We’ve heard the proverbial phrase “you are what you eat” a million times over. Though the saying itself may feel a bit trite and dated, its message is still spot-on. After all, our bodies thrive on vitamins and minerals, and eating a balanced diet is crucial to ensuring we get the nutrients we need. That said, sometimes we fall short. A modern spin? “You are what you eat—and supplement.”
Learning how to build a healthy plate and supplement strategically doesn’t have to be complicated. Here, we break down what you need to know to optimize your nutrition. Let's dive in!
Key Takeaways
- Well-known dietary advice is common for a reason: The basics work. Nutritional wellness doesn’t have to be difficult or complex.
- Aim for a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods to ensure you're getting the nutrients you need.
- Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables can provide a wide range of phytonutrients that support overall health. Aim for 2 to 4 cups of veg, and 1 ½ to 2 ½ cups of fruits.
- Include protein in every meal to help support bones, muscles, and feel fuller for longer. You need about 0.8 g per kg of body weight.
- Consider incorporating superfoods into your diet to give you an extra nutritional boost. These include berries, kale, and chia seeds.
- To help fill nutritional gaps in your diet, turn to supplements. The same dietary wisdom actually applies. Pick products that: provide a wide array of fruits and veggies and the varied essential nutrients they contain; help you cover your macronutrient bases; deliver nutrient-dense superfoods; and are transparent about their ingredients and testing. We’ve got great options for protein, antioxidants, a full serving of fruits and veggies, and more.
Let’s Start With the Basics
In order to help you assess and optimize your current diet, let’s go back to the basics of good nutrition. Here is some general dietary advice that can help you get started on your journey:
Balance is key. When choosing what to eat each day, aim for a balanced diet that includes a mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each macronutrient plays a crucial role in our body's health and well-being.
Be mindful of portions. Eating the right amount of each type of food is just as important as eating the right foods. Overeating, even healthy foods, can lead to weight gain and other health issues.
Stay hydrated. Water is essential for almost every bodily function. Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Limit processed foods. Processed foods often contain excessive amounts of unhealthy fats, sugars, sodium, and unnecessary ingredients. Try to eat whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible.
Be present when you’re eating. Mindful eating is key to feeling healthy. Pay attention to what you're eating and how it makes you feel. Avoid being on your phone or watching TV at the same time, as being distracted can block your hunger and satiety cues.
Now, let’s do a deep dive into the different kinds of foods to pile on your plate for optimal nutrition.
Eat Lots of Fruit and Vegetables
Are you meeting your daily dose of fruits and vegetables? Statistics suggest many of us aren’t.
MyPlate.gov recommends that adults 19 years of age and older consume two to four cups of vegetables each day.1 Vegetables are a valuable source of nutrients, including vitamins like A and C, minerals like potassium, and dietary fiber.1 They’re also low in calories. Vegetables include leafy greens like kale and spinach; root vegetables like carrots, peppers, and squash; and starchy vegetables like corn, green peas, and white potatoes. Beans and lentils are both a vegetable and protein: MyPlate suggests that when building your plate, count these as part of your protein intake first; then, when you’ve met your recommended serving, count the rest as part of your vegetable intake.
Fruits have many of the same benefits as veggies. For adults 19 and older, it is recommended to consume 1 ½ to 2 ½ cups of fruits daily.2 Fruits are a great source of vitamins, potassium, and dietary fiber.2 Try eating a variety of fruits, which may include apples and bananas, pineapple and watermelon, berries and grapes, or guava, kiwi, and dates.
Make sure to eat a variety of fiber and whole grains, too. Fiber is found not just in fruits and veggies, but also in whole grains (think barley, brown rice, oatmeal), nuts and seeds.
