Many people find themselves caught in a cycle of wanting to improve their lives but feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to start. This is a common struggle, especially when it comes to food and nutrition. The desire to eat better is often overshadowed by a lack of knowledge, cooking skills, and the daunting task of navigating the grocery store. However, taking small steps and seeking help can lead to significant positive changes.
The Struggle is Real: Confessions of a Nutrition Novice
The first step towards change is acknowledging the problem. Many people can relate to the feeling of reaching the end of a long day and settling for an unhealthy, convenient meal. The truth is, many are clueless when it comes to food - in every possible way one could be. Like, not only do they not know what’s healthy and what’s not, but they don’t even know where to start in figuring it all out. It’s just not their thing and never has been. But the older they get, the more they want to learn and be aware of what they’re putting into their body and at least try to eat better. This ignorance of all things food is only compounded by the fact that many have little to zero experience when it comes to cooking or preparing meals. For some reason, they never got into cooking - not even a little bit. So given all this, it only makes sense that the grocery store is a terrible, scary place. When they think about venturing to grocery store land, they get nervous and are overwhelmed with dread.
Taking the Plunge: From Apathy to Action
Recognizing the need for change is crucial. It's about acknowledging that settling for a sub-par, nutrition-less situation is no longer acceptable. There’s got to be something one can do to improve their sub-par, nutrition-less situation that they continue to settle for. Honestly, they’re not even trying. They can do better. As such, it is important to decide to do something about it. And like most things one decide to do, they should go all out.
Seeking Guidance: The Power of a Lifeline
When faced with a challenge that seems insurmountable, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Enlisting the expertise of someone knowledgeable can make a world of difference. The thought of meal planning and all this “ish” totally overwhelms some people - so not their area of expertise. So it is important to decide it was time to get some help. Otherwise, one wouldn’t be able to make a REAL change - one that they’d actually stick to.
A Collaborative Solution: Mini Meal Plans for the Win
One approach to tackling the challenge of healthy eating is to create a structured meal plan. After much thought and brainstorming, one can decide to launch a mini meal plan for 6 weeks to see how people responded. Each week, a grocery shopping list plus several recipes that can be made with the groceries on that list can be shared. Since this all started as a personal problem, the solution is catered to someone who want to eat healthier than they already are. Even though the recipes and grocery list are catered to 1 serving, one can easily modify their list to cook or prep for more than one person or to make additional servings for lunch, etc. And this grocery list is not going to necessarily cover EVERY single meal you’ll eat over those days either. Because realistically, do you think you could eat every single dinner from home and have your s*it together enough to pack a lunch every single day?
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Pantry Essentials: Building a Foundation for Success
Before embarking on a meal plan, it's helpful to stock up on pantry staples that can be used in various recipes. There are a number of ingredients that really should always be in anyone’s kitchen. You may see these in numerous recipes & grocery lists over the next several weeks. Examples of staples include:
- Canola oil (best for cooking because it has a higher smoke point - i.e.
- Dry rolled oats - great to get from the bulk bin of grocery stores like Central Market.
The Fourth Trimester: A Metaphor for New Beginnings
The concept of the "fourth trimester," the three months following childbirth, can be a useful metaphor for any period of significant change or adjustment. Even if you have the perfect newborn, this is still a tiring time because they’re waking up a million times in the night to eat, and you’re still recovering from GIVING BIRTH TO A HUMAN. Not to mention the fact that your hormones are allll over the place. Just as new parents experience a period of intense adjustment and learning, so too does anyone embarking on a journey to improve their health and well-being. It’s crazy how much one has already forgotten about that season of life though, and it’s only been a few months. The first few weeks are pretty foggy and chaotic. For many, there is a bit of a lift at the end of six-ish weeks- where they’re able to wrap their head around the new reality. Not in the sense that they’ve got control of it - hardly! But rather in the sense that It’s been six weeks of this new reality.
Body Changes and Self-Acceptance
During periods of significant change, it's important to be patient and kind to oneself. Understand that your body may change, and it may take time to adjust. I gain weight everywhere during my pregnancies, but this time I gained more. My boobs get HUGE during pregnancy, and this time they got even bigger. And with both of those changes, it has taken longer the second time around for me to return to some level of normalcy. Even though I’m getting close to the weight I was before, I do feel like the stretching of my body this second time around is leaving more of an impact. Specifically, my stomach and uterus have gone down but there’s this “pouch” that has remained and makes me look as if I’m four months pregnant in fitted dresses.
Hormonal Shifts and Emotional Well-being
Be aware of the potential for hormonal shifts and their impact on emotional well-being. Hormones tend to wait to get crazy for some until about the three-month mark. It’s usually at this time (three months) that they start to feel a little more unstable than usual. Knowing how to cope and what to expect is important.
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