There are plenty of reasons to eat: hunger, taste, comfort, aesthetic experience, to be social, to celebrate, or maybe even out of anxiety or compulsion, but the one reason we often forget about is the simplest of all — NUTRITION! We eat to give our bodies and minds the energy and nutrients they need to function and renew themselves. That’s what chef, nutritionist, and registered dietician Katie Cavuto Boyle is all about — nutrition, and how to get it into you.

As anyone who cooks for the public surely knows, these past few years have seen an explosion of special dietary needs and preferences: diabetic, heart-healthy, lactose-/dairy-/gluten-/soy-free, low-carb, “paleo diet”, veganism, and various degrees of vegetarianism. People are getting very specific about what they can’t, shouldn’t, or don’t want to eat, so Chef K spent some time discussing how to respond to these limitations with flavorful, satisfying foods.

Human nutritional needs are actually pretty simple if all you want to do is stay alive — a few carbs, some protein, a bit of fat. These are the macronutrients. For long-term good health, though, you also need the right micronutrients, namely vitamins, minerals, and acids. It’s pretty complex stuff if you really want to get into it, but with cooking healthier, more nutritious food is really just as easy as cooking anything else, and it doesn’t have to be boring or bland. Chef K laid out a basic three-part strategy for creating food that’s not only healthier, but also very appealing and satisfying. Simply put, pay attention to 1) color, 2) texture, and 3) flavor-building, and better nutrition will generally fall into place on its own.

Color: The more colors on the plate, the more nutrients are likely to be in the food. More richly colored foods tend to be higher in antioxidants, too. (And no, this does not apply to your Fruity Pebbles!) The micronutrients in whole foods are also much more ‘bio-available’ than those in dietary supplements, so eating your nutrition is usually better than just swallowing it in a pill. The colorful-plate strategy is actually a good way to get more veggies and fruits on the plate, not only for their nutrients, but for their healthful fiber as well. I went home and tried the color strategy on an Indian lamb korma dish (1 color, tan), to which I added cremini mushrooms, spinach, and butternut squash (total of 4 colors!). The original recipe was good; my colorful version was great, and certainly more nutritious with all those colors!

Texture: If you’re going to reduce ingredients like meat, dairy, and fat, you have to build texture (aka, “mouth-feel”) in other ways. You can duplicate the expected textures with healthier alternatives, like replacing cream and butter in soups and sauces with pureed white beans or silken tofu, or replacing meat with seitan or tempeh. Or, you can just forget about trying to mimic those conventional ingredients and simply highlight interesting new textures. Straight rice is boring, but add some crunchy nuts, some chewy dried fruit, an additional grain, and/or some savory bits of cooked meat and it starts eating like a meal. Shape is important, too; thinly cut celery is refreshing, diced celery an irritating chore. The other day I made a batch of Asian sticky rice with diced chestnuts, wilted kale, shiitake, scallions, and a few bits of Chinese sausage — hardly any meat or bad fat in there, but it was still very satisfying, and I think pretty nutritious. (I was pleased to get the kale in there, with all its calcium, iron, fiber, and Vitamins A, C, and K. “Eat more kale!” say the bumper stickers and organic farmer t-shirts, and this is why.)

Flavor: Sometimes the healthier, nutrient-rich foods, particularly vegetarian ones, can be too subtle and need some flavor-building TLC. Lentils, for example: A grilled beef burger is tasty and satisfying as it is—what with all that animal fat and protein—but a lentil burger probably needs a little help. (I hated lentils for years because of my dear Grandma Lois’ bland lentil burgers; her intentions were good, as were her Swedish meatballs), but she was just out of her element flavoring-wise. Chef K undoubtedly has many flavor-building techniques in her arsenal, but the ones she highlighted this day involved fresh herbs, dry spices, and acids. Herbs, and citrus zests, too, easily add bold, fresh flavors. Spices (think India, Thailand) add richness, depth, and exotic aromas. Acids (vinegars, citrus, wines) brighten and pull other flavors together. If a dish seems a bit flat, try a spritz of lemon before reaching for more salt. Instead of salt itself, try naturally salty ingredients like olives, capers, feta, hard cheeses, or anchovies, which also contribute their own distinct flavors and textures. If you’re cooking grains, add spices to the cooking liquid, or cook them in a flavorful tea infusion, like mint or green tea. And if you need to add a bit of meat — a grilled sausage, some shredded duck confit, whatever — go ahead and do it. By layering flavors on top of one another in the right way, you can build multiple humble ingredients into flavor powerhouses.

To prove her “color-texture-flavor” strategy Chef K had us spend a few minutes assembling and tasting five different salads based solely on grains, produce, and simple seasonings.

Farro, Waldorf-style, was the hearty background for crisp, juicy apples, crunchy walnuts, chewy, sweet-tart dried cherries, and bright herbs, all tied together with rich orange juice and fruity olive oil.

A jasmine-wild rice combo offered a light but chewy mouth-feel dotted refreshingly with thinly sliced celery and herbaceous scallions, accented simply with the nutty crunch of sunflower seeds and a light red wine vinaigrette.

Tri-color quinoa went in two directions: down to the Mediterranean with bold dill and mint, tender, salty olives, creamy feta, piquant red onion, fresh tomato, crunchy cucumbers, and a lemon vinaigrette, then over to the American Southwest with orange pepper, tomato, cumin, cilantro, and lime.

And finally, millet, the tiny tan seed normally associated with the bird feeder, was cooked golden with curry and turmeric into a fluffy, flavorful base for perfectly al dente chickpeas, crunchy carrots, and the flat, smooth nuttiness of toasted pumpkin seeds.

It was shocking how good these were. Honestly, I’d probably be uninterested in eating most of these ingredients on their own; but combined and bound simply with good-quality olive oil and vinegar or citrus juice, they became much more than the sum of their parts, so tasty and entirely satisfying. It was probably the healthiest lunch any of us had eaten in months—and maybe one of the best!