Rebalancing Your Diet: How to Do It

A balanced diet means gradually bringing the way you eat closer to the official guidelines, with no diets and no forbidden foods. In practice: start from what you really eat, pick two or three easy changes, stick with them, then add more. The guidelines from Santé publique France (the French public health agency) set the direction (more fruit, vegetables, pulses and wholegrain cereals; less sugary and salty foods, processed meat and red meat), and the method matters as much as the direction: small lasting steps beat big changes abandoned after three weeks.

👉 Free tool: Calorie deficit: work it out in 30 seconds, no sign-up.

This guide explains where the gaps usually are, how to take stock of your eating, which changes give the most for the least effort, and how to keep them up over time.

Balanced diet or weight-loss diet: the real difference

A weight-loss diet aims for fast weight loss, often at the price of banned foods. A balanced diet aims first at the quality of what you eat, and any weight loss comes as a bonus. The French National Authority for Health (HAS) says so clearly in its recommendations on overweight: people should be encouraged to improve their diet even if they do not lose weight, because it brings other health benefits.

Restrictive diets also carry risks. In 2010, Anses (the French food safety agency) analysed popular weight-loss diets: their energy intakes ranged from 574 to 2,600 kcal a day, and more than 80% of the phases of these diets provided more protein than the reference intakes, sometimes two to three times more. The agency pointed to nutritional imbalances and a risk of weight regain. The HAS, in its 2023 care pathway guide, also lists “repeated weight-loss dieting” among the warning signs. Our guide on yo-yo dieting explains this mechanism in detail.

	Restrictive diet	Balanced diet
Goal	Lose weight fast	Eat better for the long term; weight sometimes follows
Foods	Lists of banned foods	Nothing forbidden; some foods to eat more of, others to limit
Duration	A few weeks	No planned end: these are your new habits
Pace	Sudden change	Two or three changes at a time
Reference	Commercial method	Santé publique France guidelines (2019)

Where the gaps usually are

Before changing anything, it helps to know where most adults fall short. The Esteban study by Santé publique France (2014-2016) gives a fairly clear picture:

• only 28% of adults eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day;
• 60% ate neither wholegrain cereals nor pulses over the three days of the survey;
• only 13% reach 25 g of fibre a day;
• only a quarter eat fish twice a week;
• only 22% eat less than 6 g of salt a day.

In other words, for most people a balanced diet is first about adding (vegetables, fruit, pulses, wholegrain cereals) rather than cutting out. That is good news: adding is easier to stick to than removing.

Step 1: take stock of what you really eat

The simplest way is to write down what you eat and drink for a few days, including snacks and drinks. This “food diary” is not a gimmick: a systematic review of 22 studies (Burke, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011) found a consistent association between self-monitoring (recording your food intake, your activity or weighing yourself) and weight loss, while stressing that the level of evidence remains low because of the limits of the studies.

The HAS suggests that doctors look at several points when reviewing someone’s diet. You can use them as a checklist:

• the variety and balance of your meals;
• whether each meal includes foods that keep you full;
• portion sizes;
• the context of your meals (in front of a screen, standing up, in a rush);
• your sensations of hunger, satiety and fullness;
• the use of diet products, fasting or supplements not prescribed to you;
• your alcohol consumption.

Then compare your record with the guidelines. Our guide to the PNNS (the French national nutrition and health programme) sets out the full table; the most useful ones for this first review are: at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, pulses at least twice a week, at least one wholegrain starchy food a day, fish twice a week, no more than 500 g of meat (excluding poultry) and 150 g of processed meat a week, and water as your drink.

Step 2: choose two or three changes, not ten

Santé publique France built its 2019 guidelines around a “small steps” approach: “Every small step counts and ends up making a big difference”. Choose the changes that match your biggest gaps and cost you the least. Some examples of precise goals:

• add a portion of vegetables at lunch and at dinner;
• swap the white bread at breakfast for wholemeal bread;
• have a lentil or chickpea dish twice a week;
• replace the sugary drink at mealtimes with water;
• keep a small handful of walnuts or almonds for a snack.

A precise goal (“vegetables at every lunch”) is easier to keep than a vague one (“eat more healthily”). Once a change has become automatic, move on to the next one.

