Healthy Eating 101, Part 1 – Get Organized and Make a Healthy Eating Plan

Why You Need a Healthy Eating Plan

If you’re striving to live a calmer, healthier and sexier life, one of the keys to achieving that goal is feeding yourself well. Your body (and your mind and spirit) craves the nutrients that fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, lean meat and healthy fats provide, and you owe it to yourself to provide those nutrients.

Because if you’re like most women, when you neglect what your body needs, it begins to crave things that are bad for you. One of my friends, for example, craves sweets when she’s hungry or thirsty or hasn’t taken the time to fix a good meal. I crave sweets when I’ve been eating a bunch of junk. Other women crave sugar or salt or fat when they’re running non-stop from one activity to another. I think something similar is probably true for all of us, although our cravings may differ. (Includes affiliate links.)

But, it’s also true for  most women that “eat healthy” is easier said than done. We don’t really have a healthy eating plan, we’re too busy, and the lure of convenience foods and pre-cooked meals  is too great. So we end up feeding our bodies junk – highly processed foods, fast foods, sweets, salty snacks and sodas.

If eating well seems like an impossible goal, don’t be discouraged. This post is the first in a 4-part Healthy Eating 101 series. The goal of the series is to provide simple, practical ideas you can  use to eat nutritious, delicious foods – to feed your body well – without breaking the bank or keeping you in the kitchen until midnight every night! And it all starts with two crucial ingredients – getting organized and creating a health eating plan.

Healthy Eating 101, Part 1 – Get Organized and Make a Healthy Eating Plan

Eating well never “just happens.”  It always requires organization and planning – both of which sound time consuming and tiring. The good news is, you can start small and work your way into a healthy eating plan. Every change you make benefits your body, your health and your family’s health – you don’t have to become “super organic vegetarian woman” to reap the benefits of healthy eating. Here are a few steps to help you get started:

• Clean out and organize your refrigerator and pantry/cabinets.  I don’t mean a “take everything out and change the shelf paper” cleaning! Just get rid of food you aren’t going to or shouldn’t eat – i.e., it’s too old or too unhealthy. Put “like” things (or items that will make a meal) together and move the healthiest foods to the front for easy access.

Do this at the beginning of every week – once you do it 2 or 3 times, it will take less than 5 minutes but will pay you back by saving you time and helping you know what you have on hand.

• Make a plan for the week.  Take some time on the weekend to plan your family’s food for the week. Make a menu for dinners, taking into account evening activities. Note which nights you’ll need a quick meal and which ones will allow time for cooking. In addition to dinners, think about lunches and snacks. Also plan to double some meals and freeze the extras or send them to work or school as lunches. Doubling is the easiest way to have healthy meals on hand when you need them.

• Make healthy foods the easy choice.  After you shop for the week, do a few simple things that will make it easy for everyone in the family to eat well. Make small bags or containers of snacks that children or adults can grab and go, like grapes. carrot sticks, nuts, dried fruit, and cheese cubes. Cut up fruits and vegetables and put them in a convenient location in the refrigerator. Make a tossed salad large enough for several meals (doing all of the cutting and chopping only once saves a lot of time!)

• Put time-saving appliances to work regularly. You probably already use your CrockPot regularly. It’s a lifesaver for busy women! But if you’ve let yours get pushed to the back of a cabinet, bring it out and dust it off! Break out your healthiest Crockpot recipes, try my Tex-Mex Shredded Beef, or check out this great CrockPot Pinterest board. And if you need a new Crockpot, or a better one, this is the programmable programmable Crockpot I use and love. Also, consider getting an Instant Pot. I’ve been late to jump on the Instant Pot bandwagon, but I got one recently and can already see that it’s going to be a big time saver.

• Be kind to yourself.  Don’t have time to do all of these things? Just do one – and count it as a victory. Find yourself hitting the drive-thru because your meal plan didn’t work out? That’s fine – it will take time to refine your menu, shopping and meals so that you end up with a plan that works for you and your family.

Ready to take the next step? Check out the other 3 parts of this series.

Part 2 – Bad News About Processed Food

Part 3 – 4 Reasons to Eat More Real Foods

Part 4 – Let’s Get Started!

And be sure to download my free ebook – The Busy Mom’s Guide to Healthy Family Meals. It includes 24 quick and healthy meals and 22 tips for prepping real food quickly and easily.

What strategies help you plan and organize healthier meals and snacks? I’d love for you to share your successes – and frustrations.

Looking for healthy food, at great prices, delivered to your door? Check out all of the organic food, real food, and products for a healthy life at Thrive Market. Click here for a special offer – an additional 20% off  Thrive’s already-low prices on your first three orders+ free shipping on all orders over $49.

20% Off Your First 3 Orders + Free Shipping on Orders Over $49 at Thrive Market

Photo credit – Matt Hintsa – Flickr, Jen Russo – Flickr