As a registered dietitian nutritionist, one of the most common questions I get asked is, "Can you make me a meal plan?" While I can absolutely guide you in learning how to meal plan and understand the components of it, I don’t usually provide pre-made meal plans. Here’s why:
Why Pre-Made Meal Plans Are a Short-Term Fix
Providing a ready-made meal plan is similar to: “Give a person a fish, they’ll eat for a day. Teach a person to fish, they’ll eat for life.” While a meal plan might offer a temporary solution, it doesn’t teach you the skills of meal planning that will serve you long-term.
Imagine following a strict meal plan, only to get bored or frustrated with it after a few weeks. What happens next? You’ll have to pay for another one. But without the foundational skills, you’re stuck in the same cycle.
I believe that teaching you how to meal plan is more empowering and sustainable. You’ll not only learn the basic principles of meal planning but also develop the autonomy to create your own meals for life.
The Problem with Calorie/Macronutrient-specific Meal Plans
There are plenty of tools and calculators that estimate your calorie needs based on your height, weight, and activity level. Nutritionists and dietitians may suggest putting you in a calorie deficit for weight loss, recommending specific foods and portion sizes. While this may help you lose weight in the short term, the issue lies in the reliance on external cues like how much you're "allowed" to eat or what time of day it is. Human's needs vary from day to day and are affected by factors like: activity level, sleep, stress, and environment. Some days, you might need more food. Other days, your hunger may be less. Rigid meal plans is that they don't adapt to these individual needs. They often fail to account for how our body signals hunger and fullness. We are born with an innate ability to understand when we’re hungry and when we’re satisfied. However, many people lose touch with these cues due to years of dieting or following external rules about food.
Instead of telling you how much and when to eat, I prefer to guide clients towards understanding interoceptive awareness - the ability to be aware of internal sensations in the body, ie: hunger and fullness. This is premise of Intuitive Eating.
Why Intuitive Eating Works
Through intuitive eating, you can reconnect with your body's internal hunger cues and create more balanced, mindful eating habits. This is the approach I recommend for those who want to build a healthy relationship with food and meal planning. Some people worry that intuitive eating means that they will eat whatever they want and never stop eating. This isn't the case, as listening and responding to the direct messages of the body includes honouring when you are full and what feels good. If you ate candy all day every day, you wouldn't feel great.
When Meal Plans Are Necessary: Special Circumstances
While my general approach is to teach you how to meal plan, there are situations where a meal plan may be necessary. For example, if someone is living with an eating disorder or not eating enough, the focus shifts to re-nourishing the body through mechanical eating. In these cases, a structured meal plan can be a helpful tool, at least in the beginning, to ensure that someone is getting the nutrients they need. Eating disorders are serious and complex, affecting not only your physical health but also your mental well-being. In these cases, working with a dietitian to establish a meal plan can help address immediate nutritional needs and provide structure as part of a larger recovery process.
How I Can Help You Build a Meal Plan You’ll Actually Stick To
Rather than handing over a pre-made meal plan, I focus on helping you develop meal planning skills based on your preferences, lifestyle, and goals. My approach helps you understand the fundamentals of nutrition, so you can confidently make decisions about what, when, and how much to eat.
With the right tools, you’ll be able to build your own meal plans that fit your life—not just a temporary fix. Whether you’re looking to eat healthier, improve energy levels, or simply eat more mindfully, learning to meal plan is a powerful skill that lasts a lifetime.
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