One topic that often comes up a lot in the metabolism recovery and intuitive eating sphere is the concept of a balanced diet. It is often recommended that those recovering from eating disorders eat balanced meals in order to get accustomed to eating “normally” again. The problem is that the term balanced can mean many different things to a lot of different people, which leaves many confused about what makes a diet or meal balanced.

Literally Balanced?

“Balanced” from a traditional nutritionist perspective often might refer to a specific amount of carbs, fat, and protein, with the goal of eating a wide range of macro and micro nutrients. While this might be an ideal approach for someone who has little experience with dieting and wants guidance or someone who has nutritional deficiencies, many who have a history of disordered eating ended up where they did, not from lack of knowledge, but by over implementing the knowledge that they have.

Quick Caveat for Those with Anorexia

Before I go on I want to mention a quick caveat for those with severe anorexia. While your long-term goal should be to get to the point where you don’t stress over macros, your first priority should be your health. For some, the best route may be following a specific meal plan at least until your health improves and hunger cues return. A dietician could really come in handy here as this would allow you do work on your health, while not having to personally dwell on the foods you consume.

Stressing Over Marcos

I used to think a balanced meal meant having a proper ratio of carbs fats and protein. I would actually get stressed out if a meal was either too high in carbs or fat. For instance, I would have never ordered spaghetti or pizza because the ratio of protein was far too low to fulfill my requirements of a balanced meal. 

What Macros Have You Avoided?

If you have followed a diet at any point, chances are you have a similar underlying belief that at least one of the macronutrients should be avoided. In mainstream diet culture, for the longest fat was considered public enemy number one, however, now more recently carbs have taken much more heat. Surprisingly, with some quick digging on Google, you’d find that, albeit much rarer, protein has taken its share of the blame as well.

Does this mean that you should focus on eating meals where carbs, fats, and proteins are equally represented, let’s say 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs? 

Well, not exactly. There is a tendency for disordered eaters to go from one extreme to the next. On the surface, it seems that the focal problem is that we have adopted beliefs about food that have led us to avoid certain macros to our detriment. Following this logic, it would appear that the correct approach would be to strictly start eating all macros equally, but this would only swing your obsession from one extreme to the next–extreme moderation.

Extreme Moderation

Many including myself were able to finally shed their negative beliefs about specific macros only to be consumed by the new goal of moderation. However, the truth is that extreme moderation is not moderation at all. The problem is not what our meals look like on the surface, rather but the thinking that is going on below the surface.

It’s the fact that we think so much about the makeup of our meals in the first place.

I am now at the point where I don’t even consider if a meal is too high in carbs or fat, both of which I have avoided in the past. Nor do I worry if a meal has a certain amount of protein – the little benefit that hitting an optimal amount provides, doesn’t compare to the stress of worrying about it. Of course I still recognize if a meal is higher in one macro or another, but I don’t let it bother me or have a strong influence on my choice of meals.

Long-term Vs Short-term Balance

My thoughts on what I consider a balanced diet is much different now than when I was a chronic dieter and disordered eater. Rather than trying to make sure every meal is balanced, I shoot for having a balanced diet long term. With this new thinking, it doesn’t bother me if a meal is purely fat and carbs, because I realize that at some point soon, I’ll end up eating a meal that is mainly protein, and vice versa. My individual meals may not be balanced, but the average of my meals over the weeks and months certainly is.

Help From Your Primitive Brain

Your body actually helps regulate your intake of certain macros, so eating a balanced diet, shouldn’t require much if any awareness. For instance, if your meals have been low in fat the past few days, you will probably feel hungry for a meal that is higher in fat. The same holds true for protein and carbs as well. It’s amazing how once you start listening to your primitive brain instead of fighting it, it becomes a powerful ally.

I never thought that I could just eat anything I wanted to satiety. For years I didn’t trust myself to even try, but now that I have, it is extremely liberating.