Meals should contain multiple components— not just simple carbs and proteins, but a balance of nutrients. The key is also to load your plate with antioxidant-rich foods (i.e. fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds— foods from plants) to lower inflammation, promote a healthy gut flora, and ultimately prevent diseases. A simple method for building a healthy, balanced plate is to make:

• ½ the plate non-starchy vegetables (e.g. greens, eggplant, carrots, cucumbers, celery, beets). 
• ¼ the plate whole grain (e.g. quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, bulgur, teff, oats, sorghum) OR starchy vegetables (e.g. potatoes, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes).
• ¼ the plate beans, lentils, or other plant-based protein. 
• Fruit may be used as a side, snack, or even dessert (for some meals, such as breakfast, it may make most sense to have 1/2 your plate or bowl be fruit instead of vegetables).
• Add some healthy fat (e.g. diced avocado, nuts, seeds, and nut/seed butters)

*Mixed dishes won’t be so easy to eyeball, but the idea is there should always be a lot of non-starchy veggies in the dish. If you are having a mixed dish with very few non-starchy veggies, then make sure to take a smaller portion of the mixed dish and load up on a veggie side. Or consider if you can add more vegetables to the dish! Breakfast may look a little different, with more fruit and less veggies— but don’t limit yourself to veggies only at lunch and dinner.