Yoon Hye-jin, 46, says she eats this dish daily to keep her ballerina physique

Former ballerina Yoon Hye-jin, 46, recently shared the healthy meal she has been eating often these days. It is a light dish piled with vegetables such as cabbage and cucumber, with tuna added for protein. While the combination works well for weight management, people with high activity levels should be cautious about eating meals with almost no carbohydrates, like this one, at every sitting.

Yoon recently posted a photo of the dish on her social media account with the caption, "What I've been eating every day lately." The plate held shredded cabbage, cucumber, tuna and seaweed, topped with sesame sauce.

"This may not look like much, but it tastes amazing," Yoon wrote, also showing herself wrapping the cabbage, cucumber and tuna in the seaweed like a lettuce wrap.

A former principal dancer with the Korea National Ballet, Yoon married actor Uhm Tae-woong in 2013, and the couple have a daughter. Having kept up consistent exercise and body management, she drew attention this year by returning to the ballet stage for the first time in about a decade.

The biggest advantage of Yoon's meal is its low energy density. Cabbage and cucumber are high in water content and relatively low in calories. They also contain dietary fiber, which helps keep portions substantial while controlling overall calorie intake.

Cutting portion sizes too drastically while dieting can trigger intense hunger, making it hard to stick with a diet over time. Eating plenty of low-calorie, high-volume foods like vegetables can help build a satisfying plate while keeping the calorie count down.

Tuna serves as the protein source in this meal. Protein not only helps maintain satiety after eating but also plays an important role in minimizing muscle loss during weight loss.

This is especially true for people in their 40s and beyond, who need to pay attention to muscle maintenance, not just the number on the scale. Since muscle mass and strength tend to decline with age, sufficient protein intake paired with regular strength training is recommended.

The US National Institute on Aging also recommends getting protein from a variety of sources — fish and seafood, eggs, lean meat, beans and nuts — as part of a healthy diet.

Adding seaweed is another way to round out the meal's nutrition. Seaweed contains various minerals, including iodine. However, those who frequently eat large amounts of seasoned seaweed should also watch their intake of added oil and sodium.

The plate in the photo contains almost no obvious carbohydrate source, such as rice, sweet potato or whole grains. While this can work as a way to keep one meal light, it would not be accurate to conclude that a diet is healthier simply because it lacks carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are the body's primary energy source for physical activity. This is especially true for high-intensity activities like ballet, where consuming far less than the body needs can hurt performance and lead to fatigue.

When managing weight, it is more realistic to adjust the type and amount of carbohydrates consumed rather than eliminating them altogether. That means cutting back on foods made with sugar or refined grains while eating brown rice, mixed grains, whole grains, beans and sweet potatoes — foods that provide fiber and other nutrients — in amounts suited to one's activity level.

So there is little issue with building one light, vegetable- and protein-centered meal like Yoon's, as long as other meals provide enough carbohydrates. On the other hand, maintaining a similarly low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet for all three meals a day over a long period could lead to shortfalls in energy and various nutrients.

When managing diet in middle age and beyond, it is important not to focus solely on weight loss but also to look after muscle and bone health.

Yoon's plate includes tuna as a protein source, but there is no need to rely on the same food every day. Rotating protein sources — eggs, tofu, beans, chicken and various kinds of fish — can help diversify a diet's nutritional makeup.

Women in particular need to pay attention to bone health after middle age. Getting enough calcium and vitamin D, along with consistent weight-bearing and strength exercises, can help. While the meal Yoon shared does not include dairy or foods fortified with calcium or vitamin D, there is no need to fit every nutrient into a single meal — what matters more is achieving balance across a full day's meals.

The nutritional content of the sesame sauce and canned tuna can also vary by product. Sesame itself contains unsaturated fats, but some store-bought sauces are high in sugar or sodium. Tuna, too, differs in calories and fat content depending on whether it is packed in oil or water.

A meal like Yoon's — rich in vegetables and paired with protein — can be a good option for weight management. However, what determines a healthy diet is not a single plate but balance across an entire day. Consuming carbohydrates, protein and fat in amounts suited to one's activity level, while also caring for muscle and bone health after middle age, is the way to maintain a healthy body over the long term.