What is Balanced

Diet

What It Is
Balanced Diet is a food preparation which provides complete nutrients as well as
supplies carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber in their normal
proportions. It is the basis for all diet modifications.

Some Tips

Eat 3 meals a day instead of frequent ones or eating between meals.

Establish a regular eating habit.
Eat a heavy breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a light supper.
Eat food of the right kind, at the right time and interval, in the right
amount, and in the right condition of mind (eating in a relaxed
atmosphere is ideal).
Have at least a 5-hour interval between meals for digestion to be
efficient. Last meal of the day should be taken at least 3 hours before
sleeping.
Eat more fresh fruits instead of rich desserts.
Eat at least one serving of dark green leafy vegetables a day.
Eat more unrefined, unprocessed foods.
Avoid tea, coffee, alcoholic and carbonated beverages (soft drinks).
Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day between meals.
Include a variety of foods each meal.
1

Take time to enjoy your food. Do not hurry.

Balanced Diet
3 - Day Plan
Day 1
Breakfast

Banana

Potato-egg omelet

Whole wheat bread

with margarine

Unpolished rice

Soy coffee with milk

Lunch

Ginataang vegemeat

Unpolished rice

Fresh pineapple

Day 2
Breakfast

Papaya

Fried
tocino

Boiled
camote
with butter

Unpolished rice

Warm milk, no sugar

Tokwa adobo
Sauteed squash and
string beans

Unpolished rice

boiled nuts

Supper

vegetarian

Lunch

Sweet-and-sour
gluten

Boiled
tops

Unpolished rice

Baked, boiled
fried nuts

camote

or

Supper

Sauteed
beans

Unpolished rice

Fruit
delight

mongo

gulaman

Day 3
Breakfast

Apple

Tempura chunks

Pandesal with cheese

Boiled malunggay

Unpolished rice

Champorado

Unpolished rice

Fresh buko

Salabat

Soymilk

Lunch

Vegetarian
apritada

Supper

Chili beans

Day 1
Breakfast

Banana

Potato-egg omelet

Whole wheat bread with margarine

Unpolished rice

Soy coffee with milk

Potato-Egg Omelet
Ingredients

1/2 kilo medium-size potatoes,

peeled, diced

1 cup oil for deep frying

1/2 piece medium-size

pepper, chopped

1/2 piece medium-size onion,

chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

red

3 eggs, well beaten

Salt to taste

Procedure

Boil potatoes until almost cooked. Drain.

Mix all ingredients well, except oil.

Fry in small individual servings or in a bigger size to be cut later.

Place on an absorbent material such as table napkin or cheese cloth

to reduce fat.

Serve hot with sauce or ketchup.

Good for 6 persons. 1 slice per serving.

Whole wheat bread with margarine

Unpolished rice

Soy coffee with milk

Unpolished rice

Unpolished rice is a high-fiber

energy food. It is also a rich
source of B complex vitamins.
Unpolished rice, also called brown
rice or pinawa, is recommended
because it is rich in Vitamin B and
fiber. However, unpolished rice
requires more water. Red rice is
another variety seasonal rice; it is
generally sold semi-polished.

Soy coffee with milk

Lunch

Tokwa adobo

Sauteed squash and string beans

Unpolished rice

Baked, boiled or fried nuts

Tokwa adobo

Ingredients
3/4 kilo tokwa (hard
soybean curd), sliced or
diced
1 cup vegetable oil for
deep frying
1/4 cup calamansi (lemon)
juice
1 head garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cream of
mushroom powder (optional)
Salt to taste
Procedure

Marinate tokwa in calamansi juice, garlic, bay leaf, soy sauce, salt,
and cream of mushroom powder overnight. Drain.
Fry tokwa to desired browning. Serve hot.
Good for 6 persons. 1 slice or 1/2 cup diced per serving.

Sauteed squash and string beans

Ingredients

1 medium bundle or 3
cups string beans, cut into
1-inch length
1 cup squash, cut into
medium-size strips
1 cup gluten, cut into
medium-size strips, fried
1/2 piece medium-size
onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water
Procedure

Saute garlic and onion.

Add string beans, squash and 1/2 cup water.
Cook until string beans and squash are slightly tender. (Do not
overcook to preserve bright color.)
Season with salt. Garnish with fried gluten strips. Serve hot.

