Nutritionist shares recipes, tips to make 1 meal fit 2 different health goals

Let’s be honest, cooking at home can sometimes be a challenge when trying to balance convenience, taste preferences, and different dietary needs.

Rather than reinventing recipes from scratch to find dishes that meet multiple health goals for one household, nutritionist and registered dietitian Maya Ferrer appeared on “Good Morning America” ​​to share her simple approach to making meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner using the same ingredients instead of creating two completely different recipes.

“If you’re trying to consciously and deliberately lose weight or build muscle, this shouldn’t be a crash diet. You need to get in some protein, fat and carbohydrates,” Ferrer explained.

Feller said that while the thought of losing weight might make some people want to skip meals, “it’s not like that.” “You have to eat meals — breakfast, lunch, dinner. You don’t have to be afraid of carbs for weight loss, because they’re actually nourishing your gut and your digestion.”

A nutritionist helps you meet two different health goals with one meal

In this example recipe, Ferrer focused on two health goals: weight loss and muscle building, and shared a breakdown of carbs, protein, and total fat for each.

Breakfast: Protein pancakes

For a jump-start in the morning, she recommends protein pancakes with fruit for a phytonutrient boost.

For a menu focused on building and maintaining muscle, she suggests three pancakes with two types of fruit, berries, sliced ​​banana, chia seeds and date syrup.

By Ferrer’s calculations, this version contains 15 grams of protein, 13 grams of fat and 51 grams of carbohydrates.

For a weight-loss version, she suggests enjoying just two pancakes and one fresh fruit, topped with a fruit compote.

This version contains 10 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, and 35 grams of carbohydrates.

Lunch: Sandwich

For the second meal, Ferrer suggested sandwiches and wraps using the same basic ingredients but adding different ingredients, such as hummus instead of avocado.

Muscle Building Ingredients
2 slices of sprouted grain bread
3 ounces turkey pâté
1/3 cup thinly sliced ​​carrots
1/4 cup sliced ​​cucumber
1/4 bell pepper (sliced)
1/4 avocado

This version gives you 22 grams of protein, 21 grams of fat, and 40 grams of carbohydrates.

Weight Loss Ingredients
2 slices of sprouted grain bread
3 ounces turkey pâté
1/3 cup thinly sliced ​​carrots
1/4 cup sliced ​​cucumber
1/4 bell pepper (sliced)
1 tablespoon mustard

This version gives you 17 grams of protein, 10 grams of fat, and 37 grams of carbohydrates.

Dinner: Tacos

Who doesn’t love a homemade taco night? Feller says you can still enjoy tacos that meet your health needs, even if your family or partner eats something different. The difference here is the total portion size, and leaving out the beef and avocado if weight loss is your health goal.

Muscle Building Ingredients
3 100% corn tortillas
3 ounces lean ground beef
3 ounces black beans
4 ounces shredded lettuce
4 ounces tomatoes
2 ounces shredded cheese
1/4 cup avocado

This version gives you 42 grams of protein, 24 grams of fat, and 43 grams of carbohydrates.

Weight Loss Ingredients
2 100% corn tortillas
2 ounces black beans
3 ounces shredded lettuce
3 ounces tomatoes
1 ounce shredded cheese

This version gives you 24 grams of protein, 19.6 grams of fat, and 60 grams of carbohydrates.