From Good to Great: How to Supercharge Your Meals by a Registered Dietitian
- rdcdietitian
- Sep 9, 2025
- 3 min read
So many folks assume that to eat well, you need to start from scratch, reinventing all your meals. This is so far from the truth! You can take your tried-and-true favourite recipes—family pasta night, stir-fry, taco Tuesday—and make small tweaks that pack in more nutrients without losing flavour or comfort. As a sport dietitian, I often remind athletes and families that fueling well doesn’t have to mean eating “perfectly,” but it does mean building balanced meals with the right components. Here are some easy ways to give your favourite meals a nutritious boost.
1. Start with the basics: carbs, protein, and fruit/veg
Before making changes, look at your recipe and ask yourself: does it include all three key components?
Carbohydrates give you the energy to train, recover, and stay focused throughout the day.
Protein supports muscle repair, recovery, and satiety.
Fruits and vegetables add fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support health and performance.
If your recipe is missing one of these, that’s your first opportunity to balance it out.
2. Add extra vegetables (the sneaky way works too!)
The World Health Organization recommends at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day—about five portions—to support overall health and reduce the risk of chronic disease (World Health Organization, 2020). To achieve this, the average individual should aim for vegetables and/or fruit to take up 1/2 your plate! For my extra active folks, your plate may be filled with more carbs, but that's another post for another day!
Most recipes can handle more vegetables than you think.Toss an extra handful of spinach into pasta, add bell peppers to your stir-fry, or bulk up chili with carrots, zucchini, or mushrooms. Pro-tip for families with picky eaters: chop vegetables very small or use a food processor to blend them into sauces, soups, or casseroles. Kids (and adults!) often won’t notice the difference, but their bodies will benefit from the added nutrients. It's still important to offer these foods as they are to increase exposure and opportunities for brave tasting but sometimes, you just want to get those veggies in there and I GET THAT. When I "hide" the food, I also tend to offer it on the side either steamed, raw or roasted - whatever is easiest to do while I am already cooking!
3. Choose nutrient-rich carbohydrates
Carbs often get a bad reputation, but they’re a key fuel source for active bodies. The trick is to choose options that bring more than just quick energy. Instead of white bread, try a hearty whole grain loaf. Swap plain white rice for quinoa or brown rice. Mix regular potatoes with sweet potatoes for more colour and antioxidants. Even small swaps like using whole-grain pasta instead of white can increase fibre and micronutrient intake.
4. Add beans, lentils, or legumes
One of the easiest ways to boost nutrition is by stirring in beans or lentils. They add fibre, plant-based protein, iron, and other important nutrients. For example:
Toss lentils into a soup or stew.
Add black beans to tacos or burrito bowls.
Blend chickpeas into pasta sauce for creaminess and a protein boost.
These additions not only improve nutrition, but also make meals more filling and budget-friendly.
5. Think about healthy fats
Don’t forget about fats—they’re essential for hormone health, brain function, and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. Use olive oil for cooking (just not at high temperatures) or in dressings, add avocado to wraps or salads, sprinkle nuts and seeds over oatmeal, or mix chia or flax into baked goods.
The bottom line: You don’t have to give up your favourite meals to eat better. With a few simple tweaks—more vegetables, smarter choices, extra legumes, and nutrient-dense add-ins—you can turn everyday recipes into nourishing meals that support both performance and long-term health.
Are you ready to take the next step in honing in your nutrition strategies for your active lifestyle? Connect with me to book your FREE DISCOVERY CALL and let's get started!
Are you an athlete, parent of an athlete or a coach? Sport nutrition is often a missing piece to the performance puzzle for young, developing athletes. Check out my other biz, BUILT TO PERFORM, and see how we can help you educate and support your team. From nutrition education sessions to being on the ground at training camps and competitions. We are here to help take the guesswork out of nutrition.
Talk soon!
References:
World Health Organization. (2020). Healthy diet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
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