Good for 6 persons. 1/2 cup per serving.

Unpolished rice

Supper

Ginataang vegemeat

Unpolished rice

Fresh pineapple

Ginataang Vegemeat (Vegetarian Meat)

Ingredients
3/4 kilo vegemeat, cubed, slightly
fried, drained
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 small piece ginger, cut into
small strips
1 small bay leaf
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
Salt to taste
Procedure
Combine all ingredients except coconut milk.
Simmer until liquid is reduced a little.
Add coconut milk.
Boil for 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve hot.
7

Good for 6 persons. 1/2 cup per serving.

Note: If vegetarian meat (vegemeat) is not available, substitute fish.

Unpolished rice

Fresh pineapple

Day 2
Breakfast

Papaya
Fried vegetarian tocino
Boiled camote with butter
Unpolished rice
Warm milk, no sugar

Fried Vegetarian Tocino

Ingredients
3/4 kilo vegetarian tocino,
sliced
2
pieces
medium-size
cucumbers, sliced
2
pieces
medium-size
tomatoes, sliced
Procedure
Slightly fry vegetarian tocino.
Arrange on a platter.
Garnish with cucumber and tomato slices. Serve hot.
Good for 6 persons. 1 slice per serving.
Note: Cucumbers and tomatoes give this recipe a high-fiber identity. If
vegetarian tocino is not available, substitute fish.

Boiled Camote (Sweet Potato)

Ingredients
1 small piece sweet potato
(1/2 of 11 cm long by 4 1/2
cm or 1/2 cup) per serving
Procedure
Boil camote. Remove skin.
Cut into desired size.
Coat with either jam, jelly,
peanut
butter
or
butter/margarine.
Serve hot.
Note: Butter/margarine is not allowed for low-fat diet.

Unpolished rice

Warm milk, no sugar

10

Lunch

Sweet-and-sour gluten
Boiled camote tops
Unpolished rice
Baked, boiled or fried nuts

Sweet-and-Sour Gluten
Ingredients
3/4 kilo gluten, sliced, fried
Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 medium-size carrot, cut
into flowerettes
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
4 pieces medium-size calamansi (lemon)
Salt to taste
Procedure
Mix cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, calamansi juice, and water in a
saucepan until smooth.
Cook over medium fire. Add salt to taste.
Stir until boiling. Add carrots and pineapple and cook until half done.
Add gluten and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve hot.
Good

for

persons.

1/2

to

3/4

cup

per

Note: Fish (with fins and scales) may be substituted for gluten.

11

serving.

Boiled Camote (Sweet Potato) Tops/Leaves

Ingredients
4
small bundles camote
tops/leaves
1
small onion, cut into
quarters
1/2 small ginger, sliced
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cup hugas bigas (rice
water)
Salt to taste
Procedure
Sort camote tops/leaves. Wash thoroughly.
Cook ginger and onion in boiling hugas bigas.
Add tops/leaves and vegetable oil. Season with salt.
Serve hot with broth.
Good for 6 persons. 1 cup per serving.
Note: Mature leaves are as nutritious and as edible as the tops of young
leaves

Unpolished rice

Baked, boiled or fried nuts

12

Supper

Sauteed mongo beans

Unpolished rice
Fruit gulaman delight

Sauteed Mongo Beans

Ingredients
2 cups cooked mongo beans
(mung bean, green)
1 cup tokwa (tofu), cut into
medium-size strips, fried
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
1 piece medium-size onion,
sliced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
finely
2 cup hugas bigas (rice water)
Salt to taste
Procedure
Saute garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
Add boiled mongo beans and hugas bigas. Season with salt.
Simmer for 3 minutes stirring while cooking.
Add tokwa. Cook for another 3 minutes.
Serve hot.
Good for 6 persons. 1/2 to 3/4 cup per serving.

Unpolished rice

Fruit Gulaman Delight

13

Ingredients
1 bar gulaman (agar)
2 teaspoons honey or molasses
or 3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup fruit juice, unsweetened
2 cups water
Fruits
(grapes,
mangoes,
pineapple, bananas, apples)
Procedure
Boil gulaman in water until dissolved. Remove from fire.
Add fruit juice and honey or substitute.
Strain as mixture is poured into a mold. (Let it gel.)
After straining, add any of the following:
6 slices medium-size ripe mangoes (cubed or diced)
42 pieces medium-size grapes (halved)
1/2 small pineapple (sliced crosswise, blanched)
3 small apples (stripped)
3 big bananas (sliced crosswise).
Chill until firm.
Good for 6 to 10 persons. 1 slice per serving.

