Day Twenty Nine – {Activity} Practicing

Wow, it’s crazy how this is almost the last day of this program. The days have flown by for me and I hope they have for you too. You should be so proud of yourself for going though this program all the way to the end. You should have noticed some type of growth towards healing your relationship with food even if it was just one small thing you’ve improved. You have likely started to discover the intuitive eater in you and started back to having a good relationship with food.

As our final lesson, it is time to sum up this last week and give you a little practice. Understanding food is no easy task. Look, the reality is, it took me 4 years to graduate with all this knowledge. I’m still learning everyday too! You can’t expect to be an expert after just one month. The more you practice the more it will come naturally to you. That is part of your growth.

However, in the beginning you will need practice. Go back and get out that those two info graphics that I included this week on Healthy Snacks and Preparing a Balanced Meal.

Sit down and give yourself a few minutes to play around with planning out a balanced meals and snacks for the day. It’s going to take time and practice before you get good at it.

Print out this little worksheet to help you practice. It’s called the Meal Planning Worksheet

First check in with yourself. What are you thinking you are wanting to eat tomorrow? Start with breakfast and you can work your way down the day. Remember you want to include protein, carbohydrate and fat at each meal. Now try to think about what foods you plan to serve for yourself and in what category they belong.

For Example:

You have decided you are in the mood for cereal, milk and a banana 

Breakfast

Protein: 2% milk

Carbohydrate: Honey Nut Cherrios, 2% milk, banana

Fat: 2% milk

Notice that milk actually counts in all 3 categories, pretty cool, huh?

This is where referring back to the Preparing a Balanced Meal worksheet will come in handy. This infographics helps you to identify what foods belong in which categories.

Now that you have breakfast down, move on to the rest of your meals that day. Like I said, this takes practice and knowledge is power. Keep working at it and before you know it it will be second nature.

You will notice when planning out your meals and snacks, it has more to do with what you have to add to your table versus what you have to take away. Some categories may have multiple foods, but it’s a good idea for your main meals that all categories are covered for the most balanced meals.

Snacks are a different story. As we discussed in the snack lesson, it doesn’t always need to have fat and protein although there is nothing wrong with it having both. I included both for the snacks on the worksheet to give you options if you do have both.

Get practicing now! Remember, I’m always here to support you. Feel free to email me if you are confused or you are welcome to post questions on my Facebook page.

Have a great day!