As you most likely already know, in the management of some chronic health conditions (for example diabetes, hypertension), lifestyle approach in the form of healthy eating patterns go a long way in their management. The class of foods, the portions/sizes, balancing, brands of food, method of preparation of food have great influence on our health state. It is to this end, that it’s required that anyone managing these chronic conditions ranging from hypertension to diabetes to dyslipidaemia (abnormal cholesterol levels) to arthritis go on a well-structured meal plan in order to reduce their overall body weight or abdominal fat as the case may be.
Quite unfortunately, in the course of practice, I have come across a lot of individuals whose health state necessitate the inclusion of a very healthy lifestyle through what they eat, but blatantly refuse or are hesitant to commencing or complying with a well-structured, prescribed meal plan.
For you to have reached this point or even read this article, it suggests that you want to know why you can comply with a meal plan. It is therefore the purpose of this article to demystify the myths surrounding meal plans, please enjoy as you read. ☺
- One myth is the belief that meal plans are hard to follow and as such will be waste of money consulting a nutritionist or dietician for one. It is to this end that I mention the need for a well-structured meal plan, by this I mean, written in the form of table or any other form. A majority of us are used to waking up in the morning and deciding what to eat when we eventually feel hungry, this isn’t helpful for the following reasons; firstly, if you happen to get hungry and you have no plan in mind of what to eat, there is the tendency to grab whatever we find edible and closest to us and bounce on, secondly, just as with anything in life, as the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail, you cannot be managing a chronic health condition and want to lose weight and not have a well-structured meal plan because in due time, you are bound to get frustrated or lose focus. This emphasizes the need for a well-structured meal plan.
- Also, if you do not have a meal plan clearly written down, there is the tendency to eat more than you should with respect to food sizes/portions. You may be asking, what’s a well-structured meal plan, the answer is simple, it’s one that contains all the foods you need per time, in the right classes and portions, while taking into consideration the users specifications and lifestyle in order to ensure full compliance.
- Because sometimes we tend to get peckish during meals, a well-structured meal plan usually makes allowances for healthy snacks which will not negatively affect your blood pressure goals, blood glucose goals and abdominal weight.
- Another challenge I receive from people and may apply to you is how to comply with a meal plan. As mentioned earlier on, a well-structured meal plan is tailored to your lifestyle specifications and also some nutritionists or dieticians will help you create a shopping list which helps you with your planning and makes things a whole lot easier.
Having stated the above, I hope you see reasons why getting a meal plan shouldn’t scare you, shouldn’t look difficult to comply and shouldn’t seem like a waste of money after all, if we are going to take proper care of anything, shouldn’t our bodies be the numero uno on the list.
If you will like to get a well-structured meal plan today, why not give us a call on any of these numbers 08080478227 or 08080471993. At OptimumRx, we will not only provide you with a well-structured meal plan, we can also assist you with the provision of well-prepared vegetable and fruit salads which can go both as snacks or main meals, both of which go a long way in improving your health.