Maintaining a healthy weight, beating cravings and having energy that lasts all day doesn’t need to be complicated, says clinical nutritionist Dominique Ludwig.
She’s back on Age Better to explain why eating in the right proportions transforms everything from weight management and blood sugar to gut health and mood – and why her simple balanced plate model does the hard work for you.
Stream the episode below, or download the recording via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
How to eat for healthy weight loss and fewer cravings
Stop counting calories and start balancing your plate
Dominique doesn’t count calories. Instead, she focuses on proportions.
“When you start to eat your food in certain proportions, everything else starts to balance,” she says. “Whether it’s the protein, the fibre or the fats.”
Her formula is simple:
- ¼ plate protein (chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, beans, lentils)
- ½ plate vegetables
- ¼ plate whole grains or fibre-rich carbs (quinoa, sweet potato, sourdough, beans)
Building meals this way helps us to naturally move closer to what Dominique calls the “triple 30” sweet spot: around 30g of protein per meal, 30g of fibre per day and 30+ plant foods per week.
The result?
“It keeps you fuller for longer, switches off the food noise and helps you maintain your weight more easily because you’re not wanting to snack between meals,” says Dominique.
Why protein and fibre calm cravings
Highly processed, low-protein foods digest quickly. They spike blood sugar, then send it crashing — taking our mood, energy and appetite with it.
By contrast, protein and fibre slow digestion, stretch the stomach and stimulate satiety hormones, including GLP-1 — the same pathway targeted by weight-loss medications.
Fibre also feeds beneficial gut bacteria, which produce compounds that support gut lining health and reduce inflammation. The knock-on effect is better energy, steadier mood and fewer cravings.
“The things that change the quickest are a reduction in cravings, improvements in energy, digestion and mood,” says Dominique.
Flip your breakfast
One of the most powerful shifts is rethinking breakfast.
Instead of a large bowl of granola with a token spoon of yogurt, Dominique suggests flipping it:
- 150–200g Greek yogurt (around 20g protein)
- A small handful of seed-rich granola
- 80–100g berries
While it’s the same ingredients, the different proportions mean a dramatically different blood sugar response.
Research also suggests that eating 20-30% of our daily calories at breakfast is linked to better blood sugar control and lower BMI. In Dominique’s clinic, she often tells overwhelmed clients: just start with breakfast.
Do we need to snack?
For most adults aiming for healthy weight loss, constant snacking may be part of the problem.
“When meals are properly balanced you get bigger plates of food, more nourishing food,” Dominique says. As a result, the urge to snack naturally fades.
Leaving gaps between meals allows the digestive system time to reset, which may help to reduce bloating and support gut health. Finishing dinner at least three hours before bed also gives the body time to repair overnight.
Also in this episode:
- Why calorie counting can work against you (and what to focus on instead)
- How to manage food noise and cravings
- The balanced plate: protein, fibre and healthy fats in the right ratios
- The go-to foods you’ll always find in Dominique’s kitchen
- Why breakfast really is the most important meal of the day (and how to nail yours)
- How to hack hunger hormones with food
- The difference between soluble and insoluble fibre – and which one actually feeds your gut microbes
- Why leaving gaps between meals matters more than most people realise
- Is it time to ditch intermittent fasting?
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Wild Nutrition Food-Grown® Iron Plus – use code LIZLOVES for 15% off
- Omega-3 supplements
- Magnesium supplements
- B-vitamins
More from Dominique:
More from Liz:
- Preorder Liz’s new book – How to Age
- A Better Second Half
- Follow Liz on Instagram
- Follow Liz Earle Wellbeing on Instagram
Get in touch with a question for Liz:
- Email: [email protected]
- WhatsApp: 07518 471 846
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