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build your basic meal plan


Yes, I’m in the business of building meal plans for people who want to improve their health and (usually) lose weight. Most people, however, use my meal plans as “training wheels” to ultimately build their own meal plans, and that's the way it should be.

Building a healthy meal plan doesn't have to be complicated.  In fact, the easier the better, IMHO. Here are the basic tenants that will start you on the road to better health almost immediately:

1.  Eat two or three full meals a day. Build nutrient-dense, satiating meals, so you won't feel the need to snack later. If you find yourself getting "snacky" between meals, add a little more protein to your meals, drink plenty of water, and take a look at whether or not you're really hungry. You might just be bored, upset, or in the habit of eating at that time.
 
2.  Start with a savory, protein-packed breakfast (whenever that is). Save your carbs for later in the day. Eggs, Greek yogurt, a protein smoothie, cottage cheese, meat--they will all give you the sustained energy that cereal, toast, and oatmeal can't. Skip the orange juice, and drink your coffee black or with a splash of unsweetened cream.

3.  Prioritize protein at lunch and dinner. Focus on protein and veggies at lunch, then if you want, add in some carbs at dinner in the form of potatoes or fruit. Go for at least 30 grams of protein at each meal--fifty if you're only eating two meals. Any less than that and your body will have trouble building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.

4.  Cut out as many sources of added sugar and vegetable oils as possible. Learn to read labels and recognize the code words for sugar. If you're using oil for dressings or cooking, make it olive, avocado, or coconut. Healthy salad dressings are hard to find, so you're better off making your own.

5.  Eat the whole foods that Nature gave us as much as possible. Most of the problems people have with food come from eating too many processed foods filled with excess sodium, sugar, and inflammatory oils. I challenge you to find someone who claims they gained weight by eating too much broccoli! If you're not hungry for real food, you're not really hungry--you're looking for the dopamine rush that highly-processed food gives us. :0

Pick one of these things and work on that first, then move to something else once you've got it mastered. Schedule some time each week to write out a plan, do your shopping, and do some prep work. Before you know it, you'll feel better, you'll have built some new habits, and the rest will be easier to implement. 

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