A meal planner refers to a worksheet or document that has complete plans of everyday meals for a definite period. It may be extended to 4-6 weeks, or a weekly planner can also be maintained. Meal planner helps the greatest issue faced by humans which is ‘what should we cook today?’
Meal planners are devised by family members when there are diverse options to choose from. Meal planning helps by including every type of food in the plan so that you do not miss out on natural fibers, proteins, fats, etc. Moreover, it also helps in maintaining discipline by not worrying about what to cook because it has already been planned.
Additionally, meal planners are also arranged by nutritionists for their clients. Nutritionists are professionals and take different factors into account for devising a healthy meal plan which is only suited for a particular individual. While planning, the calorie count is taken into account by evaluating the calories of every meal.
Devise a plan carefully…
Contents of a 4-6 weeks meal planner vary according to the requirement of an individual or a family. Nutritionists take the following factors into account while devising a plan,
- Weight of the individual
- Age
- Height
- Body mass index
- Food preferences (veg or non-veg)
- Seasonal vegetables or fruits
- Exercise or workout
- Allergies to food/nuts
All these factors are considered because a healthy body does not only depend on food intake but also depends on the above-mentioned factors.
A good meal plan counts for all the days of 4-6 weeks so that not a single day is left out. Many individuals or families prefer 2 or 3 meals per day with a simple breakfast of milk or bread. While designing a meal plan, everything is taken into account, and it also includes takeout on specific days to enjoy a cheat meal
Reasons to have a meal planner
Meal planning is considered a significant step while arranging meals because of the following reasons,
- It helps while considering a balanced diet because the weekly meal is arranged in a manner that all vegetables and meat are included.
- Thinking ahead relieves the pressure and prepares you beforehand.
- It helps in prepping food on weekends to avoid cluttering on weekdays.
- It saves time and money by adding healthy ingredients to your diet.
- Makes it easy to make a grocery list that includes all the stuff for 4-6 weeks thus, avoiding reruns to buy stuff every other day due to lack of meal planning.
- Allow you to designate a day for a new recipe or date night thus, keeping things alive.
- While preparing meals, allergies, and intolerances of every individual in a family are considered which makes it easier to select a proper meal for everyone.
Sample worksheet
The sample of a meal planner depends on the requirements of the individual involved. It is easier to use a meal planner because it can be customized according to the requirement. A generally used sample of meal planning is given below,
4-6 weeks of meal planning
Start date: __/__/__
End date: __/__/__
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | |
| Mon | ||||||
| Tue | ||||||
| Wed | ||||||
| Thur | ||||||
| Fri | ||||||
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| Sun |
File Size 55 KB
