The Food Ritual

When it comes to transforming your body, the secret is to keep things as simple as possible. People get overwhelmed by all the information on the Internet and this can cause more confusion and frustration.

 

Thinking less and making fewer decisions, letting your environment do much of the work for you. If healthy and convenient foods are around you, you’re more likely to eat it. If you have a trusted system for making healthy food available, you don’t have to decide to eat well… you just show up and do it. This is where a food ritual is essential for success.

What is a food ritual?

A food ritual is where you set aside some time to prepare healthy food in advance so that it’s readily available and convenient for when you need it.

Here are some strategies you can use:

The Sunday Ritual

This doesn’t have to be on a Sunday, you may choose any day of the week to do this. Sunday is a just a day that might be more flexible for most. Set aside 2-3 hours of the day to do the following:

• Look at your schedule for the upcoming week to see what is happening. See what challenges arise for the week, what the quietest times are and where you might need special preparation in advance.
• Use a general menu for the next few days. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a basic sense of what you might need for the week ahead.
• Build a shopping list from this menu. This will help you be more efficient and prevent you from buying unwanted random or process foods.
• Hit the grocery store. Stock up on what you need for the week. Grab a few extra items such as canned beans, frozen vegetables or other healthier stored items.
• Start prepping and cooking

Grill or roast some protein in advance. Even a good braai on a Sunday could work well. Stews and slow-cooked meals work really well as you can store left overs in containers to freeze or store in the fridge. Chop up some veggies and place in sealer bag to keep in freshness.

The daily ritual

You can even combine the Sunday Ritual with a Daily Ritual. Cut up your veggies and fruits for the week and store in the fridge.

Prepare the lean protein on Sunday, and then add some quick-prep items (such as fruit and veggies) every day to create you meals.

Healthy meal services

Depending on affordability, consider hiring a healthy meal delivery service, even if this is only for one or two meals a day. If you don’t enjoy cooking or have a busy schedule, you might find that removing the meal prep is worth the money to you when you add up all the time and worry you might spend on it. Use google to find health option services in your area. Google “healthy meal delivery”

If you don’t plan, you are likely to fail. Prep and have a plan that you can stick to, especially when life throws you a curve ball. This will not only build good behaviours and life habits, it will guarantee success for a better, healthier lifestyle and help you reach your goals faster.