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We spoke to 40 dietitians, nutritionists, longevity scientists, and gut health researchers.
They shared their best nutrition advice, most of which follows the Mediterranean diet.
Many suggested meals pack in multiple nutrients at once, like protein and fiber.
On the surface, eating well seems simple enough. Eat whole foods. Cut down on ultra-processed snacks.
It gets more complicated once you start focusing on specific nutrients. Striking the right balance of protein, fiber, carbohydrates, healthy fats like omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals can feel like a full-time job.
Luckily, there are people out there whose job this actually is. We spoke to over 40 registered dietitians, sports nutritionists, longevity scientists, and gut health researchers, all of whom shared their best diet advice with us this year.
Incidentally, a lot of it overlapped. Many tips were aligned with the Mediterranean diet, considered the healthiest diet in the world. Plenty of meals also tackled multiple nutrients at once, making it easier to hit targeted nutrition goals.
Whether your goal this year is to lose fat, build muscle, or boost your gut health, here’s a meal plan full of bang-for-your-buck recipes — no guesswork required.
Start off strong with a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast
Greek yogurt is packed with protein, and fruit adds fiber. alvarez/Getty Images
It doesn’t hurt to get as many nutrients in as you can, as early in the day as you can.
At the same time, it’s easy for common breakfasts — like cereal or bagels — to skimp on important nutrients like protein and fiber.
“A meal where people — I don’t say under-consume protein — but that tends to be carbohydrate-heavy is breakfast,” Stuart Phillips, a protein researcher, told Business Insider.
Eating a high-protein and high-fiber breakfast not only assures that you get some good nutrients in, but it also keeps you fuller for longer (especially after a morning workout).
Some options include:
Greek yogurt with berries and granola. Phillips particularly loves this combo because Greek yogurt has fewer carbs and more protein than regular yogurt, and toppings like berries, nuts, and granola add more fiber and protein.
Overnight oats with fruit and chia seeds. If you’re not a fan of yogurt, oatmeal offers a similar amount of protein and can be topped with the same high-fiber fixings.
Eggs with cottage cheese, vegetables, or whole-grain toast. More of a savory person? Eggs are an incredibly versatile source of protein. You can pair them with smoked salmon, avocado, and whole-grain toast, as longevity scientist Dr. Eric Verdin does, or stir in cottage cheese can also up the protein content of a veggie omelette or baked egg bites.
Pack in the veggies (and beans) for lunch
Bean salad packs in fiber and protein. krblokhin/Getty Images
Most Americans don’t consume enough fiber, which is crucial for good gut health, heart health, and weight management.
Kevin Hall, one of the US’s top nutrition scientists, shared a great fiber tip with Business Insider earlier this year: Add more veggies to every bite. Even if you use ultra-processed ingredients (like store-bought salad dressing), packing in more vegetables helps you feel fuller and gets you closer to getting your recommended daily fiber intake.
Another great hack? Beans. Kylie Sakaida, a registered dietitian and cookbook author, previously told Business Insider that she often focuses on plant-based protein sources like beans and legumes because of their high fiber content.
Eating about one cup of beans a day can also help reduce inflammation and bad cholesterol. Plus, they make for a very cheap lunch.
A few high-fiber lunch options include:
A vegetable-packed grain bowl, salad, or stir-fry. Emily Leeming, a microbiome researcher in the UK, recommends adding fermented foods like kimchi and pickled vegetables for added gut health benefits.
A bean salad. You can mix black beans or chickpeas with other vegetables, herbs, and cheese to make an easy — and filling — salad.
A veggie-filled wrap or sandwich using easy protein sources like canned fish. Rob Hobson, a sports nutritionist, keeps his fridge stocked with canned tuna and tofu for quick lunches.
Strategize your snacks
Smoothies are an easy way to pack in protein, fiber, and other nutrients. miniseries/Getty Images
Eating enough protein in a day can be challenging, especially if you’re trying to build muscle.
Morgan Walker, a sports dietitian, said one of the best ways to hit your goals is to pack protein into your snacks. Personally, she likes to snack on smoothies with protein powder or low-fat Greek yogurt topped with fruit, nuts, and dark chocolate.
Snacks are also great vehicles for eating more fiber. Dr. Susan Bullman, a cancer and gut health researcher, often snacks on pears, one of the highest-fiber fruits.
For satiating snacks, try:
A protein-powder smoothie. For a nice gut health kick, Bullman suggested swapping milk for kefir.
Fresh fruit and nuts. Federica Amati, a nutritionist and medical scientist, said this combination gives you a good dose of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. She usually eats an apple with mixed nuts. To add more protein and feel fuller, you can also sprinkle these on top of some Greek yogurt.
Homemade kale chips or roasted chickpeas. If you lean more savory and always crave chips, Sophie Trotman, a registered dietitian, recommended batch-making these snacks to add more fiber and micronutrients.
Sheet-pan dinners are your friends
Sheet-pan dinners are highly customizable and easy to pull together on busy weeknights. gbh007/Getty Images
At the end of a long day, you want something simple that still helps you eat enough protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Sheet-pan dinners are one of the best and versatile ways to pull together a home-cooked meal without making it your whole evening. Roxana Ehsani, a sports dietitian, previously told Business Insider that she regularly bakes chicken, salmon, or sablefish along with vegetables like sweet potatoes or broccoli for a quick, nutritious meal.
“I chop a little bit, throw it in the oven, and then I can go shower and get ready,” Ehsani said. “It just gives me all those nutrients in one.”
A sheet pan dinner featuring a lean protein, vegetables, and grains or brown rice. Dr. Kurt Hong, a nutrition researcher, recommends choosing fish like salmon or halibut because they offer omega-3s, which are important for brain health.
Easy tacos or fajita bowls. These are relatively quick to whip together with canned beans and roasted vegetables.
Whole-wheat or lentil pasta with protein and vegetables. Eating carbs is important, but it also depends on which ones you choose. Whole-wheat or lentil pasta is an easy swap that has more health benefits than regular pasta. You can roast veggies like peppers and mushrooms in the oven and mix them in at the end.
Eat the desserts you want (in moderation)
You can batch-prep dough and bake whenever you crave a cookie. Grace Cary/Getty Images
Ultra-processed foods, which are often highly palatable, can cause you to overeat about 500 calories a day, according to Hall. At the same time, he doesn’t advocate for completely eliminating them.
“I don’t stand on my soapbox to claim to know all the answers,” he previously told Business Insider.
Completely restricting dessert isn’t just difficult (and pretty miserable); it can actually backfire and prompt you to overeat. Tara Schmidt, lead dietitian for the Mayo Clinic diet, previously told Business Insider that better alternatives include eating smaller portions, making more nutritious swaps, and going out for dessert (instead of having a ready supply at home).
Some great dessert options include:
“Nice” cream made with fresh fruit and dairy. Ehsani loves blending frozen mango with dairy milk (which can also be swapped for Greek yogurt).
A few squares of dark chocolate (with less sugar). Leeming likes to eat dark chocolate (with 85% cacao for more heart health and fiber benefits than other kinds of chocolate), paired with fruit. For a more substantial dessert, Rhiannon Lambert, a nutritionist, likes to make chocolate, peanut, and date bars.
Whatever you want, just in smaller amounts. Walker said she prepares and freezes dough balls to bake a few cookies at a time for her family, rather than eating a full plate at a time.
