Meal Prep 101

How much should you eat? What should you eat? When should you eat? The endless noise going on around in your head and the constant confusion of mixed messages on social media is enough to make you give up before you have even started!

But, once you have refined your meal preparation skills, the process of putting the time in will actually save you more time in the long run and cause you less stress!

Let's dive into the basics of meal planning.

In the military, for those that "Live In" planning meals seems alien, because its done for you. But the problem with the food in the mess is it lack nutritional value and you have no idea what they put in it.

But even the shops around camp are filled with quick fixes which are again lacking in nutrition. This coupled with the fact that processed food is highly palatable, packed with chemicals that make you crave more, it is very easy to over eat.

Out in the real world we are faced with the perceived lack of time and the over availability of quick and easy food, it is very easy to pile on the weight.

I will now share with you the process I use to coach my clients in meal planning.

Frequency

Simply put, how many times do you want to eat a day!

This can be divided into main meals and snacks. Yes I said snacks! They aren't bad for you if you chose the right ones. Nuts, seeds, protein shakes, fruit can all be used to pump up your micro-nutrients status and stop you from overeating at meal times.

You might not like breakfast and that's OK! There is a massive misconception that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it "stokes your metabolism". Intermittent Fasting is a valid diet protocol. So if you don't like breakfast don't force yourself. But if skipping breakfast turns you into the cookie monster and you lose control of your eating, it's probably wise to have breakfast.

Consistency

So what should your meals consist of?

The Eat Well Plate, which is the governments guideline looks like this (average):

50% Carbohydrates

30% Fats

15% Protein

Now the problem I have with this and after completing many advanced certifications, protein is very low. Now before I get mobbed by the "Anti-High Protein" extremists. There have been various studies done on protein overfeeding, non of which had negative effects on the kidneys.

Protein is very useful in a diet phase as it keeps you fuller for longer, is only 4kcal per gram, helps maintain lean muscle and has an increased TEF (thermic effect of feeding).

How that looks on your plate.

I am not going to overwhelm you with calories and macros, because most of you reading this haven't got the time of the stomach (pun intended) to work out your calories and split your macros..

So lets build up your plate together.

First, start with a decent amount of protein. This could be a chicken breast, a can of tuna or some tofu. Try and mix your proteins up, have mainly lean protein and then one or two meals a week have either grass fed beef or some salmon.

Secondly, work in your carbs. Two big handful size portions of starchy carbs like pasta, rice, bread, potato and different assortments of veg. Again defending myself against the "Anti Carb" gang, carbohydrates are not bad for you. They contain many nutrients and are the bodies preferred source of energy.

Thirdly, lets drop some fats in here. Again fats are needed in the diet and no eating fat does not make you fat, eating too many total calories makes you fat. We want to add a small amount of fat to our plate. Half a hand full of nuts or half a small avocado will do you well. Even something as simple as having an olive oil dressing will add to it. Just keep in mind that unlike carbs and protein, fat has 9kcal per gram, so you can see it is very easy to balloon your calories.

Putting It All together.

Find meals that suit your schedule is priority. Having healthy quick lunches like homemade wraps or sandwiches can be advantageous, save you the stress of reheating food and you can eat them anywhere.

Start small, don't try to change everything at once. For example, focus on preparing one meal, maybe it is your lunch for the next day. Try swapping bits you know are bad like swapping fries for a jacket potato.

Focus on habits, like not eating in front of the TV and actually take time to chew your food, Habits are part of daily life, some are bad and some are good. It is going to take consistent effort to grove new habits, but in the end it will be worth it!

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