With the backing of good nutrition, one can easily achieve one’s health and fitness goals.
To put it simply, the successful pursuit of good health is based on one premise – Nutrition. Everything else follows this.
However, getting the right nutrition in place is far easier said than done, especially so if one is managing other responsibilities alongside as well. This is not because one does not want to eat healthy or is not serious about the health goals but because it requires effort and commitment.
In the daily rigmarole of responsibilities, one’s own needs often take a backseat, especially the healthy ones! It just seems so difficult to do everything the right way.
As in other activities, planning comes in handy for nutrition as well. Whether one is planning for one’s own dietary requirements or taking care of the family’s requirements as well, Meal Planning is of help to all.
Simply put, meal planning is as important to a healthy lifestyle as having a timetable for a successful study schedule is.
With meal planning, one is able to account for available resources and time, specific dietary requirements, and health goals that need to be catered for.
CASE 1.
1. We have never broken down our food into macros (viz., Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins) therefore the moment one sees a table of food items described as per the macros, we get confused and overwhelmed!
2. What follows is that we start looking for recipes for the major food items and get further confused when we have to quantify each element and balance out the portions for the entire day.
3. However, the fact is that recipes are only indicative and quantification of each macro will still need to be done by each person as per the recommended plan.
CASE 2.
1. Your Dietician gives you specific meal plans, which may be very different from what you are used to eating usually.
2. You thus have to start catering for your meals separately from your family thus creating an extra load on your already heavily burdened shoulders / stretched schedule.
CASE 3.
1. You have to manage certain health conditions through your dietary intake as per the Doctor’s advice., viz., less oil, salt sugar, etc.
Remember, that whatever the case may be and whatever our health and fitness goals may be (Fat loss, Weight loss, Muscle gain, managing lifestyle disorders, etc), the ONLY way to a sustainable mode of eating healthy is to incorporate the macros/dietary requirements in our daily menus with our own style of cooking in our own kitchens.
Every household has a unique taste and preference and the food/recipes that we are familiar with are appreciated by us and our palates are used to the same. Another significant thing to note is that if we adapt our dietary requirements to what is being cooked in our kitchens then no special cooking is required and the same dishes could be served to the family most of the time.
This goes a long way in sustaining our diet plans and our healthy eating.
Also, most Recipes or Menus suggested by others are usually new to our kitchens and thus need a special effort to get cooked. Because of the special effort that is required, one ends up repeating certain dishes/preparations in a pattern and soon becomes bored of eating the same dish over and over again.
This is another reason that we are not able to adopt these ‘exotic’ recipes in our daily cooking/lifestyle in the longer run.
It definitely looks simpler to look outwards for help with either specific meal-wise/dish-wise recommendations or even pre-cooked meals, which one can order in, according to one’s specific diet requirements.
However, the fact is that we cannot eat out /order quantified/specialized meals ALL the time. It is neither practical nor economical nor is it sustainable.
And let us remind you that being healthy is a lifelong journey aided by sensible everyday decisions. It is not a short-term viz., 12 Weeks / 6 months /one-year plan.
Sooner than later we will have to come back to our own home kitchens and thus the earlier we take the matter into our own hands the better it will be. This will need some planning (investment of time & effort) initially but once we do it a few times, it rolls smoothly.
For all the foods that are noted in the nutrition plan, one should ask one’s coach for possible alternatives if those are not in regular use in one’s kitchens. One should not feel shy or overwhelmed. One should always get one’s doubts cleared to avoid unnecessary hurdles, as one has to look at the long-term sustenance.
Thus, whatever the marketing spiel is, always know that it is easier to maintain diets within one’s own cuisines and that a sustainable and healthy eating practice starts and ends in one’s own home kitchen!
By saying this, we do not propose that you stop eating out completely – that is not wise or practical because there will be occasions when you may have to eat outside of the plan!
You must remain flexible and adapt to those situations in an informed manner. Also, if you are able to manage a healthy home-cooked meal most of the time then eating out a few times will not make a difference to your health.
What we are saying is that meal planning and cooking at home is an opportunity for everyone to make the meals interesting by incorporating a bit of variety and ensuring that the meals check the required boxes in one’s pursuit of specific health/fitness goals.
Remember the six-pack abs are made in the kitchen!
So what are you waiting for?
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