Planning: part of healthy eating

Do you find yourself thinking that healthy eating should be easy and natural, without any effort or having to think about it? Well, it can be easy and natural – but it does require some thought. When you have a plan, you can be prepared and then it really is easy.

Having a plan can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. Set it up in a way that suits you. Here I’ll share how I plan, but do it your own way.

I start each morning with a cup of tea and my list (lately I’ve really been enjoying green chai tea with a little soy milk). Actually, I meditate first – then I start the list.

This is when I make a list of what is most important to accomplish for the day – both work related and personal. This sets the tone for my day.

I think about dinner, and if I need to do pre-preparation, it goes on the list. Today we are having baked polenta, which cooks for a long time, so I have a note on my calendar for when I need to put it in the oven. I don’t write down anything about lunch, but I usually think about what I’ll have.

Clients tell me that when they start the morning with exercise, meditation or some sort of reflection that they feel more in control. I always have far more that I’d like to do than I can possibly do – so it is important for me to take the time to prioritize. It is my plan for the day.

I do dinner menu planning on Friday nights or Saturday mornings – mostly because I do my main grocery shopping on Saturday. It is just a simple small spiral notebook where I list the days of the week. You can see my earlier post on menu planning for more details. 

When you have a general idea of what you’ll be eating, you can have those foods on hand. I have typed grocery lists for the main stores where I shop; listing the foods I buy most frequently in the order of the store aisles. It may sound excessive – but it sure makes it easy to make the grocery list and shop.

When you know what you are going to eat and have the foods on hand, then it becomes easy to make good food choices. You don’t have to think about it. It is all right there.

Even cooking and meal prep is easier when you’ve done the planning. Here are two scenarios to give you an idea of the difference it makes.

Scenario #1:
It has been a busy day. You are tired, exhausted really. And hungry! So you go into your kitchen. This is the part of the day you dread – what’s for dinner? While you are thinking about what to make, you grab a bag of chips or nuts to munch on.

You decide you really don’t have the time or energy to fix the “good dinner” like you’d intended (but not planned). So you check the freezer for something quick or head to your car to go get something. As you are looking, you notice the bag of cookies, so you have a couple of those.

The dinner you end up with was fast and either too many calories or not very satisfying. And anyway, you were hardly hungry by time you ate it – the grazing already filled you. You don’t feel very good about what you ate but you just feel too tired to do it differently. You drag yourself to the TV with a little snack.

Scenario #2:
It has been a busy day, you are glad that you already have a plan for dinner. You are tired, but not too bad – you remembered to stop and have an apple for a mid-afternoon snack. You are glad, because now you are hungry and ready for dinner, but not starving.

As you get the foods out of the refrigerator and pantry that you need for your dinner, you put on some music that makes you feel good. As you slice onions and peppers, you feel the weight of them in your hand, enjoy their aroma and color. Cooking is sensuous and you enjoy the sensations.

Cooking with fresh, healthy foods makes you feel good. You know that you are taking good care of yourself and that it makes you feel better. And it is pretty fast because you already knew what you were making and had the ingredients. Eating well has re-energized you and you look forward to your evening.

 

I hear both of these scenarios: my clients who have made a habit of planning are far happier with their meals and eating than the ones who wait until it is time to eat to decide. It takes some thought, but as you make it a habit, it just becomes a normal part of your week.

Try it out, and let me know what works for you!

Find more nutrition information and my monthly newsletter on my website:  http://healthyhabitscoach.com .    Eat Sustainably!