A well balanced meal must also contain the right amount of sodium (around 1,500 for 9 to 18 years old) and the right amount of calories. Make sure to limit your portion size. Don't eat a 16 oz. steak, try to eat a smaller steak. If you get too much of one, it's as bad as not getting any! Try to use all (or more) calories than you eat to stop those excess calories from turning into fat. Try not to eat fatty foods like french fries or cheeseburgers. Try not to eat sugary foods like candy. Once in a while is okay, but too much is not ok. Eat carbohydrates also. Carbohydrates should be your bodies main source of energy. Carbohydrates slowly release energy rather than sugar which releases it all at once and doesn't leave any for later in the day. About one third of your meal should consist of these. The best kind are the ones found in whole grains. (Remember those whole grain cereals than you saw at the supermarket but never bought because you thought they tasted like cardboard). Before a game, eat an orange to fill you with natural, good sugar rather than processed.
Below is what you should be having every day:
Example:
An example for a well balanced meal is:
Breakfast:
You could have a lettuce wrapped apple with cheese inside on a loaf of bread and with some protein rich walnuts on the side. The lettuce is the vegetable, the apple is the fruit, the cheese is the dairy, the walnuts are the protein and the bread is the grains. Simple, fast, and healthy!
Lunch:
You could have a sandwich with bread (of course), fish, your favorite leaves, tomatoes and a slice of cheese. The bread is the grains, the fish is the protein, the leaves are the vegetables, the tomatoes (technically) are fruits and the cheese is the dairy. Fish is also high in Omega-3.
Dinner:
You could have a small steak (not a large one!), with a mixed salad consisting of leaves, and your favorite fruit mixed with quinoa (look it up here if you don't know what it is) all washed down with a cup of milk. The steak is the protein, the leaves are vegetables, the favorite fruit is (obviously) fruit and quinoa is considered grains while the milk is dairy.
