
Having to decide what to eat at the very last minute after a busy day can be a long and tiring process. In other words, it’s basically having a list or a timetable of the food you are going to eat over a period of time.

You’ll find it’s easier to make better choices when you have a good variety of nutritious foods available in the places where you eat.Meal planning is the act of scheduling your meals in advance based on a variety of factors. It’s also a good idea to think about stocking your office cabinet or car glove box with healthy shelf-stable treats if these are places where you snack. Take the time to make a shopping list and re-stock your cabinets and fridge with healthy options. Protein choices such as low-fat deli turkey slices or almonds and other nuts and seeds.Low-fat and fat-free milk products: yogurt without added sugars, milk, and low-fat cheeses.Washed and chopped fresh vegetables: celery, carrots, and cucumbers.“Grab-and-go” fruits: apples, oranges, bananas, canned fruit without added sugars, and raisins.Meals on the Goįor the places where you might grab a snack or have a meal on the go (such as the car or at your desk), make sure you have nutritious snacks available or at home that you can take with you. Over time, you’ll figure out meal-preparation short-cuts and it will become easier to make healthy family meals a regular occurrence. Don’t criticize yourself you’re making steps in the right direction.
BENEFITS OF MEAL PLANNING HOW TO
To learn more, visit Eat More, Weigh Less? And see How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight for more information.Īt first, you may find you only get a lower calorie meal planned for one or two nights a week. Eating fewer calories doesn’t necessarily mean eating less food. You can cut calories in your favorite foods by lowering the amount of fat and or increasing the amount of fiber-rich ingredients, such as vegetables or fruit.
BENEFITS OF MEAL PLANNING FULL
Research shows that people get full by the amount of food they eat, not the number of calories they take in. As another example, if you are making enchiladas, rinse a can of black beans and add these to the ground meat. You can just add a cup of canned white beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans to the recipe.

This is easy to do in vegetable-based soups and chili.

You can find cut green beans, sliced carrots, and other chopped vegetables in the frozen food section. Check out the frozen food aisles for quick, low-calorie vegetable side dishes.Instead of full-fat versions of mayonnaises, butter, and salad dressings, try those that are lower in calories, total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat.Once you’ve browned the meat, drain to remove excess fat. If you’re using ground beef for tacos or meat sauce for spaghetti, look for a lower-fat variety such as ground round or ground sirloin or try using skinless ground turkey breast.Try a non-stick cooking spray or a small amount of cooking oil for sautéing instead of frying with solid fat.When using sharply flavored cheese, such as cheddar and parmesan, you can usually reduce the amount in a recipe to save calories without sacrificing flavor. Substitute a low-fat cheese in casseroles and vegetable sauces.Many casseroles and meat sauces use cream soups as a base.Take some time on your visit to the grocery store to choose lower-calorie ingredients. Once you’ve planned your meals, make a grocery list.
