How to master meal planning 1260x542
26 Feb 2014

How to master meal planning

2 mins to read
Last minute hunting and gathering of food could have a negative impact on your body shape. Avoid leaving decisions about what you're going to eat to the last minute with these tips from weight loss coach Andrew Cate.


Meal planning and weight control
A little planning and organisation can make a big difference to the quality of your diet. It's just like many other aspects of life such as your finances or career, where the more planning and preparation you do, the more likely you are to succeed.

Being organised makes it much easier to stick to a balanced eating plan.
Having healthy foods close at hand for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks will reduce the chances of impulse purchases, or grabbing junk food on the run.

In fact, meal planning may even reduce some of the stress associated with cooking, especially when you are making initial changes to your diet.

You can create meal plans that target specific aspects of your diet which need improving. This could include reducing portion sizes, eating breakfast every day, getting more protein in your diet, or eating 5 servings of vegetables a day.

Plan your meals to manage your weight
A study reported in Appetite examined how meal planning influenced portion size and energy intake.

The study involved 764 participants, who were questioned about different aspects of their diet. The researchers discovered that pre-meal planning is a key determinant of meal size and kilojoule intake. They also discovered that meal-planning was more important than satiation in determining food intake (satiation is the level of fullness you feel during a meal).

These study results stress the importance of planning healthy, moderately portioned meals for weight control. Pre-meal intentions can have even more impact on the total amount of food and kilojoules you eat than the fullness you experience during a meal.

Practical tips on how to plan your meals
Preparation is a forgotten friend when it comes to weight loss. Use these tips to help plan your meals effectively.

  • Set aside a few minutes each week to plan your meals for the next 7 days. Map out each breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack, and add the ingredients to a shopping list.
  • Plan your meals according to scheduled activities, factoring in easy meals on nights where you are likely to get home late and have less time for food preparation.
  • Take into account what’s available in your fridge, pantry and freezer, and be mindful of using perishables to prevent waste. Ideally, you can also plan to use what's available in your herb and vegetables garden.
  • Use your weekends to prepare healthy meals in advance. Store them in the fridge or freezer so you have a stockpile of quick and easy healthy meals that require little or no preparation.
  • Add variety by regularly experimenting with new foods and healthy recipes. Keep pages from magazines, or bookmark pages from your favourite websites. rel="noopener noreferrer" Find inspiration on Pinterest and  create a healthy eating board
  • Don’t lose heart when things stray from your plan. It’s important to remain flexible, and aim for improvement, not perfection. They key is get back onto your meal plan as soon as possible to minimise the damage.
  • If you find it daunting to make your own meal plan, there are numerous meal planning websites and apps on offer

 



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