Meal Planning & It’s Importance
It’s quite ironic that I’m writing about the importance of meal planning . . . considering meal planning was my nemesis early in my career!
Let me explain. As a young dietitian I worked in hospitals and private practice where often my patients or clients wanted to lose weight (as most people do – boo). “Just tell me what to eat," they would say.
So I did what most young dietitians do and spent hours designing and perfecting meal plans that contained just the right amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat for whatever diet that patient or client happened to be on.
Guess what happened?
Despite the perfect meal plans I created, my clients never followed them!
I didn’t blame them of course. Feeling like you have to eat certain foods at certain meals is restrictive. Sure, all of that planning and routine feels good at first, but then you realize . . . .you have to live.
You want to be able to eat the food at your son’s birthday party. You have to go to business dinners. You want to go on vacation. And you realize those restrictive meal plans just don’t work long-term. Diets don’t work long term.
So long story short, I swore off meal planning for my clients and here I am suggesting it to you. What gives?
To clarify, today we are talking family meal planning NOT the restrictive meal plans that are impossible to follow. The benefits of family meals are well documented. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that it’s the number one thing I recommend in raising competent eaters to have a good relationship with their bodies and food. Family meals needn’t be gourmet or extravagant.
But eating family meals IS important and with just a little bit of planning, you can feel good about giving your kids a gift that will benefit them their whole lifetime.
COVID has upended our daily lives . . to say the least. Most of us have been preparing more meals (and cleaning more dishes!) than ever. Unfortunately, it appears that the future of schools and schedules remains uncertain. We may be in this boat for awhile and pandemic or no pandemic, stress-free family meals are a win for everyone.
Let me help you put a plan in place. A plan that will prevent you from being frustrated each night when your hungry kids (or partner) ask, “What’s for dinner?” I want you to feel successful and confident in feeding your family.
Click here to download and print my weekly meal planner. It’s simple but it’s going to relieve so much stress when you simply know what’s for dinner each night. Don’t forget, it doesn’t matter WHAT you are having for dinner. It only matters that you have a plan so that you are less frustrated and more confident your kids are getting what they need.
Some tips that have helped me and some I recommend because, ya know, I'm a dietitian!
The Food you serve does not need to be organic, non-gmo, or locally sourced, etc. If you prefer those types of foods, have at it. Otherwise, the meals you offer should basically have 3-4 food groups.
Example: Hamburger and Fries or Salad with a cup of juice = 4 groups (grains, protein, vegetable, fruit). It's that easy!We do Taco Tuesdays every week. It may not be exactly tacos . . maybe quesadillas . . maybe burritos . . maybe even fast-food burritos . . but it's a meal I can rely on and it's a no brainer to plug into my weekly meal plan.
Try to plan a seafood dish once per week. No fresh seafood market nearby? Frozen seafood is just as nutritious. Keep it simple with sautéed shrimp and pasta. Add a veggie or fruit and you're done!
Don't forget about breakfast for dinner. Most kids love this and it is a GREAT way to feed your family with minimal stress.
Don't feel like you have to overhaul your diet. If you order takeout 4 times per week (no shame here), plan out which restaurants you are going to order from and write it down. We're going for less stress, not more!
Most importantly, whatever you're eating . . .sit down and eat together (in the dining room, at the picnic table, on the floor, wherever) and enjoy!
I hope you can feel less frazzled and more confident using my simple meal planning template. Please reach out if you have any questions about meal planning or other nutrition topics.
Next month, I'll dive a little more into the importance of language around food, bodies, and mealtimes so that you can raise a happy, healthy, and confident kid.
