A meal that meets the following two conditions:
1. The meal has a perfect ratio of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and fiber. A perfect ratio means that if the meal is 2,000 calories, it provides 100% of all micronutrients and fiber recommended by the USDA; if the meal is 500 calories (25% of the consumer's daily calories) it provides 25% of all micronutrients and fiber.
2. The meal has a perfect balance of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats). A perfect balance means that no macronutrient accounts for more than 55% of the calories in a single meal.
A few years ago I was browsing the cookbook section at a bookstore, looking at cookbooks proudly featuring So-and-So's "light" recipes and butter-free pasta sauces and I thought, "I don't want something that is less bad, I want something that is good for me." Then I perused the healthy cookbook section for a few minutes and I thought, "I can't believe this is what we consider healthy."
"Healthy" is an overused, misused and undefined term. There is no legal definition of this word--anyone can use it. A week after the bookstore incident, I was eating at a "healthy" restaurant, staring at my plate thinking, "Just because it's brown and green doesn't mean it's a healthy meal."
So I avoid the use of the words "light" or "healthy". My recipes are Nutritionally complete - click on the link below for a slide show explantion or read the definition in the right column of this page.
