Many times our diets suffer because we are unprepared when hunger strikes!
Meal planning saves TIME because you won’t have to go to the supermarket as frequently.
It save ENERGY because you don't have to figure out what's for dinner every evening.
It saves MONEY because eating out is so much more expensive than preparing meals at home. It also means less food waste because you’ve only bought the items you need to prepare your meals.
People reported eating fast-food for 3 main reasons:
✅ It's quick
✅ It’s easy
✅ It tastes good
What does that tell us?
When the going gets tough, people eat crap.
A little planning can go a long way.
It is hard to eat healthy foods when there are not healthy foods around.
It is hard to prepare nutritious meals when they are frozen or packed way in the back of your fridge.
Setting your environment up for success is essential.
We make thousands of decisions a day. And, whether we realise it or not, our environment and social settings influence those decisions.
If we set our environments up to support the choices we want to make, we will find it easier to make those choices.
Believe it or not, our “will power” can fade the more we have to practice it. A stressful day at work can make you just want to come home and grab a bag of crisps in front of the tv and not have to think about anything.
And if you are around people who are eating pizza and beer every night, it is a lot easier to join in than go make something healthy.
Relying on self-control or will power can be very challenging - possibly impossible - in an unhealthy environment.
By creating an environment that doesn't require us to have to exert willpower, healthy choices become convenient and normal options.
3 ways to plan for healthy snacks + meals when hunger strikes:
1. Plan Ahead - prep food at the beginning of the week and pack a food cooler each morning. Keep non-perishable snacks on hand in your car or desk.
2. Last minute prepared - Grab a few healthy snacks to bring with you before you head out the door in the morning.
3. Have-no-time - Go to the supermarket, walk to either side of the shop (fresh produce usually on one side and dairy on the other), grab a healthy snack, exchange money for food, and eat.
Meal prep tips
1. Slower cooker meals for busy nights
2. Cook once, eat twice! ... plan to make double or triple what you would normally make for dinner so you have leftovers for lunches.
3. Make overnight oats for breakfast
4. Wash + chop your veggies on the weekend or the night before to prep ahead of time and place in a storage container in the fridge.
Quick + Simple Snack Ideas
🌟Dried Fruit
🌟Nuts
🌟Beef jerky
🌟Fresh Fruit
🌟Vegetables
🌟Yogurt
🌟Hummus
🌟Tuna
🌟Cottage Cheese
🌟Cheese
🌟Nut butter
🌟Homemade bars
Comment below for what works for you in meal planning & prepping.
Comments