Eat a Rainbow: The Power of Colorful Foods
Speaking of fruits and veggies, you've probably heard the advice to "eat a rainbow" of foods, but what does that really mean? Colorful fruits and vegetables are packed with phytonutrients, which are natural compounds that have numerous health benefits. Here's a breakdown of what the different colors can do for you:
- Red: Foods like strawberries, tomatoes, and cherries are rich in the carotenoid lycopene, an antioxidant, and are great for heart health.3
- Orange and Yellow: Carrots, sweet potatoes, and oranges are high in beta-carotene and vitamin C, which supports immune function and eye health.4
- Green: Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and broccoli are loaded with vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as several B vitamins including folate, and fiber. Overall, they help support bone health, digestion, and overall wellness.5
- Blue and Purple: Blueberries, eggplants, and purple cabbage contain anthocyanins, which have antioxidant properties that support the body’s cells.3
- White and Brown: Don't forget about white and brown foods, like garlic, onions, and mushrooms. These foods contain allicin, which has antimicrobial properties.6
Include Protein With Every Meal
How much protein do you actually need to eat? It’s a topic that has recently become viral on social media, with everyone from fitness trainers to nutritionists sharing their thoughts.
The truth is: It depends. Factors to consider include age, weight, activity level, and health concerns. Talk with a physician or nutritionist to help guide your intake of protein.
According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily allowance for adults is 0.8 g per kg of body weight.7 If you’re working with pounds, convert your body weight from pounds to kilograms first; for example, if you weigh 150 lbs, that would equate to roughly 68 kg. Multiply that by 0.8 g and you get about 54 g of protein as your daily intake.
But why include protein in every meal? Protein is a key building block of your body. It makes up your hair, nails, bones, and muscles and is essential for many functions. Eating enough protein is key for building and maintaining tissues and supporting bodily processes.10
What’s more, protein-packed foods provide other important nutrients as well, including B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and omega-3s if you’re eating fatty fish.1 Not only that, eating enough protein can help you feel fuller for longer.
Additionally, choosing the right protein is key to feeling healthy. Choose lean protein over processed and try to keep your intake of saturated fats to 10% of your daily calories, as an excess of these can affect your heart health.1
Once you’re ready to add protein to your plate, choose between animal and vegetarian sources. Animal sources include red meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Plant-based protein sources include walnuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, tofu, tempeh, garbanzo beans, soy beans (edamame), split peas, and black beans.
The Importance of Variety in Your Diet
Eating a variety of foods is crucial for optimizing your nutritional wellness, for several reasons:
- Nutrient Diversity: Different foods provide different nutrients. By eating a wide range of foods, you ensure that you're getting a broad range of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients.8
- Gut Health: A diverse diet supports a healthy gut microbiome, which is important for digestion and overall health.9
- Preventing Boredom: Let's face it, eating the same foods every day can get boring. Variety keeps your meals interesting and enjoyable.
- Reducing Risk of Deficiencies: Relying on a limited number of foods can increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies. A varied diet helps mitigate this risk.
Superfoods to Boost Your Nutrition
Superfoods are nutrient-dense foods that can give your daily diet an extra boost. Here’s a list of foods you might not know are considered superfoods:
- Chia Seeds: These tiny seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and protein. They can help support digestion and keep you feeling full. Try them in overnight oats or chia pudding.
- Quinoa: This grain is a complete protein; it contains all nine essential amino acids. It's also rich in fiber, iron, and magnesium, making it a great addition to any meal. It can also be used as a substitution for rice to help increase the diversity of foods you eat.
- Kale: Often hailed as a nutritional powerhouse because of its high amount of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as antioxidants and fiber. It's a great leafy green option for supporting overall health.
- Berries: There are so many berries out there to choose from! They are full of nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. Not only that, they are deliciously sweet. When choosing berries, try to vary their color. Opt for reds like strawberries and cherries, and purple and blue ones, like blueberries and maqui.
- Salmon: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin D, salmon is excellent for supporting heart health. It's also a great source of high-quality protein.
Using Nutritional Supplements to Support Good Health
Now that you know pretty much everything there is to know about optimizing your nutrition, we’re sure you’ve noticed that it can be quite tricky to balance all that into your daily meals. That’s why the key to truly optimizing your nutrient intake and finding a healthy balance is to eat AND supplement for optimal nutrition. It’s about being smart, not about eating three to five chicken breasts a day (we know, we’ve been there)!
To help fill the nutrient gaps in your diet and make it easier for you to enjoy your meals, turn to supplements and apply the same rules. Pick products that provide a wide array of fruits and veggies for fiber and nutrient intake, consider your macronutrient needs, deliver nutrient-dense superfoods, and are transparent about their ingredients and testing. We’ve got great options for protein, antioxidants, a full serving of fruits and veggies, and more.
