Nail Your Diet With This Weekly Meal Planner (+ Free Printable)

Whether you’re on a strict diet that enforces low-carb meals, a paleo lifestyle, or FODMAP avoidance, you’re probably wondering where you should begin. If you’ve ever stood in the grocery store looking at your food prep list wondering why meal prepping is so intimidating, then maybe beginning with a weekly meal planner is the right solution for you! 

Keep reading to learn more about planning your weekly meals and how it may help your physical and mental health.

Why You Should Plan Your Meals

There are several mental and physical benefits when it comes to weekly meal planning, especially if you suffer from a gastrointestinal disease. By creating a detailed list of all the food you will eat (down to the snacks), you can save yourself from the anguish and physical discomfort that unplanned foods will take on your body. 

Let your weekly meal plan help you on your journey to body confidence.

Daily Meal Plan Guide

You should split your food eating habits into three meals and three snacks for every single day of the week. By not being so rigorous with a strict, three-meal diet, you may find joy from the meal planning experience. 

Make sure that the three main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are the stars of your meal plan. Then, plan an a.m. snack between breakfast and lunch and a p.m. snack between lunch and dinner. This way, you can make sure that you are avoiding those nasty pre-dinner cravings. 

Save some room for a small desert after dinner and eat it at a reasonable time before heading to bed. Although it’s always important to treat yourself, the last thing you want is for any ice cream to upset your stomach before tucking in for the night. 

Plan Before You Shop

The most intimidating aspect of meal planning is the process of shopping for the foods you will eat every week. Diversify your menu to save yourself from a boring or repetitive diet. 

This means: Don’t have eggs and chicken sausage links for breakfast every morning. Switch it up with avocado toast or a nice bowl of heart-healthy cereal. 

Planning your meals before you head to the grocery store will save you plenty of time. Not to mention the headache of wandering through every aisle and paying for too many groceries in one trip. 

Meal Planning Health Benefits

There are multiple physical and mental health benefits for planning your meals ahead of time, especially if you have food sensitivities or issues with your gastrointestinal system. 

When you plan your meals, you can feel more in control of your body and how you feel on a daily basis. Eating foods that can regulate your gastrointestinal issues may also relieve you from symptoms of anxiety and help you achieve a better quality of life. 

Now that you know the basics of how weekly meal planning can help you stay focused on your diet and may also improve your physical or mental health, download a free printable to get started on your meal planning journey. 

Have a wonderful week!

Disclaimer: this post was written in partnership with Siege Media. Printables and images were supplied by them and as such are not owned by me.