Meal Planning is important?

MEAL PLANS CAN BE A CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC AMONGST DIETITIANS.

While I do love meal plans and I offer them in all their services and programs, others strongly dislike meal plans whether they believe they are too prescriptive, not sustainable and take too much time. However your body needs a routine.

So do meal plans really work? I wanted to get to the bottom of the debate once and for all. Here’s what the science says about meal planning.Meal planning helps people choose, purchase and prepare healthy foods on a regular basis.

Canada’s Dietary Guidelines state that meal planning is one of the most important food skills to help people consistently select, buy and prepare healthy snacks and foods for both themselves and their families. Research has shown that individuals who plan their meals are more likely to have better dietary quality, adherence to nutritional guidelines, and increased food variety.                                                                           

MEAL PLANNING SAVES TIME, REDUCES STRESS AND DECREASES FOOD WASTE.

There is why I love it, so we don’t just think about ourselves but also about help saving environment.

One of the biggest barriers to eating healthy is a lack of time, and meal planning can help with this. It can also help reduce the stress associated with mealtimes and increase the likelihood of family meals. Another added benefit of meal planning is that it decreases household food waste.

MEAL PLANNING CAN HELP CLIENTS MANAGE CHRONIC DISEASES.

When providing care for clients with certain medical conditions like diabetes, studies show that meal plans can help teach clients about portion sizes of carbohydrate foods in a practical way, which can improve diabetes self-management skills and clinical outcomes. Learning how to meal plan can also help to build self-efficacy, which plays a major role in dietary adherence.

MEAL PLANNING IS A POWERFUL TOOL

The evidence is clear: meal plans work. Meal plans have been scientifically proven to help clients eat healthier, improve health outcomes and enhance their lifestyle. It is a great service for dietitians to offer and can fit into your business in a variety of ways.

MEAL PLANNING CREATES A ROUTINE

Body emotional, physical body, mental body  and spiritual body

When many people think of health, they only consider their physical bodies. If you want a vibrant, healthy life, be sure to pay attention to your spiritual, mental, and emotional bodies, too. Here you can learn how.

Most ancient cultures pointed to a connection between body, mind, and spirit and recognized that each composed a part of the whole.

Exercise and healthy eating are typically what come to mind when most people think about physical health. However, your exercise of choice isn’t the only thing to consider when striving for good physical health. We all know people who have clean eating habits and are physically fit, but who carry excessive mental and emotional stress, which can wear on their health. While it may not be immediately recognizable, chronic stress takes a tremendous toll on the physical body. Stress occurs when our spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical needs are not being met. Stress triggers the fight-flight response, which is a survival mechanism that is hard-wired into our DNA. It is how our physiology prepares to respond to potentially life-threatening events. When this response is triggered repeatedly it creates wear and tear on the physical body. 

Health is much more than just the absence of disease. True health comes when we are able to create harmony between each of the four bodies. Our physical body is our foundation in this life. It is what everything else is built upon. But, it is equally important to exercise each of the other three bodies on a regular basis as well. We need to establish our own individual health, fitness, and wellness regimens. Fortunately, integrative medicine and integrative psychology are both on board with this and many healthcare systems are beginning to incorporate options that support this.