The swaps that give the most

Some swaps change a lot for very little effort. Here is what they amount to, calculated from the Anses Ciqual table:

Instead of…	Choose…	What you gain
A can of sugary cola (330 ml): 132 kcal, 33 g of sugars	Water	33 g less sugars and 132 kcal fewer
A sweetened fruit-on-the-bottom yoghurt (125 g): 122 kcal, 16.1 g of sugars	A plain yoghurt (125 g): 63 kcal, 5 g of sugars (those of the milk)	About 11 g less sugars
40 g of chocolate cereal: 155 kcal, 10.7 g of sugars, 2.4 g of fibre	40 g of rolled oats: 148 kcal, 0.4 g of sugars, 4.5 g of fibre	10 g less sugars, almost twice the fibre
A glass of orange juice, 100% juice (200 ml): 91 kcal, 19.2 g of sugars, 0.6 g of fibre	An orange (150 g): 63 kcal, 11.4 g of sugars, 4 g of fibre	Less sugars, seven times more fibre
50 g of white bread: 1.4 g of fibre	50 g of wholemeal bread: 3.7 g of fibre	More than double the fibre

These swaps go exactly in the direction of the guidelines: no more than one glass of sugary drink or juice a day, water as the only recommended drink, and at least one wholegrain starchy food every day. Our guides on hidden sugar and empty calories give you more ideas.

Salt and processed foods: cutting down without thinking about it

Salt is the most widespread gap: only 22% of adults stay under 6 g a day according to Esteban. Santé publique France points out that most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods: processed meat, shop-bought ready meals, dried soups, cheese and bread. The salt shaker is therefore only a small part of the problem. A few habits, taken from the 2019 guidelines:

• taste before salting, and do not add more salt to tinned foods;
• reduce the salt you add when cooking and add flavour with spices, aromatic plants, herbs or lemon;
• choose iodised salt when you use salt;
• keep processed meat under 150 g a week, favouring white ham and poultry ham.

For packaged products, the Nutri-Score helps you compare products from the same aisle: the guidelines advise limiting those rated D and E. As a precaution, Santé publique France also recommends choosing foods without additives or with the shortest list of additives, and home cooking whenever possible. Our guide to reading food labels teaches you to spot salt, sugars and additives quickly.

Step 3: work on your environment rather than on willpower

Keeping a change going depends a lot on what surrounds you. Two levers are particularly well studied.

Portion and tableware size

A Cochrane review of 72 studies (Hollands, 2015) shows that larger portions, packages and tableware make people eat more, in adults and children alike. The authors estimate that if exposure to large portions were lastingly reduced across the whole diet, daily energy intake could fall by 144 to 228 kcal in British adults and children, or 8.5 to 13.5%. In practice: serve yourself in the kitchen rather than leaving the dish on the table, use medium-sized plates, and buy the single-serving sizes of foods you tend to finish.

How fast you eat

A review of 21 studies, 8 of which were pooled in a meta-analysis (Kolay, 2021), found that people who do not eat quickly have a significantly lower BMI than those who eat quickly, with a link to waist circumference as well. These are observational studies, which do not prove cause, but slowing down costs nothing: put your fork down between mouthfuls, avoid screens, take your time. Santé publique France also recommends “taking the time to eat and enjoy your food”.

Organisation

Having meals ready limits last-minute choices. Batch cooking is a good way to get there: one cooking session at the weekend, with vegetables and pulses already cooked for the week. The Fabrique à menus (menu builder) on the Manger Bouger website also offers weekly menus built on the guidelines.

A typical balanced day

Here is an example that follows the guidelines, with no calculations. Adjust the quantities to your hunger.

• Breakfast: wholemeal bread or rolled oats, a plain yoghurt, a whole piece of fruit.
• Lunch: a plate with half vegetables, a starchy food (wholegrain if possible) and a source of protein, for example a lentil, feta and tomato salad.
• Snack if you are hungry: a small handful of walnuts and a piece of fruit.
• Dinner: vegetables, fish or eggs, a little starchy food, for example a courgette and feta omelette with wholemeal bread.
• Drinks: water as you like; unsweetened tea, coffee and herbal teas also count towards your fluid intake.

