Meal Planning: Is it Possible to Meal Prep AND Eat Intuitively?
Meal planning for intuitive eating: How to do it!
Today let’s unpack a common question I get when we think about balancing the intuitive eating journey with the realities of daily life.
A common question I get is this: is it possible to use meal planning or do meal prep and eat intuitively?
Short answer: yes, absolutely!
Meal planning and intuitive eating can co-exist and I believe that we can hold space for both of these things. But let’s unpack that a little more…
What is meal prepping?
First, we need to acknowledge that while it would be amazing to be able to honour our hunger in the moment by eating exactly what we want in the quantity that we want (as we learn through intuitive eating), in our day to day life we also have busy schedules, external commitments, and time limits when it comes to preparing and enjoying food! This is real life, and that’s why I believe some gentle meal planning/meal prep can definitely serve you through your intuitive eating journey and help reduce some stress and anxiety that can come up.
There are lots of different definitions of meal prep, and often I think our minds drift to those “fitspo” images of rows on rows of containers filled with weighed out pre-portioned foods for each meal and snack for an entire week. Now, I don’t mean to guilt or shame ANYONE for their preferred method of preparing food, but I do want to gently ask this: does this method of food preparation come at the expense of your relationship with food? Are you able to build in variety and honour your bodys’ hunger cues and eat to your fullness cues in this way? Just something to consider.
When I discuss meal planning with clients, I tend to take a more loose approach that will help you save some time throughout the week, while still giving you flexibility to make choices in the moment about what foods, and how much of a food will be satisfying to you!
How this might look…
Meal planning before heading to the grocery store
- Plan your grocery list to include staple foods that you find satisfying and enjoyable. Include meal components and snack foods that you enjoy right now!
- Take a look at this list and ask yourself – what other foods can I add to this list to help me round out some meals throughout the week? Consider your schedule for the week. How much time will you have to cook? Will there be some nights you are eating out? Will you have space for leftovers? This can help guide how much food you need to buy
Loose meal preparation when you get home
- I am a big fan of prepping single ingredient foods in a neutral way so that you have the flexibility to repurpose these foods throughout the week
- Some ideas here:
- Think about foods that take longer to cook and consider preparing these ahead of time – grains and proteins often take longer to prepare. You could cook some brown rice for the week and store in the fridge to repurpose throughout the week, or even put some in the freezer for future! Perhaps you bake some tofu or roast chicken to add to salads, wraps, and sandwiches during the week!
- Chop up vegetables to have them ready for snacks, stir-frys, or bowls
- I typically will not “portion” my food as this allows me to choose how much food I want to eat in the moment – because I don’t know how hungry I’m going to be on Tuesday at lunchtime! I’ll store these prepared foods in sealed containers in the fridge and pull from them as I need!
As with all things intuitive eating, the work is in the process, and each new grocery trip and every meal is an opportunity to learn more about what works best for YOU when it comes to honouring your body and respecting your needs.
Looking for more discussion on grocery shopping while on your intuitive eating journey? Check out this great podcast episode from fellow non-diet dietitian, Claire Chewning.
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Interested in learning more about meal prep and meal planning? Check these blog posts out:
Britney Lentz
Disordered eating, intuitive eating, mental health, digestive health, emotional eating, chronic disease
One of the first things you’ll notice about Britney is her energy, zest for life and love of food! Britney is passionate about supporting her clients in developing a healthy and satisfying relationship with food and their bodies, allowing them to live life to the fullest. Britney specializes in disordered eating, intuitive eating, mental health, digestive health, emotional eating, and chronic disease.
Thank you for this article. Your balanced, non-judgmental approach is appreciated. 🙂
What are your thoughts on the possibility that intuitive eating is not realistic for everyone, due to things like mental/physical health issues &/or access to affordable options?
Thanks for your comment here Melissa! Finding the right pattern of eating for each person is an individualized approach, and requires taking into account their medical history, medications, and physical and mental health needs! It also certainly involves exploring what constitutes accessible, affordable, and appropriate food choices for that individual. As a dietitian, I like to work with the individual to see what elements of intuitive eating may or may not be appropriate in their particular season of life. For example, we may focus on elements of rejecting the diet mentality or joyful movement, but use more mechanical eating strategies if there are barriers to being in tune with their hunger cues! I like to use the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating as guideposts in a person’s unique journey, rather than a set of rules that must be followed!