If I had to pick one place to start when it comes nutrition, I would have to go with: Cook Your Own Food.
It's the easiest way to have control over what you are eating and gets you really thinking about what your choosing to eat.
If you cook your own food, you need to shop for your own food. You need to plan meals and snacks. You need to look at your schedule and determine what you need. It's the one thing that forces you to really be a part of and hands on with your food choices. This creates a lot of self awareness too - which is very important if you're on the journey of improving your health.
Are you still with me? Okay, then I'm going to provide some steps on how you can approach this in a simple way. As with much of my style - keep. it. simple. Like....really, really simple! So don't expect any earth shattering tips here - I take you back to basics. (Because.....it works!)
A lot of people laugh at me, but one thing I'll tell clients is to plan your meals as if you're planning for a child! Why? You'll automatically make it less complicated. You'll think of simple snacks and healthier choices right away. It's a great way to approach it. In fact, here's a link I keep going back too when I need some inspiration for myself: Lunches for Kids
1. Choose simple and easy meals
And I mean simple.The less overwhelming you make nutrition for yourself - the higher the chances you stick with good choices. So if it means your breakfast is as simple as a high-fibre cereal and fruit, then that's what it means. Stick with easy cooking methods - hard boiled eggs, stir fry frozen veggies, baked chicken etc....Once your habit of making your own food and meal prepping becomes second nature - then, by all means, get fancier!
2. Plan your meals and snacks, then shop!
Food shopping on a whim can lead to some surprise purchases and not a lot of useful items to make meals. I find it easiest to spend time on Sunday looking ahead at the week and deciding which nights leave me with no time to cook - these nights will need quick meals or something prepared ahead of time. After planning meals and determining how many snacks we'll need, then I'll make a list and shop. Make life easier, not harder!
3. Do it Ahead of Time
Lots of meals can be prepared ahead of time - or at least parts of meals. I'll take some time after shopping to work on preparing what I can so that I can do less during the week. I'll chop fruits and veggies. I'll make batches of rice, soup, potatoes, salads and more. Just about anything that will make my weekdays go a heck of a lot smoother.
Do you need to simplify your nutrition approach? Reach out, I love talking about food :)