Healthy Recipes

The meals and snacks you eat every day play a significant role in your health, affecting immunity, digestive health, bone health, and more.

What’s more, a healthy diet can help you prevent or manage many chronic diseases.

Whether you're a beginner cook or an experienced chef, knowing which healthy ingredients to reach for and building an arsenal of nutritious recipes can play a key role in achieving your health and wellness goals.

Common Questions & Answers

What is the healthiest meal you can make?

There’s no single “healthiest” meal you can make, but in general, a healthy meal contains a balance of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and lean protein. It also ideally contains plant-based foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans and legumes.

Start with a lean protein such as skinless chicken, salmon, or beans and lentils. Then fill your plate with fiber by choosing a whole grain such as quinoa or brown rice, a vegetable like broccoli, and a fruit like berries.

If you’re consuming 2,000 calories per day, aim for 2 cups of fruit, 2 ½ cups of vegetables, 5 ½ ounces of protein, 3 cups of low-fat dairy or fortified soy milk, and 6 ounces of grains (at least half of which should be whole grains).

Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Benefits of Healthy Eating for Adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 14, 2024.
  2. Gropper SS.  The Role of Nutrition in Chronic Disease. Nutrients. January 28, 2023.

ALL HEALTHY RECIPES ARTICLES

See All Articles