Improving our diet is the first step we can take in improving our health and achieving any health goals, such as weight loss and muscle gain. In addition, rethinking our diets and meal choices can also be a fantastic way to save money and free up more time. From an environmental perspective, modifying our diets helps us to reduce waste in turn helping to combat climate change.
Our diet really does hold the key!
So, what tools can we use to make the process of improving our diet a practical, affordable, and enjoyable one?
My TOP suggestion for anyone wanting to improve their diet, and in turn improve their health, lower their risk of chronic disease, and reduce their environmental footprint, whilst saving both time and money, is…
From your sofa, you can make a meal plan which requires no investment and can be made in as little as 10 minutes! Importantly, anyone can make one. It doesn’t matter if you have years of cooking experience or absolutely none at all.
Meal plans are a very simple idea. They certainly aren’t as exciting, new, or sexy as the latest fad trend, whatever that may be, but they are much more powerful!
So, what exactly is a meal plan and how do I make one?
A meal plan can be as simple as a list of the 7 meals you’re going to eat next week. To make one, all you need is a piece of paper and a pen. (When starting off, I don’t think it’s necessary to plan everything you eat, i.e. breakfast, lunch, and snacks, just planning your dinners will have a big impact).
1. Grab a piece of paper and write down the side the days of the week and then the names of 7 dishes you’d like to make. If you’re struggling to think of any, look in a cookbook or just simply use google to get some ideas. When starting off pick meals you’d feel comfortable making, there is no need to go too exotic or challenging, just starting simple will both build self-efficacy and make the habit stick.
2. For each of your meals, write down the ingredients (and quantities) you will need. Bear in mind that you don’t need to follow recipes exactly! If there are some random ingredients you’ve never heard of before feel free to either replace them with something you’re more comfortable using or just ignore them!
3. When you have all the ingredients written down, cross out the ones you already have in your fridge/cupboards. Also, write down anything you’ll need for lunches/breakfasts/snacks.
4. Pin this list to the fridge and make sure you bring it the next time you go shopping! Alternatively, if you prefer online shopping remember to use it!
That’s it. It sounds simple because it is! Try it for a few weeks and I have no doubt you’ll start reaping the benefits.
So, now you know how to do it. Lets take a deeper look into how this can improve your health, reduce waste, save money, and save time. I’m confident some of the following scenarios will be relatable...
Reducing waste
How often do you find something at the back of your fridge that you bought 3 weeks ago but forgot about? Going shopping without a list means you’re more likely to pick up things you think you’ll need. The trouble is these foods often get forgotten about and end up going off, meaning you have to throw them out. Did you know 6.4 Megatons of edible food is wasted in the UK every year, and 71% of that happens in households?
If you plan your meals thoughtfully in advance at a time when you’re relaxed and have your thinking hat on, you’re naturally more likely to choose healthier meals. However, if you’re deciding last minute at the supermarket, you might just pick up something easy, like a pre-made pizza, since you know you like it and you can’t think of anything else. Pre-planning our meals also means we’re more likely to use a wider range of ingredients which allows you to branch out from your go-to basics. This is important because increasing the diversity of the foods we eat is important in improving our health.
Saving both money and time
Having a structured list that covers everything you need for the whole week means that you’re less likely to have to rush out to Sainsburys later in the week – wasting time and money. Having a clear list of what you need to buy also means you’re less likely to buy lots of random things you don’t need – again, saving you money.
When you have a meal planned and have already bought the ingredients, you’re less likely to fall back on getting a takeaway! The same is true for microwave meals. Again, this will save you money and improve your diet.
If you know what meals you’re cooking and when, you’re able to save time prepping certain parts of certain meals beforehand, for example by chopping tomorrow night’s veg whilst tonight’s meal is in the oven. This is also true for leaving sufficient time for foods to safely defrost. For example, if you know you need chicken on Thursday, a meal plan means you are more likely to remember to take it out on Tuesday (and not only is this safer, but it means you don’t have to waste electricity using the microwave).
Getting more from cooking
Planning meals gets you excited to cook them! When you know you have some exciting meals to look forward to, the whole process of shopping, prepping cooking, and eating becomes more enjoyable.
You can get your partners, kids, and housemates involved. When a whole household is invested in dinner, the whole experience becomes more enjoyable and communal.
To tie this all up, I want to re-iterate, you really don’t have to be good at cooking to benefit from meal planning because all the benefits are completely attainable even if you’re a complete beginner.
As you continue, you’ll begin to develop a deeper understanding of the different qualities and characteristics of different foods, as well as an awareness of portion size and macronutrient content. You will begin to develop a ‘kitchen IQ’, which enables you to think more resourcefully and creatively when cooking, which in turn increases the enjoyment.
In case you’re still in doubt as to whether meal plans can benefit you… A study published in a BioMed Central journal, which involved over 40,000 adults, showed that meal planning was associated with a healthier diet and reduced obesity!
I give meal planning 10/10
P.s. here’s an extra tip…
Assign each day of the week a different theme, for example: Monday – fish, Tuesday – curry, Wednesday – stir fry. This way, not only do you ensure variety in your diet, but it actually pushes you to try new recipes and foods. This is because when you’re limited to ‘fish’ and don’t want to eat the same meal twice, you’re forced to try something new. If you do try something new but don’t like it or it turned out to be a flop, you’ll have learnt something and know what to change for next time! I started this a few years ago and the variety of meals I have tried has skyrocketed! Lastly, look in cookbooks that match your themes to provide you with some inspiration and a starting point, charity shops are great for this!
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