Most, if not all of us, lead busy and hectic lives. This can affect our eating habits, leading us to forgo preparing healthy meals at home. The alternative is often hawker food, which, while affordable, is laden with fats, oils and salt.
The increased dependence on these types of food has contributed significantly to the rise in chronic health issues in Singapore, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
While many understand the importance of a healthy diet, reflecting this in our daily lives can be a challenge. Whether it's to lose weight or to feel better overall, we are sharing tips on how to start a healthy diet meal planner. Let's start with the core elements of a healthy diet.
What Does a Healthy Diet Look Like?
It’s easy to tell yourself, “Yes, I want to eat healthier.” However, the actual planning and execution takes commitment and effort. We understand that it can be a lot to take in, so we’ve taken the liberty to list down the key elements of a healthy diet:
- At least two thirds to three quarters of your meals should consist of whole fruits and vegetables
- Limit intake of fats, oils, salt and refined sugars
- Consume more lean white meats like chicken and fish for your protein needs
- Should also include plant-based protein sources such as beans, seeds and nuts
Ideally, a healthy diet should avoid processed foods that are calorie-dense and contain refined carbohydrates. Let’s look at some of the ways you can start a healthy diet meal planner.
Tips on Starting a Healthy Meal Planner
The first thing to remember when adopting a healthy diet is that it is a marathon and not a sprint. With that being said, here are some of the factors to consider when developing a healthy diet meal planner.
1. Find a Diet That Suits Your Goals
Before you start planning your diet, it helps to determine exactly what wellness goals you would like to achieve. This will allow you to determine what considerations to make when planning your meals. For instance, some people seek to improve a chronic condition, while others aim to lose weight or perhaps feel more energetic.
Your goals will influence how you construct your healthy diet. As an example, those looking to lose weight will want to create a calorie deficit diet, containing less calories than they would consume on a normal day.
2. Choose Whole, Fresh Foods
The best way to ensure that you’re getting the optimum amount of nutrients from the food you’re eating is to choose whole, fresh foods. Whole foods, to be specific, are foods that are processed and refined as little as possible, remaining close to their natural form. As a result, they retain vital nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and amino acids.
Studies have shown that diets that feature predominantly whole foods are more effective in preventing chronic diseases.
3. Start Slow and Build on It
When you want to begin eating healthy, avoid the ‘all in’ approach. Instead, modify your diet gradually. For instance, you can plan healthy meals for one or two days before taking a break.
You can repeat this in a cyclical manner, gradually increasing the number of days where you practise your diet. We recommend the ReCulture 10 programme, which is nutritionally dense and is designed to help your body detox too.
The reason for this is so that you build up healthy eating as a habit, leading to a more sustainable diet rather than eating healthy as a form of crash dieting.
4. Learn About Meal Preps
To have a healthy diet means having more control over what you eat, and the best way to do that is to prepare your own meals. It helps to prepare your meals in bulk before the week begins, and reheat them over the next couple of days.
This will save you time and effort, especially on weekdays when you’ll be consumed with work and other familial responsibilities. Additionally, it can help you control the amount of calories you consume, as well as your portion size.
Plan Your Meals With the Help of Experts
When you plan healthy meals, you want to ensure that it aligns with your fitness aspirations. Additionally, you also want meal plans that are effective whilst being safe for your health. An expert will be able to help you achieve this as they provide the necessary advice.
ReCulture’s goal is to support everyone that wants to lead a better life by improving their overall wellbeing. We provide wellness programmes that not only cater to your nutritional requirements, but also your body’s unique needs, including resetting it’s many systems. Our programmes are convenient too, especially if you live a hectic lifestyle and can’t afford to spend time preparing your own meals. Contact us today to find out how our wellness programmes can benefit your specific lifestyle needs.