Follow Niki’s 3/2 Rule and Make Choosing the Right Foods as Easy as 1-2-3!
This “rule”, which is really more of a system, came out of me creating customized meal plans for my clients and patients. After laying out who knows how many meal plans, I picked out a pattern I could use that would closely balance their meals and snacks to meet their macronutrient recommendations without having to crunch out all the numbers with a calculator.
Following this rule will make sure you get about 50% of your calories from carbohydrate, 20% from protein, and 30% from fat. This balance of macronutrients ensures you have plenty of carbohydrate to fuel you through your workouts and adequate protein to recover well, but not so much that it replaces carbohydrate. This pattern also provides sufficient fat to have good appetite control and to like what you eat without feeling tired and sluggish post-meal. Keep reading to see how this rule works.
Niki’s 3/2 rule is made up of two simple parts:
Part One = 3 meals/2 snacks
• Eat 3 meals a day including breakfast within one hour of waking up, lunch, and dinner.
• Add 1 or 2 snacks in between meals. Ideally, a morning and afternoon snack will give you the best appetite control into the evening hours.
Part Two = 3 food groups in each meal/2 food groups in each snack.
• At each meal, include at least 3 different food groups.
• At each snack, include at least 2 food groups.
Tip: The 5 food groups are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products or dairy alternatives. You can also refer to the MyPlate model pictured above.
How does such a simple rule work?
• Eating within one hour of waking up gets you ahead of your hunger instead of always chasing it.
• Being ahead of your hunger leads to less impulsive eating, more mindful food choices, and smaller portions.
• Including at least 3 food groups with meals and 2 with snacks tends to naturally balance carbohydrates, protein, and fat without the effort of logging and counting everything.
• When carbs, fat, and protein are balanced your blood sugar levels are more controlled, which curbs cravings and gives you more focused energy all day long.
• This rule forces you to include vegetables and fruits more often improving the overall quality and balance of your diet.
Here are examples of how adding that extra food group will improve your nutrition.
BREAKFAST
Start with: Whole grain cereal and low-fat milk
Add: 2 TBSP sliced almonds
Results in: 100 more calories for better fullness, 9 grams of healthy fat, and another 4 grams protein.
MORNING SNACK
Start with: Apple
Add: Low-fat mozzarella cheese stick
Results in: Another 80 calories for more fullness, 7 grams protein, and provides 20% Daily Value of calcium
LUNCH
Start with: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with mayonnaise
Add: ½ cup spinach leaves and sliced Roma tomato
Results in: A boost of Vitamin C and Vitamin A with a healthy dose of 5 other vitamins and minerals for just 20 more calories
AFTERNOON SNACK
Start with: ½ cup baby carrots
Add: 2 TBSP hummus
Results in: 70 more calories for better fullness with 5 grams healthy fat, 2 grams protein, and 2 more grams fiber.
DINNER
Start with: 6 oz grilled chicken breast with 1 cup white rice
Add: Replace 1 cup white rice with ½ cup brown rice and 2 cups steamed broccoli
Results in: A 75 calorie reduction, and the meal now has 4 more grams of protein and fiber,and it contains the #1 cancer fighting
antioxidant, sulforaphane.
Tip: Depending on your energy needs, you may need to increase your portion sizes or include additional food groups to meet your calorie goal each day.
We need all three macronutrients to be well fueled and energized. This easy rule is a great way to start balancing your nutrition and improving your health, so count to 3 and get started!