#1 - Seek out formulas with a rainbow of fruits and veggies + an array of nutrients.
We took the adage to heart when creating our Daily Reds, Greens, and Blues powders. Daily Greens delivers two full servings of fruit and veg, including Kale, Barley, and Alfalfa and offers 3 g of fiber per serving. Daily Reds offers nine red superfruits including Tart Cherry, Pomegranate, and Cranberry + Vitamin C. Daily Blues is a mind and mood powder that offers a blues blend featuring organic Spirulina, Blueberry, and Maqui alongside Ashwagandha to help support mental energy, mood, sleep, and occasional stress.** All three are delicious drink mixes, making them so easy to incorporate into your morning smoothie or juice.
#2 - Choose a variety of protein sources that offer a complete amino acid profile.
Protein offers so many benefits, but it can get a little queasy adding in too much from the same sources. It’s super important, but hard to eat the full amount you need every day. That’s why you want to add variety to your intake.
Plant Complete offers a complete amino acid profile in a plant-based formula (which, not to brag, is kind of hard to do). We made it happen by adding a mixture of pea and rice proteins. Our plant-based protein’s smooth texture, easy digestibility, and flavor options between vanilla and chocolate make it the perfect companion to meet your daily protein goals. Take it with you to the gym and enjoy the benefits!
#3 - Supplement with superfoods that pack the nutrients and add joy to your life.
Just as they make great additions to your diet, superfoods make great additions to your supplement routine because they’re overflowing with micronutrients. Superfruits Max Gummies is packed with a 13 superfruit antioxidant blend including Papaya, Beetroot, and Acai Berry + vitamins A, C, E and Zinc.
Need more greens in your diet but can’t stand the taste of broccoli? Supergreens Max Gummies packs them all into a delicious two-gummy serving. This supergreens gummy offers multiple beneficial blends including a pre + probiotic blend for digestive support, not to mention vitamins D and B12.
Optimize Your Nutrition
Eating and supplementing for optimal nutrition doesn't have to be complicated. By focusing on balance, variety, and incorporating colorful foods and superfoods into your diet and your wellness routine, you can easily support your overall health and well-being.**
Take it one step at a time, and feel confident knowing you can get support with supplements to help fill the gaps. Every smart decision leads to a better you. There’s strength in progress, so enjoy the journey and keep on working towards being the healthier person you’ve always dreamed of.
Got more questions? Read The Greatness Files, our wellness blog full of information on nutrition, optimizing your workouts, and how to lead a healthier life.
Follow @zhou_nutrition on Instagram for more fitness and wellness tips!
References
1 MyPlate.gov | Vegetable Group – one of the five food groups. (n.d.). https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/vegetables
2 MyPlate.gov | Fruit Group – one of the five food groups. (n.d.).
https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/fruits
3 Ldn, K. D. M. M. R. (2019, April 25). Phytonutrients: Paint your plate with the colors of the rainbow. Harvard Health.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/phytonutrients-paint-your-plate-with-the-colors-of-the-rainbow-2019042516501
4 Eat the Rainbow: Orange and Yellow | Sargent Choice Nutrition Center. (2012, April 11). © 2025 Boston University. https://www.bu.edu/scnc/2012/04/11/eat-bright/
5 Dark Green Leafy Vegetables : USDA ARS. (n.d.).
https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/gfnd/gfhnrc/docs/news-articles/2013/dark-green-leafy-vegetables
6 Bahare Salehi, Paolo Zucca, Ilkay Erdogan Orhan, et al. Allicin and health: A comprehensive review, Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 86, 2019, Pages 502-516, ISSN 0924-2244, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2019.03.003.
7 American Heart Association. (n.d.). Protein: What’s Enough? heart.org.
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/protein-and-heart-health
8 Clinic, C. (2025, January 7). 4 exciting reasons to rotate your foods. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/eating-the-same-thing-every-day-4-reasons-to-increase-variety
9 Richards, L. (2020, December 3). 29 nutrition tips for better health and longevity. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/nutrition-tips#other-healthful-habits
10 The benefits of protein. (n.d.). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/diet/benefits-protein
