Creating or maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be challenging because it encompasses so many aspects of our lives. Balancing the demands of a career or school with home life while still leaving room in your schedule for hobbies, time with friends, and other activities that support your mental health and let you emotionally recharge. Getting regular physical activity to keep your body healthy, whether that means going to the gym, participating in a sport, or simply taking walks around the neighborhood. And perhaps most fundamentally, consistently eating fresh, healthy food.
Why is healthy eating so important to living a healthy life? At its most basic level, food provides our bodies with building blocks and fuel in the form of macro- and micronutrients that allow us to live, work, and play. When we lack proper nutrition, our strength and energy suffer. Our food choices can also be vital for being able to maintain a healthy weight, managing or avoiding health conditions like diabetes or heart disease, and supporting efforts to get in better physical shape. On top of all of this, though, great food made from fresh, healthy ingredients is a pleasure to eat and enjoy, promoting mental well-being as well as physical well-being.
Of course, what constitutes a healthy diet is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. For example, athletes, growing kids and teens often have a higher daily calorie requirement than adults who lead a less active lifestyle. Other diet choices can be based on personal preferences and health goals, such as opting for a plant-based diet or working on weight loss. What works for one situation may not be ideal for another. Unfortunately, one feature of working on healthy lifestyle choices like an improved diet is universal—without thought and planning, it’s all too easy to fall back into unhealthy habits.
Why Healthy Meal Planning Is Essential
Resolving to eat more fresh and homemade foods and to cut back on processed foods and meals is one thing, but sticking to that resolution is another. We’ve all run up against the unpalatable truth that food choices which are quick and easy in the moment when we don’t have meals ready to go or only need minimal prep, tend to undermine our healthy eating goals. Dinner can be especially difficult, as shifting gears after a busy day to think about what to eat when you don’t already have something planned may be just too much when your energy is low.
In this situation, it’s no surprise that people tend to make decisions to get food in a hurry that they regret later. A swing through the fast-food drive-through after picking up the kids from a late baseball practice or dance class. Microwaving a frozen meal that is high in sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars when you walk in the door after an exhausting day at work later than expected. Or ordering takeout with huge restaurant-sized portions that blow any intention to cut back on calories or fat out of the water. Planning ahead is the best way to minimize the chance that your intention to eat healthy meals will be subverted by impulse buys of unhealthy food, making it easier to build the healthy habits you want for yourself and your family.
This means first identifying your goals for eating better and then planning the best strategy to meet those goals consistently. In addition to changing the types of food you eat, such as eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer convenience foods and potato chips, this may also mean taking a look at portion size. Even healthy foods can be problematic if consumed in large quantities, and it may not be intuitive to know how much is too much. Meal tracking apps like MyFitnessPal, MyNetDiary, Yazio, or Cronometer can help you determine the nutrient content of what you’re eating, provide a guide for serving sizes, and record your meals to help you stay on track.
Of course, it isn’t necessarily easy to plan meals for a healthy lifestyle day after day, which is why so many of us slip up. A healthy meal delivery service can help make it simple to plan ahead so you can eat the way you want to every day.
Making Meal Planning Easy
With fresh meal delivery from Jessie & Laurent, you and your family can have it all—delicious food handmade from fresh, high-quality ingredients without hours of recipe planning, shopping, and meal prep. Our weekly menus of à la carte items include entrées, sides, soups, salads, and desserts so you can choose your own ideal selection of meals. Dairy-free, wheat-free, and vegetarian options are available, and most dishes come in three sizes to allow you to tailor the amount you order to your household’s needs. Simply order on our website a week at a time or several weeks in advance, and your selections will be delivered on your regular delivery day, refrigerated, and ready to be heated in the oven.
It’s a snap to join the many happy families, busy professionals, and health-conscious clients who have made Jessie & Laurent their solution for putting fresh meals for a healthy lifestyle on the table. No contracts, no commitments, and no delivery fees! We serve the Bay Area, North Lake Tahoe, and the Auburn to Sacramento corridor. To get started, just place your first order on our website or contact us here for more information.
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