Over the week, plan two pulse dishes, two fish meals including one oily, and limit red meat to 3 or 4 portions. Our guide to eating a balanced diet offers other combinations, and the one on healthy snacks helps with the in-between times.

What if you also want to lose weight?

A balanced diet is sometimes enough to bring weight down, especially when the swaps involve very energy-dense foods: according to the Ciqual table, 100 g of boiled potatoes provide 81 kcal, against 532 kcal for 100 g of crisps. If weight loss is a medical goal, the HAS benchmarks are modest and reassuring:

Lasting weight loss	Benefits described by the HAS
3 to 5% of starting weight	Improved triglycerides and blood glucose, lower risk of type 2 diabetes
5 to 10% of starting weight	Improved blood pressure and cholesterol, less need for medication

For 80 kg, 3 to 5% is 2.4 to 4 kg. When a deficit is needed, the HAS rationale (2011) reports that a deficit of about 600 kcal a day goes with a loss of about 0.5 kg a week, and that diets under 1,200 kcal a day expose you to undernutrition, deficiencies and rebound weight gain. Our calorie deficit and calorie needs tools give you an order of magnitude, and our guide to losing weight healthily goes further. The HAS also recommends tracking waist circumference, not just weight.

Keeping it up over time

• Accept slip-ups: according to Santé publique France, your diet can balance out over several days. One big meal ruins nothing.
• Keep the pleasure: it is the first of the general tips in the 2019 guidelines. Spices, herbs and condiments are a good replacement for salt.
• Move: at least 30 minutes of dynamic physical activity a day, and a break to walk every 2 hours when you are sitting.
• Track your progress in ways other than the scales: number of portions of vegetables, days with a wholegrain starchy food, glasses of sugary drink avoided.
• Get support if you are struggling, or if you have a chronic illness or are on treatment: a doctor or a dietitian can adapt the approach.

Common myths

• “Rebalancing your diet means eating less.” For most people, it is first about eating more vegetables, fruit, pulses and wholegrain cereals.
• “You have to cut out bread and starchy foods.” No: according to the guidelines, starchy foods can be eaten every day, wholegrain at least once a day.
• “Fruit juice counts as fruit.” No more than one glass a day: juice is very sugary and low in fibre.
• “Only fresh vegetables count.” The guidelines specify that fruit and vegetables count in all forms: fresh, frozen or tinned.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a balanced diet last?

It has no planned end: the idea is that the new habits become your normal way of eating. The time it takes for a change to become automatic varies a lot from person to person.

Can you lose weight with a balanced diet?

Often yes, but it is not the only aim. The HAS points out that improving your diet is beneficial even without weight loss. A lasting loss of 3 to 5% already improves blood glucose and triglycerides.

Where should you start?

With your biggest gap, usually vegetables, fruit or sugary drinks. Choose two or three precise goals and keep to them before adding more.

Do you need to count calories?

It is not essential. Writing down what you eat for a few days helps you spot the gaps; the rest comes down to the guidelines and portion size.

Should you see a dietitian?

It is useful if you have a condition (diabetes, high cholesterol, digestive problems), are on treatment, have a history of repeated dieting or have a difficult relationship with food.

This article is for information only and does not replace the advice of your doctor or a dietitian.

Our sources

• Santé publique France, Recommendations on diet, physical activity and sedentary behaviour for adults (in French), 2019.
• Santé publique France, Results of the Esteban 2014-2015 study (in French) (nutrition section).
• Haute Autorité de santé, Overweight and obesity in adults: first-line medical management (in French), rationale, September 2011.
• Haute Autorité de santé, Care pathway guide: overweight and obesity in adults (in French), January 2023, updated February 2024.
• Anses, Risk assessment of weight-loss dietary practices (in French), collective expert report, November 2010.
• Burke L. E., Wang J., Sevick M. A., Self-monitoring in weight loss: a systematic review of the literature, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011, PMID 21185970.
• Hollands G. J. et al., Portion, package or tableware size for changing selection and consumption of food, alcohol and tobacco, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015, PMID 26368271.
• Kolay E. et al., Self-reported eating speed is associated with indicators of obesity in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Healthcare, 2021, PMID 34828605.
• Anses, Ciqual food composition table (in French), 2025.