A Simple Approach to Changing Your Relationship with Food
Four Benefits of Meal Prepping:
- You will save both time and money.
- You can better manage your portion sizes.
- You will have a better relationship with food.
- You will be less likely to choose fast or junk food.
“You can’t out train a bad diet.” A phrase often used in conversations with people who ask the age-old and most popular question; what is more important when it comes to maintaining a healthy body, nutrition or exercise?
Nutritional habits will have a far greater impact on your body composition and metabolic health than any other fitness component. When a combination of exercise and healthy nutrition are implemented, successful body change happens. We have all seen the regulars at the gym doing the same thing day in and day out for months without seeing results in fat loss. These people are not making any headway in changing their body composition because they do not have a nutritional strategy. The lack of this strategy is holding these people back from reaching their fitness goals.
What are the Five Key Nutrition Concepts?
- An adequate diet (Are you eating enough food?)
- A balanced diet (proteins, carbs, and fat)
- Calorie control
- Moderation
- Variety
One of the most successful strategies for changing the way you eat is learning to meal prep. The way we eat can often suffer because we are unprepared when hunger strikes. Meal planning saves TIME because you know what is for dinner and you won’t have the need to make constant trips to the grocery store. It saves MONEY because eating out is so much more expensive. It also means less food waste because you’ve bought ONLY the items you need to prepare your meals.
WHERE DO WE START?
Meal Transformation
Meal transformation is not about perfection, it is about making one meal at a time a tiny bit better than before. You learn to play the “How can I make this healthier?” game, and how healthy you can make each meal is based on where you start, your goals, and what you can reasonably do right now.
Transforming your meals are broken down into four stages:
- Where you start; not so healthy
- Making it a little better
- Make it even better
- Eat like a PRO
You may already eat a pretty decent breakfast. Maybe you are starting at stage two or three. Could you add more fruits and vegetables? Do you need to learn how to increase your water?
That is all okay! We all have a beginning stage. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
ACTION ITEM: Focus on making ONE meal BETTER this week. Choose two healthy upgrade behaviors and one meal you choose to focus on right now.
HEALTHY UPGRADE BEHAVIORS
- Substitute two whole food options for processed foods each day.
- Eat some lean protein at each meal.
- Include some healthy fat at each meal.
- Add at least two servings of fruits and veggies a day.
- Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
- Aim to eat at least one meal in a relaxed setting and enjoy each bite.
- Workout three times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Move more often through the day.
HEALTHY UPGRADES
Making your meals healthier comes down to two things;
what you eat and how you eat.
WHAT you eat
- Aim to include protein at each meal.
- Aim to include healthy fats in each meal.
- Eat veggies and fruits every day (at least two servings each).
- Eat more nutrient dense, whole foods (add whole grains).
- Drink more water!!
HOW you eat
- Enjoy your meals in a relaxed setting.
- Eat slowly and mindfully (being aware of your portions and when you are full).
Meal planning isn’t about food micromanagement and calendar tracking. It’s about choosing a few smart strategies to get ahead each week.
MEAL PREPPING 101
Where to Begin
KITCHEN CLEAN UP
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 in the back of your fridge or pantry.
Setting your environment up for success is essential.
We make thousands of decisions a day. And, whether we realize 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 “willpower” 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 chips 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 willpower 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.
ACTION ITEM 1:
Go through your fridge and pantry and donate not-so-healthy foods that you tend to binge on, overeat, or grab when busy or stressed.
ACTION ITEM 2:
I have clients start a “Meal Prep” binder to keep their favorite recipes or store new ones that are a hit with their family. Begin to scour the internet for food/nutrition blogs and find recipes you would like to try.
ACTION ITEM 3:
In that binder you’ll keep a calendar and grocery list where you make out what you want to make for the meals you’re prepping for and write ingredients down that you don’t have.
ACTION ITEM 4:
You will need to purchase some food containers, which can be found anywhere these days.
A WELL STOCKED PANTRY: These ingredients show up in recipes time and time again. Keep your cupboards, fridge, and freezer stocked with these basics.
| All purpose flour | Sugar/sugar substitutes | Dried herbs and spices | Salt and black pepper |
| Olive and neutral cooking oils | Black beans and other legumes (low sodium canned beans are fine) | Broth (Chicken, beef, or vegetable) | Nonstick cooking sprays |
| Pasta, rice, and grains | Tortillas | Eggs | Vinegars, mustards, and other condiments |
| Milk, butter | Onions and garlic | Soy sauce (low sodium) or Braggs Liquid Aminos | Frozen veggies (assorted) |
Meal Prep Tips:
- Crock pot meals for busy nights.
- Invest in a quality air fryer (you will thank me later).
- Cook once, eat twice (or more). Plan to make double or triple what you would normally make for dinner so that you can have leftovers for lunches or another dinner.
- Cook rice or soak beans ahead of time for the week, then refrigerate and use them later (add a small amount of water when reheating). Most grains will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge.
- Be sure to have food defrosted if you are using any frozen items like meat, fish, chicken, etc.
- Precook some protein like chicken and hard boiled eggs.
- Wash and chop your veggies a couple nights before (2-3 days tops) and place them in storage bags in the freezer to preserve nutrient value.
- Make any marinades, dressings, spice mixes, or sauces in advance to save time on busier nights.
- Make any bulk meals and freeze or refrigerate.
- Sort foods into smaller containers or bags so they are ready to grab and go.
- Choose to focus on improving one meal. Make it one that you know your family will like.
Next month: Lifestyle Rehab: How to build healthy meals to fuel the body
