Top five tips to healthy meal planning

Photo from africaborn

One of the best ways to ensure you stay on track with a healthy eating lifestyle is to plan your meals a few days in advance so that when the day comes, you simply have to indulge in preparing (and eating) the meal rather than spending lots of time deciding what to make and then ending up eating junk. 

A common reason many people don’t eat healthy is because “they don’t have the time”. By carefully planning your meal in advance, you set yourself up for a healthy week as well as saving time and money when you go shopping. 

Here are my five tips to meal planning successfully…

1. Get a notice board. For some reason, I love kitchens with a small notice board where the whole family can see what’s happening. Writing up your meal plan for 5-7 days in advance including breakfast, lunch and dinner is great so everyone can see what’s coming up. The other choice is to have everyone in the house keep their own meal plan and write it in their “food journal”. 

2. Make meal planning a family activity. Get your partner and/or kids involved in meal planning by saying what they want to eat. I recommend before you delve into planning meals as a family, you all set some guidelines as to what kind of foods you will allow and what kind you won’t allow. This will allow you to get rid of junk from the diet. 

3. Start with a blank grocery list. I love when there’s blank white paper and I’m free to write out what comes to my head. It’s the same with a food grocery list. Do it with the family and once you decide on the meals, you can list out all the ingredients you’re going to require. 

4. Remember to stay flexible. Meal plans, however great, are not set in stone. A posted menu plan promotes accountability, but family members will forgive you, as long as they get their postponed favourite a day or two later. 

5. Make it a habit. Meal planning should become a habit just like brushing your teeth. After you’ve made a few, you’ll get to see how much time, money and energy you’ve saved and will be sure to do it again.