Write a Meal Plan

Wanting to make healthier food choices? The key might be in your planning! Have you ever heard the expression “fail to prepare, then prepare to fail!” It can certainly be applied to lots of areas of our life including our ability to make healthy food choices! 

Research has shown that people choose healthier food options when they are planning what they will eat later in the day, compared to when they are just about to get stuck into their food!  Instead of being a reactive eater, asking yourself daily questions like “I wonder what I’ll have for dinner” (at dinner time), become a proactive eater and have it all planned out 7 days in advance.

In a 2018 study, researchers found people were more likely to choose an apple as their post exercise snack, when they had to plan their snack compared to when they had to choose their snack for immediate consumption after their workout.  Also, less people choose a brownie when instead they chose to plan ahead, compared to immediate post workout feasters! 

So it just goes to show that just a little bit of prep can pave the way for more positive food choices!

So, this week’s challenge is to write a meal plan for the next 7 days! Keep it simple and make it visible somewhere in your kitchen. Get a whiteboard or blackboard and hang it up pride of place in your kitchen.

Once you have that sussed, why not make this part of your routine every week. To help you further, start an online shopping account and this will set you up for the weeks and months ahead and help you to avoid those sneaky temptations that you spy as you walk around the supermarket with a growling empty belly!  So why not plan to make a change and the results will follow!

Source:

Exercise and the Timing of Snack Choice: Healthy Snack Choice is Reduced in the Post-Exercise State