Meal Planning

"Personalizing meal plans can be extremely beneficial psychologically as well as physically. Knowing that one is eating healthy reduces some of the subconscious doubts about doing what needs to be done to be well. However, as with every healthy practice, there can be pitfalls. To help avoid these, there are four approaches that can be taken: assessing and changing your diet; staying committed to a healthy diet; trying additions and substitutions to bring your current diet closer to your goals; and planning ahead for challenging situations. Individual requirements for nutrients vary considerably depending on factors such as age and gender. Other relevant factors are size, metabolic rate, and occupation. A farmer would have a different dietary need than someone in a sedentary occupation. The body also has stores of certain nutrients, such as fat-soluble vitamins, so that variations in daily intake of such nutrients can be accommodated. Thus it could be misleading to recommend a particular daily intake level. When considering dietary needs, various techniques have been established by health officials to assist people in choosing foods and food amounts wisely. Choose My Plate is a graphic representation of what a healthy plate of food might look like. Other tools, such as meal planning guides, have also been established."