14

Day 3
Breakfast

Apple
Tempura chunks
Pandesal with cheese
Champorado
Salabat

How to Prepare Tempura Chunks

Ingredients
3/4 kilo vegetarianchunks or
choplets or gluten
1 small pack (60 to 70 grams)
tempura powder
1/4 cup water
Oil for deep frying
Tomatoes (optional)
Cucumber(optional)
Atsara
(pickled
papaya)
[alternative]

Procedure
Make a batter out of tempura powder with water until hotcake mix
consistency is attained.
Dip vegetarian chunks in batter. Deep fry.
Garnish with tomatoes and cucumber or with atsara, if desired.
Good for 6 to 8 persons. 2 pieces per serving.
15

Pandesal with Cheese

Rice

16

Salabat (Ginger Ale)

Ingredients
1 medium-size ginger
4 cups water
Procedure
Wash ginger thoroughly. Add
to water and boil for 5
minutes.
Add honey or brown sugar to
taste. Serve warm.

Lunch

Vegetarian apritada
Boiled malunggay
Unpolished rice
Soymilk

Vegetarian Apritada/Afritada
Ingredients
1/2 kilo gluten or vegemeat,

cubed
1 cup potatoes, cubed, halffried
1 medium-size carrot, cubed
1 cup peas, canned or frozen
1 medium-size bell pepper,
squared
3 segments garlic, crushed
1 medium-size onion, sliced
3/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
for sauteing
Salt to taste
Cornstarch or bread crumbs (optional)

Procedure
Saute garlic, onion, pepper and tomatoes.
Cook until tomatoes are well done.
Add soy sauce. Simmer.
Add gluten, potatoes, carrots, and peas.
Continue cooking for another 5 minutes over low fire or until the

mixture is well-blended.
Add liquid then thicken with cornstarch or bread crumbs, if desired.
Season with salt.

Good for 6-8 servings. 1/2 cup per serving.

Boiled Malunggay (Horse Radish Leaves)

Ingredients
8 cups malunggay leaves, free

from hard stem

6 cups water
1
medium-sized
onion,
quartered
1 small ginger, peeled, sliced
Salt to taste

Procedure
Pour water in deep pan. Add

onion and ginger and boil for 5

minutes.
Add malunggay and boil for another 3 minutes. Season with salt.
Remove from fire right away to preserve bright green color and
nutrients.

Cook this recipe just before serving time.

Good for 6 to 8 servings. 3/4 to 1 cup per serving.

Rice

How to prepare Soymilk

Formulate your own soy milk. Drink and enjoy its
refreshing taste. You can be sure of its quality
protein and zero cholesterol.
Ingredients
2 cup fresh soybeans
Water
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Procedure
Soak soybeans in water for at least 6

hours. Rinse thoroughly.

Grind soybeans or blend with water
at high speed.
Extract soybean milk by squeezing,
using cheese cloth (katsa).
Add water to soybean milk to make 8 cups of liquid.
Cook soy-milk in a kettle over medium flame. Bring to a boil, stirring
occasionally.
Lower fire and keep kettle uncovered. Simmer for at least an hour.
Add salt and sugar to taste.
Let cool. Serve hot or cold.

Good for 6 person. 3/4 cup per serving.

Supper

Chili beans
Unpolished rice
Fresh buko

Chili Beans
Ingredients
2 cups red or white kidney

beans, boiled
2 cups gluten, ground or
chopped
2
medium-size
segments
garlic, crushed
1/2
medium-size
onion,
chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 pieces tomatoes, sliced
3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 small hot chili or
1/4 chili powder (if desired)

Procedure
Saute garlic, onion, pepper and tomatoes.
Cook until tomatoes are well done.
Add chili or chili powder, soy sauce and gluten. (Add water if needed.)
Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add beans.
Continue cooking for another 5 to 7 minutes over low fire.
Good for 6 to 8 persons. 1/2 to 3/4 cup per serving.

Rice

Preparing Buko Juice

Buko (Young coconut fruit)

Procedure
Cut, slice, grate or puree buko meat.
Mix with buko water (preferably fresh).
No sugar and milk.