Starting with a Plan

STARTING WITH A

PLAN

What you need to know to create long lasting change to your plate and waist!

By Lora Attia

Dietician and Personal Trainer

How many times have you attempted a “diet” and failed? Let me reassure you it has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with diet culture.

As a society, we have become so accustomed to being told what is “healthy” and following restrictive diets that we have lost touch with our ability to eat in tune with our body and hunger cues. As a result, the expectation is to restrict, conform to diet rules, and give up the enjoyment of food and the social experience of meal times. We have also handed over the task of cooking meals to the food industry and thus become food consumers, losing sight of what we are eating, why we’re eating it and how it nourishes and fuels our bodies.

As a Dietitian and Personal trainer, I see people guilt themselves to believe the reason they have not achieved their health goals is because they don’t have the “will power”. From my experience, one of the biggest limitations to making long lasting change is meal planning skills. I believe poor meal planning is undermining our attempts to live healthier lifestyles. Meal planning is a skill that will not only benefit your health, but also your wallet and the planet.

The American Journal of Preventative Medicine in 2017 has found that people who regularly make their own meals at home have “better diets, consume less salt, sugar, fat and kilojoules” and as a result are “more likely to maintain a healthy weight.” Despite this, more than ever before, Australians are reaching for convenience and low nutrient dense foods that provide a lot of calories and not much else. Consequently, according to Australian Department of Health and Welfare, obesity in Australia continues to be a major public health issue.

The loss of food skills and the ability to

plan and improvise meals means more Australians are lacking confidence and ability in the kitchen. We have all become time poor and our lack of food skills, particularly meal planning, is making the task of cooking unnecessarily daunting and complicated. As a nation we are throwing away $8 billion dollars’ worth of edible food each year. Not only is this bad for our hip pocket, it is also devastating for our environment. Five million tonnes of our wasted food ends up as landfill which directly contributes to global warming and climate change. This is going to have a direct and unforgivable consequence on future generations.

What we need to appreciate is that food is far more than what is on our plate. It is our source of energy, nourishment and longevity which significantly impacts disease prevention, mood, weight, health and wellbeing. When something has the power to have such a detrimental impact, how is it that we settle to fit into a “diet”, rather than taking the time to individually plan and define what works best for our bodies and our families? As with any meaningful change in life, you need to experiment and discover how meal planning can work best for you. In order to create sustainable change, your approach should be practical and individualised to your food preferences. Meal planning is all about defining your needs and making food choices that are easily and readily available to you. Taking the time to do something as simple as creating a shopping list will prevent you from buying more food than you need while saving you time and money. Below, are my tips and tricks for getting started with meal planning, and making some simple choices that will help you achieve a consistent, long term and healthy approach to your diet.

How do I start?

First, become clear with what your needs and goals are. Here are some essential questions to help you get planning: • When do you get caught out with no food? • What do you buy or reach for when you are hungry? • What foods would you like to eat more of? • Are you eating plenty of fresh wholefoods? • What are your movements during the week and how many meals do you need to be able to take away or cook in advance? • Which days and nights are you not able to cook?

AS A NATION WE ARE THROWING AWAY $8 BILLION DOLLARS’ WORTH OF EDIBLE FOOD EACH YEAR A simple guide to eating healthy

• Eat foods as close to their natural state and as often as possible • Put a variety of foods on your plate that you enjoy– create a rainbow! • Avoid consuming highly processed and packaged foods as much as possible • Learn to cook foods you want to eat and explore culturally diverse foods, flavours, herbs and spices as many of these also have incredible health benefits! • Look for ways to increase your fruit and vegetable intake each day (only 20% of us actually meet the recommended 2 fruit and 5 veg guideline). Try to incorporate these into each meal and as snack.

PANTRY STAPLES

• Canned legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) – good source of protein, fibre, B vitamins and other essential nutrients • Fruits and Vegetables – these are quick and easy to cook or just snack on • Avocado, nuts, nut butters, tuna – to increase good fats • Oats, barely, quinoa and porridge, brown or long grain rice and whole-wheat pasta – good source of complex carbohydrates and fibre • Flavour enhancers (olive oil, vinegar, salt reduced soy sauce, pasta sauce, vegetable stock

Other handy tips

• Get to know 5 recipes that take under 15 minutes to cook • Proteins don’t take much time to cook so I like to cook a pot of rice on the weekend to have ready as a base to any meal (organic soba noodles and quinoa are also great staple items) • Choose quality (fresh, organic, fair trade,

unprocessed) over quantity, and your meals will be tastier for it • To reduce food waste and your waistline, reduce portion sizes, cook only what you need and serve meals to sit on the inside of a dinner plate • Freeze leftovers (soups and bolognaise sauce always come in handy) • Give yourself time to enjoy your food before going for seconds – you will be surprised how full you may feel by simply slowing down • Practice mindful eating – really slow down, chew your food without distractions, recognise when you are full and stop eating, engage all you senses (smell, taste, sight), listen to the effects food have on your feelings and how you feel after certain foods, appreciate your food.

This ensures eating is an intentional act and makes eating more enjoyable.

Meal planning is not about cooking every meal that you and your family eat. It is simply a system to take out the guess work in cooking, while giving you flexibility in the kitchen. Have fun with it and take it as an opportunity to really get to know yourself and your eating habits. It is a journey, so there is no rush to “perfect it”. In my household, meal planning means I have some meals that are ready in my freezer, some vegetables that are pre-cut in the fridge and a pantry packed with handy canned legumes for an easy lentil salad or Mexican feast. That is what works for me, so find what works for you and your family. 