Planning your meals and snacks is a proven strategy for eating better and improving health.
Though this does take some time, it doesn‘t have to be time intensive.
In this blog, I share 3 tips that help our family stay on the healthy eating track:
1-Eat Better with Theme-Based Meals
Themed meals break from the typical American fare that is big on meat and starchy carbohydrates like white pasta and potatoes and not so big on less calorie-dense foods, such as vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains.
Theming your meals allows you to more easily achieve the following nutrition goals that support healthier eating:
- Use more plant-based foods, like vegetables, salads, beans, nuts, seeds
- Choose higher-fiber and better-quality whole grains
- Select leaner protein sources
- Incorporate some healthy fats
More plant-based eating can also help you manage weight better!
2-Choose Ingredients to Save Time & Fight Boredom
Here are some themed meal EXAMPLES that can be REPEATED WITH VARIED INGREDIENTS week to week:
- Whole Grain Thin Pizza Night – bbq chicken, roasted peppers, onions, light cheese or arugula, tomatoes, light cheese with side salad
- Taco, Chili or Make-Your-Own Burrito Bowl Night – grilled fish or bean tacos with all the fixins
- Stir-Fry Night – tofu, chicken or shrimp and veggie stir fry
- Soup & Sandwich Wrap Night – lentil soup and hummus, hard-boiled egg and veggies or nut butter, banana whole grain wrap
- Entrée Salad Night with Protein Toppers – fish, seafood, chicken, veggie or turkey burger, roasted chickpeas, falafel or air-fryer tofu
- Breakfast Anytime Night – scrambled eggs with favorite veggies like mushrooms and broccoli, corn salsa or egg and veggie frittata
Know that other more familiar themed meals, like Pasta Night (whole grain with lots of veggies), Burger Night (Veggie or bean) or Air-Fryer Fish Night can also be adapted to fit this format.
Finding timesaving ingredients is also helpful.
Examples include individual size whole grain pizza crusts, canned beans, frozen turkey burgers or shrimp, microwaveable brown rice, bagged salad greens, cut-up veggies or shredded cabbage.
You can also use home-cooked or restaurant leftovers to recreate your theme-based meals.
3-Make a Rotate and Repeat Plan
When you find good-tasting meals that are affordable, easy-to-prepare and healthy, this repetition makes building healthy habits easier.
Did you know that most nutrition experts end up repeating their good-tasting meal and snack ideas week to week?
This takes the guesswork out of the hundreds of food decisions you need to make each day.
Before you know it, grocery shopping also becomes a breeze.
Have patience as you try new meals and snacks to find the ones that work best for you and your family.
For more easy-to-prepare, healthy meal planning ideas, check out my self-help book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works for You!
The goal is to balance your dependable meal plan with having room for novelty and experimentation.
RK
Robert Kushner, MD
