Interesting post and thinking. I also pay attention to 'balance' when cooking meals. I think in terms of different color (red like tomoto, orange like carrot, green like broccoli, yellow like potato), different tastes (salty, sweet, spicy, sour) and different textures (thick gravy, soupy, dry) and of course different nutritions (protein like fish or meat, vitamins & minerals like vegetables, and starch like pasta or rice or bread). Wow cooking is indeed an art!