Let’s start with the obvious. You, your aunt, your aunts aunt, your second cousin, and your great grandpa Jack, all have one thing in common. We all want to be healthy.
You can be loved, surrounded by family, be beautiful, rich, naturally thin or athletic, you can have a big house, a fancy car, enough money to quit your job and travel the world, but if you don’t have your health, does any of that even mean anything?
They say we have a million problems a day until it’s our health then we only have one.
So why not do everything we can to take care of it?
Food, what we eat and how it’s prepared is a health conscious decision we get to make multiple times a day. We’re so lucky in North America and many other parts of the world to have so much food available to us that we even have to find ways to eat less of it!
Meal planning and meal prep has many benefits to it. For one we can reduce our food waste. When you have a plan for the week, a grocery list that works a long side it with flavours you truly enjoy, you’ll find yourself clearing out the fridge every single week. I’m talking no more wilted greens ending up in the compost.
Then there’s the discipline benefit. I was recently talking to my boyfriend about my gym schedule. We were off to the gym and he asked me what I was training that day. I said I wasn’t sure, I had to look at my calendar to see what I had previously scheduled for myself. Turns out that day was a full body strength training day — when I tell you that’s the last thing I felt like doing, I mean last. But, I did it. Because the motivated, well planned version of myself wrote that schedule out like a champ. She knew the best workout cycle for the month ahead. That girl wasn’t thinking about how “present” her would feel when the day came. She was thinking BIG picture. So we trust her and we do it anyways. Meal planning is the same thing. When you pre-schedule your grocery shop and meal prep plans, you take less time thinking about what, when, and how, and more time consuming the right things for your BIG picture health. Trust me, you’ll still find some time to fit in those cravings throughout the week too and I bet you they’ll taste all the sweeter (or saltier).
Time? Oh, you think taking 1-2 hrs on a Sunday is a waste of precious weekend time? What about the extra hour every single night it takes you to prepare and cook dinner? What about those mornings you’re late, running out the door with no breakfast only to have blood sugar crashes, hanger, and irratation all day because your running on fumes and caffeine? Taking 1-2 hours on Sunday will buy you back time, I promise.
Trying to save some cash? Meal prep. I don’t care how high your grocery costs have gone up (well I do, but can’t actually help there), grocery shopping will always, and I mean *always* be cheaper than buying food out. Yes, things are more expensive right now, I live in Vancouver B.C. you know the most expensive city in Canada to live? And I still save a wack ton of money by shopping my pre-written grocery list for my pre-planned meals.
Now that you’re going to save money, time, and brain space, let’s circle back to the health and nutrition part.
While we all have individual nutritional needs, some needs are basic across the board. We all need:
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Plant diversity for our gut health. It’s said that 30 different plants a week is optimal. This might sound like a lot, but when you switch up your broccoli for asparagus, add some hemp seed, pumpkin seeds, or cashews to a salad or switch your apples for bananas, it can actually add up pretty fast. This is why I always suggest customizing with my meal plan recipes. I might have used sweet potato but maybe you need some russets in your life!
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Protein. I know it’s a mixed bag on the internet right now thinking influencers are going to all in on the protein bandwagon because “no one’s ever had a protein deficiency” but they have had brittle bones, loss of muscle as we age, trouble maintaining a healthy weight, hormone regulation, and a supported immune system. And I am NOT saying that eating enough tofu will fix all these things, but I’m also not not saying that it might help in many cases! (Of course discuss any health issues with your doctor!)
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Fibre. This correlates directly with getting those 30 plants a week. If you’re doing that, chances are you fibre is good! But if you’re not, fibre is actually something many people are deficient in. You’ll know you’re on the right track when things are running smoothly and consistently, if you know what I mean..
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Healthy fats and carbohydrates. Both are essential macronutrients and I don’t care what the trending diet says, you need both.
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Hydration. Drink your water. All day, throughout the day.
Lastly, when you prepare your food at home in your own kitchen you get to decide the quality and preparation of those meals. You decide how much oil goes into the pan, how much protein you’re getting with each meal, how much sugar or sweetener goes into your salad dressing and what a satisfying portion actually is for you.
If you want some assistance with this I’ve created a weekly meal plan service on Substack. I send out a new meal plan with 4-6 recipes every single Friday with a grocery list to match. My recipes are always high protein vegan, filled with plant diversity, healthy fats, and complex carbs.
My goals and passions have always surrounded health, fitness, and nutrition. I’ve been cooking with my family since I was a kid in the back of their restaurants. I love food. Thankfully for my health I also love to geek out on nutrition.
Evann
