Nutrition

Meal Planning

By Amanda Lane

When you have dietary goals like staying sugar-free for September, planning your meals ahead of time will give you a big advantage!

If you have a meal handy in the refrigerator you can save money on eating out or buying snack foods. I also recommend to make a large meal or two on the weekend and portion it into servings which you can reheat throughout the week. You can also try doubling recipes so that every time you can cook you are making many meals at once.

Please see below the advantages of meal prepping and be inspired to start!

 5 advantages to meal prepping: 

  1. Make good choices: when you are hungry and your blood sugar drops, you’re more inclined to eat whatever you can get your hands on fast. This can mean settling for fast food or other unhealthy options. Meal planning eliminates this issue! When you have a balanced meal with nutrient-dense food choices you’ll never have to think about what to eat.
  2. Learn portion control: planning your meals will allow you to see how much you’re actually eating. I recommend getting an electronic kitchen scale to easily divide up one large meal into portion for storage. It also prevents you from overeating at restaurants, which tend to serve a way bigger portion than you actually need.
  3. Save time: being hungry and realising you have nothing planned can be stressful. Instead of standing in front of your fridge or pantry deciding what to whip up, you can have your healthy meal ready in minutes. It also saves you the hassle of cleaning up after cooking.
  4. Cost effective: When you plan your meals for the week and shop accordingly you avoid impulse buying, and often impulse buys are overly processed, nutrient-lacking foods. When you have a meal handy in the refrigerator you can save money on eating out or buying snack foods. Meal planning means you can sometimes buy item in bulk, which can be a big money saver.
  5. Avoid food wastage: when you start meal planning, you go to the grocery store with a plan, and know how you’re going to use all of the items. When every food has a purpose, you don’t have to worry about items in your fridge going to waste!

So, check out below an example of meal planner and a template for you to use!

Thanks Amanda Lane, Sugar-Free September's official Nutrition Partner.

SFS22 - Weekly Meal Plan

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