrients. Our Nourish Meal Template including the Foundational Five elements of nutrition is our spin on the classic model including the Flavor Factor which is unique to Nutrition Stripped.
Before we dive into each macronutrient and refresh you on the basics of nutrition, it’s so important to honor that food plays more roles in your life than physical nourishment. That’s where our Flavor Factor really comes into play.
Food should also be a source of enjoyment, pleasure, be satisfying, and taste delicious! The Flavor Factor really celebrates that not only are we focusing on balancing the macronutrients, but we’re also focusing on flavor!
Before we jump into exactly what makes up the Foundational Five and how you can start using it in your daily life, it’s important for you to understand why we take this approach to nutrition here at Nutrition Stripped.
Well-Balanced Meals
Of course, when we’re talking about nutrition and caring for your wellbeing, we want to make sure that you’re nourishing yourself. At the same time, we don’t want anyone to feel that eating healthy is difficult, time-consuming, or taking away from the joy in life.
That’s why we use a really simple template — the Foundational Five Elements of nutrition — to make it easy for you to look at your plate and know you have a well-balanced meal, without needing to follow strict rules or count anything.
This template ensures each and every meal is packed with all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs so you can feel satiated (full), energized, and well-nourished so you can tackle your day and know that you’ve cared for your health.
The Nourish Meal Template is a made up of a variety of nutrients to refer to whenever you’re creating or building a meal. It’s made up of five elements of nutrition:
Protein + Fat + Starchy or Sugary Carbohydrates + Non-Starchy Carbohydrates + Flavor Factor
The Foundational Five elements include the three major macronutrients, which is nutrition science 101 taught as dietitians! These include carbohydrates broken down into two subcategories based on their function, as well as the flavor factor.
No Counting or Tracking
We’ve all been on one of those diets or plans where you have to count and track everything you eat. While that might work for some people for a short-term fix, that’s not realistic to maintain 365 days a year for your whole life.
Most of the time, we’re not eating in situations where it’s even possible to track every ingredient, use measuring cups to dish out a portion, or know what’s even in the dish. We go out to eat, we eat at our friends’ or our family’s homes, etc. That’s what normal life looks like!
That’s why counting and tracking don’t work for our everyday life and why it becomes cumbersome or not even possible to keep up with. And when you’re not able to count and track something, you then don’t have the skills you need in order to navigate your food choices.
This is why so many people get stuck in the start-and-stop cycle that prevents them from maintaining healthy eating habits in their day-to-day life.
Rather than counting or tracking anything, we do a visual check to ensure all five elements are on the plate and learn the portion sizes that work best for each nutrient and our personal hunger levels.
Freedom to Enjoy All Foods, With No Foods Labeled as “Off-Limits”
As soon as you label a food as “off-limits” or “bad,” you become hyperaware, hypersensitive, and focused on that food choice.
When you’re face-to-face with these foods, you then may feel the lack mentality which causes you to want to overindulge in that food because you don’t know when you’ll be able to have it again since you’ve labeled it “off-limits,” rather than being able to enjoy a serving and be fully satisfied.
With the Foundational Five, the focus is on adding a wide variety of foods to your day and ensuring that you’re eating in a balanced way, rather than by removing foods (with the exception of if something must be eliminated because of an intolerance, allergy, or medical conditions).
Here’s what one of the members from The Method Membership by Nutrition Stripped shared about the Foundational Five:
“I think it’s more free knowing that I have so many choices of what to eat now. Portions are a little different and I’m definitely eating more regularly so I think I have a lot more energy. This weekend I had pizza and like knew that it was ok and for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel guilty. I had a side salad with it, drank extra water, and the next morning I went back to my normal routine. I have food freedom now. Now I eat a ton of different foods and never feel restricted.”
With Simplicity Comes Consistency
One thing we know to be true is that things that come easy to us are easier to maintain. It’s what we do on a consistent basis — not what we do every once in a while — that can truly impact how we feel, our health, and ultimately our lives. That’s why the Nutrition Stripped Motto is: health is a daily practice!
So we like to keep things simple!
The Nourish Meal Template using the Foundational Five Elements of nutrition makes it easy for you to look at your plate and do a visual check to see that you have everything you need. It also is the perfect way to make in 15-minutes, perfect for weekday lunches and dinners so that you can be consistent with eating this way.
It can be used at any mealtime for any type of meal — a nourish bowl, soup, salad, smoothie, or yogurt bowl, you name it and it works. Plus, it can also be slightly altered to fit any individual’s personal needs.
So now that you know how this way of eating can support you and your healthy eating habits, let’s break down exactly what The Foundational Five is so you can use it at your next meal!
HOW TO EAT WELL WITH EASE USING THE FOUNDATIONAL FIVE
First and foremost, we want to utilize whole foods as often as we possibly can.
What exactly do we mean by whole foods?
The real stuff, food components that are as close as they can be to their natural state; whole grains, beans, legumes, fruit, vegetables, healthy fat, and protein for example.
Remember, this is just a guideline. Each and every individual’s interpretation of the Foundational Five will look a or opt for a vegetarian or vegan style diet, the Foundational Five will still work for you.
Now that we know the basics, let’s start talking specifics.
Protein
Protein is the first component in our Nourish Meal Template using the Foundational Five elements of nutrition.
It’s an important macronutrient to have in each of our meals for quite a few reasons. From helping to ensure that you feel full after your meals, to having a hand indigestion, muscle and tissue synthesis as well as immune health and various additional functions — it’s safe to say protein is vital.
Protein also makes up every cell in our bodies including the cells that make up your skin, hair, nails, muscle tone, digestive tract, and so much more. Since protein is involved in every cell in our body, it’s important to both eating enough but also eat the best quality when possible.
Some examples include beans, legumes, tempeh, tofu, seitan, quinoa, nuts, seeds, nut butter, grass-fed lean beef, eggs,eafo, poultry, and more.
When shopping for animal-based proteins, look for options labeled with: organic, 100% grass-fed, wild-caught , and humanely raised to help denote a good choice.
If you’re purchasing from the butcher counter, ask them about the sourcing and share specifics of what you’re looking for so you get the best quality!
Fat
Next up we have, for the most part, we’re referring to unsaturated fat here. Of course, there are some exceptions to this overarching statement.
Unsaturated fats primarily consist of plant-based and seafood-based fat sources. Think of extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butter, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines. We also recommend coconut and coconut oil, which is technically an unsaturated fat but an exception to the overarching guideline, and you can read more about why
In a meal, fat is essential for satiety (or fullness). Yes, protein plays a part in this as well, but fat certainly plays the lead role.
Omega-3 fats, for example, found in fatty fish and some plant-based sources have been shown to improve cardiovascular health and support brain health.
It’s also key for proper nutrient absorption. Certain vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are all fat-soluble, meaning they need a fat source in order to be properly absorbed. These are the vitamins that keep our brains, cells, hormones, tissues, hair, skin, and nails healthy.
Adequate fat intake is even important for organ insulation as well as cellular and hormonal health.
Those are just a few of the reasons healthy fats are so important to eat on a daily basis.