Keep trying. You’ll thank yourself later!
Over the years, the media and other communication outlets have had a strong influence over how most of us live our lives. We have seen the introduction of fad diets, conflicting studies on what we should and shouldn’t be eating, and the launch of various apps and some successful on a fairly large scale companies who promise to help us adopt healthier habits. Sadly, many of these methods don’t get off the ground, or fail us long-term. In this article I’m going to talk to you about one super easy and useful method I use to aid tracking of my food intake and keeping me functioning in a way that works best for me.
When some of us think of meal planning, our minds conjure up a number of mental images that immediately make us think it’s just not worth the effort. It does sound like a long and tedious task, but for successful meal planning, you can start at any time, have any lifestyle and dietary requirements or no specific requirements, plan for just a couple of days all the way up to around two weeks if not for a full month, and you can do it on any budget.
So why does it sound so daunting? What image does it bring up for you?
Some of us will imagine hours of planning, prepping, and then cooking days upon days’ worth of food. Meal prep is unavoidable when preparing a healthy meal and batch cooking is useful for anyone with a busy lifestyle, about to move or redecorate their kitchen, or with dependents. Others will prefer to not even think about what they’re going to eat and simply look in the fridge for weekly shop leftovers. If you can relate to any of these behaviours or scenarios, why not incorporate meal planning to get the most from your food?
While batch cooking can save time and clearing out the fridge will make sure nothing goes to waste, they can fail to give you a wide range of nutrition, as well as something arguable equally important, which is to actually enjoy your food. Meal planning on the other hand can feed into any routine. It can also save you time, money, energy, and possibly your health.
I reintroduced meal planning to my life for the following reasons
It stops me from wasting food and money
Planning meals for the entire week helps me see exactly what I will be eating, what I already have that can be used up, and what I need to buy. This allows me to plan for how something I will only use half of at the beginning of the week, is then finished towards the end of the week to prevent waste.
Because I know exactly what I’m buying, I can create a shopping list alongside it. This helps curb the urge to go off track and buy something on a whim. If I haven’t put it on the list, I can’t put it in the trolley.
It saves on time and effort
I don’t have to think about what I’m going to eat, or realise I have nothing in and have to make an emergency stop at the supermarket after work. Everything I need is already in the house and ready for me to prep and begin cooking, unless I choose something I know will spoil after three or four days and won’t be edible after coming out of the freezer.
To keep food exciting
Seeing all of my meals and snacks laid out stops me from getting bored with my meal choices. Getting humdrum over what I’m eating can only deplete motivation to eat well. I can see everything I’m planning to eat and adjust accordingly, and stop repetition. Plus; gone are the days of looking in the fridge to see what’s left and tapping into my creative juices to make something I end up not even enjoying.
It enables you to make smarter food choices
With my meals fully planned and transparent ahead of time, the ability to adjust accordingly ensures I’m getting a varied nutrition profile for optimal health. I can also keep the monitor previous week so that I can make sure I’m eating different foods as much as I can in a way that is healthy, for the weeks that follow.
For full disclosure; I do plan for incorporating foods that aren’t quite so “healthy”, by adding in foods such as crisps or chocolate. I’m also keen to include once a month a takeaway or something else I enjoy with processed sugar. It’s okay to plan for something unhealthy, as long as you stay on track the majority of the time, and make sure those treats are not comparatively to everything else on your plan, too high in fat, sodium, or sugar. My choices tend to be dark chocolate, and crisps that are baked or popped rather than fried.
I noticed a decline in my cognitive function and general wellbeing, as well as fatigue and poor sleeping patterns
This part does involve a little bit of research if you’ve never reflected on the foods you’re eating, or really don’t know much about nutrition and how certain foods can affect you negatively. If you feel unwell, not quite yourself, like your energy levels are regularly crashing, or your mind isn’t working in the best way it can; using a meal plan could help you assess what might be making you feel the way you feel and make appropriate changes. I noticed I wasn’t eating as much veg as I thought, and was consuming more animal protein and carbs than I would like to. Reducing my intake of these food groups has helped me feel lighter and sharper.
*** If the changes you’ve noticed are drastic, ALWAYS seek medical attention ***
If you can relate to any of my reasons, great, but if not, there are so many other reasons for using a meal plan. Some reasons you might find meal planning useful are:
Slowly introducing new foods to your household
Wanting to lose weight in a healthy way
Wanting to gain weight in a healthy way
Maintaining control in stressful times
If you’re struggling to motivate yourself to take care of your diet
To gain muscle mass
If you’re stuck in a food rut and eating the same foods over and over again
If your skin, hair, or nails are suffering
The above picture took around 3 minutes to create the template, 15 minutes to quickly fill, and another 15 minutes or so to revise after assessment, but I have been at this intermittently for years.
As you can see I have kept fatty meats low, incorporated vegetables and fruit every day, added foods I can use up, left time to have something else on Friday (I tend to do my weekly shop on a Saturday), and kept proteins healthy apart from on Friday morning where I like to give myself a little break and indulge in something different.
Please keep in mind that the foods that you choose should reflect your lifestyle and current health needs. For example, if you are sedentary and your aim is to lose weight, you might want to avoid a takeaway at least for the first few weeks of your journey, and I would also avoid foods like pasta bakes due to the cheese content.
Before changing, I noticed a lot of repetition. Repetition meant I wasn’t getting a wide range of vitamins and minerals, and eating too much of certain consumables which left me groggy. I changed it up every week, and I definitely felt more energised fairly quickly. Within a couple of months my brain was a lot sharper and I no longer craved salty or sugary foods.
Even just a small change in diet can boost mental health, our immune system, metabolism, and confidence.
Are you ready to start planning your meals? Let’s look at how I started
1. The first thing I did was create a small template. I use excel usually, but you don’t even need a computer for this. Just simply list the days and what you think you might want to eat.
2. Once you’ve completed this step, analyse it. Notice patterns and really try to identify what foods you have too much of. The foods that could be hindering you. The foods you’re missing that can help you. Does it look well balanced and varied?
3. Finally, don’t just focus on the meal itself but think about the ingredients you use to cook them and the ingredients which could include some high fat saturated fats or additives. Add in healthier alternatives. If this is a new concept, be gradual and kind to yourself and improve slowly over time with gradual changes.
If you want to change your lifestyle, your diet is a great way to get there, and meal planning is an excellent way to start. Please see below some further tips and advice to take away.
Further tips
Changes happen whether or not we want them to, so carry healthy snacks with you
Do some basic research on what foods could be holding you back dependent on your goal
Seek advice from your GP. Do not make major changes to your diet if you experience extreme changes to how you look or feel
Portion control can be tricky for some. Be careful not to over or under eat what your body is used to initially
Check your hydration levels. Consuming too much caffeine and/or not enough water can lead to increased hunger, poor hair and skin health, impaired cognitive function, weight gain, emotional imbalance, and more
Make your own sauces and dressings with low fat ingredients
It’s okay to make enough to have more the following day. The issue is when there’s too much of this, and these foods don’t have enough variety of nutrients
Know that there will be the odd day where you really can’t be arsed. Persevere. You’ll thank yourself later
But! Remember, it’s okay to try different methods and take time off. Thinking about your diet too much can too come with complication.
***If you are thinking about a major diet change, please consult your GP first and do your research***
Click here for Eat Well with the NHS