Eat when you are not hungry - 5 practical tips for meal planning

“ In my field of work, I've done a lot of meal planning for my clients; however, I have never planned my meals out but I have somewhat of a plan in my head usually. That is, until I became a mom. When I was still pregnant, I once thought to myself that life would be so much easier when I become a stay at home mom.... that I would have SO much more time to cook at home and eat healthier. Needless to say I was wrong, I resorted to cup noodles after cup noodles... baby's needs came first of course and most nights after I finished putting him to bed, I ended up STARVING... Then I open the fridge, Ah yes! there is that salad I was planning to eat for dinner but now that does not look very appetizing... ”

I'm sure many of you can relate with or without kids...most people struggle with eating around dinner time, when you just got off from school or from work (or from the baby :O), you are usually hungry physically and emotionally. This is true particularly if you haven't eaten anything a couple hours before or if you have a habit of eating after school/work. And if you haven't plan out your meal by this point, guess what? you are not going to plan to eat something healthy now and do you even have anything to eat???

This is where meal planning in advance becomes your best friend, the key to eating healthy eating / mindful eating / weight maintenance / weight loss / obesity treatment / diabetes management IS hunger prevention....Snickers has got it right - "You're not you when you're hungry".

Healthy eating begins with planning & organization - NOT willpower & sacrifice, this is why diets don't work.... diets are always restrictive and makes them virtually impossible to maintain long term.

Meal planning allows for all food to fit into your healthy eating plan, it brings structure into daily chaos and guides you towards reaching your health goals.

*5 Practical Tips to get you started with Meal Planning*

1. Plan a rough schedule and eat regularly

When and how you eat is just as, if not more important than what you eat. Start by drafting a 'eating schedule' which includes eating every 2-3 hours. This is especially useful if you have a habit of skipping meals and/or snacks; eating regularly regulates your metabolism, stabilizes your blood sugar and prevents that hunger strike when you are most vulnerable in making poor decisions. Having a schedule also means no grazing throughout the day between those times -> dedicate that time to eating only (no multitasking on the computer or eating in front of the TV). :)

2. Plan a protein for every meal and snack, but don't forget the carbohydrate and fat!

Protein, Carbohydrate and Fat... each of these components provides you with different nutrients that your body need and helps you feel full between meals/snacks (Yes, we need those Carbs!) Focus on lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Most people struggle with a) not having snacks between meals OR b) having snacks that aren't filling...

A couple of satiating snack ideas:

• Whole grain toast + peanut butter

• Trail mix + plain popcorn

• Hummus + whole wheat pita

• Tuna avocado salad + whole wheat crackers

• Fruit & Vegetable Smoothies

• Yogurt parfait

3. Write out a grocery list and stick to it, Keep it SIMPLE

Check your staples and write out your grocery list based on your meal plan. Keep it simple... if you love to look up recipes and cook, that's Great! But not everything needs a recipe, make simple dishes such as stirfry (great for leftovers :)) a part of the routine too !

Double check that you have at least the following basics for the week:

• At least 3 proteins - Chicken, pork beef, fish, legumes, lentils, tofu...

• At least 2 vegetables - salad greens, stir-fry vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, carrots...

• At least 1 grain - bread, rice, pasta, quinoa, couscous...

4. Plan to involve your family

Meal planning can definitely become a daunting task if you are doing it all alone - invite others to share some tasks with planning, grocery shopping, food prepping, cooking, eating, serving, and cleaning up...

Kids especially, learn so much by getting involve in all these steps, they learn important life skills that their teachers cannot teach them at school...These life skills will help them become competent and confident eaters !

5. Plan to cook extra

Cook extra protein servings for back up meal ideas and different combinations. They are combination of raw ingredients, can be thawed and simply cooked on the day of in the crockpot, skillet, oven and grill.

Some great freezable batch cooking ideas are:

• Hamburger patties

• Marinaded meats

• Soups and chili

• Crockpot meals

Check out this site "New Leaf Wellness" for never ending freezer meal ideas!

Do you meal plan? What are your personal favorite tips for meal planning? Tag @amychowrd or #amychowrd to share your ideas!

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* Too busy to meal plan? Want to change your eating habits but don't know where to start? The nutrition world is too confusing? Conflicting information everywhere you turn? Tired of trying different diets with no or short-lived results?*

Work with a Registered Dietitian to help you get started with meal planning, to help you meet special dietary requirements, to prevent and delay progression of chronic diseases (diabetes, renal, cardiovascular), and/or to help you in achieving your health goals.