Fuel Your Body Better: Meal Planning for Balanced Blood Sugar
At CORE57, we believe that proper nutrition is the key to reaching your fitness goals and we are here to support you every step of the way!
Today, let's dive deeper into one of our 7 Foundations of Fitness: fuel. We want to show you how to effortlessly create meal plans that nourish your body. Remember, nutrition is personal, so it's crucial to consider your body's unique needs when planning and preparing your meals. Let's make healthy eating enjoyable and effective together!
Balancing Blood Sugar: The Cornerstone of Your Diet
One of the key steps to maintaining wellness is to balance your hormones by focusing on having steady, controlled blood glucose throughout your day. It's key to optimizing hormones and reducing inflammation.
Lack of protein, fiber, healthy fat, and critical micronutrients can lead to more dramatic highs and lows of blood sugar. This rollercoaster ride is an added stress on your body, leading to increased production of cortisol. This stress hormone can trigger a chain reaction of other hormonal shifts across your metabolic systems, potentially leading to body fat accumulation.
Health and Blood Sugar Factors that Hinder Weight Loss
Picture this: You've been eating right and exercising regularly, but the scale just doesn't budge. Frustrating, isn't it? Sometimes, factors beyond your control, such as hormonal imbalances or conditions like PCOS, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, or diabetes, can throw a wrench into your weight loss plans.
Especially for individuals struggling with these conditions, it’s absolutely vital to fuel your body right with blood sugar-reducing, hormone-balancing fuel in order to keep your body healthy and working at its best. So, how do you navigate these potential pitfalls and still achieve your weight loss goals? Let's find out!
Building a Balanced Plate: Protein, Fiber, and Fats
When you're planning your meals, think of them as a balancing act of protein, fiber, and fats. We call this the law of 3's — but what does it mean to balance these three food groups?
Protein provides the building blocks for your body's tissues and can help control your appetite. You want to prioritize this at each meal. About 25 – 30 grams (a generous palm) for women, and 35 – 45 grams (2 palms) for men.
Fiber helps control blood sugar and cholesterol levels and supports a healthy gut. Your major source of fiber should be produce — go as heavy as possible on veggies. There is always room for improvement!
Fats are essential for absorbing vitamins, blunting blood sugar spikes, and protecting your heart and brain health. While fats are a necessary component of your diet, be mindful of how much you're taking in. Fats such as oils, salad dressings, hummus, mayo, butter, avocado, nuts and nut butter, cheese, chocolate, red meat, fatty fish, and egg yolks add up quickly. Try to limit your fats to one to two sources per meal.
Now let's move on to some practical tips that will help you integrate these elements into your daily meal planning and control your blood sugar.
Practical Tips for Meal Prep and Proper Fueling
Here's where the rubber meets the road: turning theory into delicious, nutritious meals.
Choosing the Right Food
Aim to fill your plate with as many colors from whole food sources of produce as possible! Don’t make it difficult! Choose any veggie or fruit you like eating and buy them already washed and cut if that’s a barrier for you!
Freezer Favorites
Frozen foods are a lifesaver for busy schedules. They require little to no prep and are easy to use!
Look for frozen veggies available at stores like Walmart, Costco, Publix, Sprouts, or Whole Foods. Steamable or pre-spiralized veggies (like zucchini noodles) are convenient additions to any meal.
Meats that are already seasoned and cooked are great time-saving options! In the prepared foods section or even the freezer section, you’ll find great choices. Virtually all grocery stores carry this stuff nowadays. Plus, it's perfect for bulk meal prep. Just check your label for added fat.
Great choices include chicken strips and tenders from Caulipower, RealGood, and Tyson, or sliced grass-fed beef sirloin, sous vide chicken and pork from Costco, just grilled chicken from Trader Joes, prepared shredded chicken and grilled salmon from Sprouts. (All the work is done for you!)
Easy Meal Planning with the Balanced Plate Approach
Sheet Pan Meals
Sheet pan meals make it easy to plan and prep well-balanced meals. Plus, since you cook everything together on one pan, clean-up is a breeze. Start with the protein, that’s your anchor. Choose one of the higher quality proteins like chicken tenderloin or grass-fed beef sirloin. Then add veggies — you can use fresh or frozen, just remember to steam them if they're frozen. Finally, consider your healthy fats, like avocado oils. Sheet pan meals are great for cooking large portions — perfect for leftovers!
Bulk Prep Proteins
Save time by bulk-prepping your proteins at the beginning of the week. Prepare enough for several meals and switch up the sides (don't forget the veggies!)
Use Common Ingredients
Plan meals using shared ingredients throughout the week. For example, create multiple dinners using chicken or your favorite veggie. This simplifies shopping and planning while making meal prep a breeze.
Make Wellness a Priority
Remember, the path to wellness is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Every small step you take towards a balanced diet is a victory. So, why not start now?
Join us on a personalized wellness journey and discover how the right nutrition can fuel your fitness goals and enhance your overall well-being. We offer personalized nutrition coaching tailored to YOUR body's needs. Our 12-week nutrition coaching program meets you where you are to help you reach your goals. Learn more about our nutrition coaching, and let us help you reach your wellness goals!