​As a dietitian, there is not much I enjoy more than speaking with someone about their food choices and discussing ideas to make small changes to reach their health goals when they are really interested.   On the slip side, there is not much I enjoy about talking to someone when all they want is for me to validate nutrition myths they have heard or think I can just “give them a meal plan on the spot”.
 
The challenge: You or someone you know wants a free & quick answer for a nutrition question but is frustrated when the answer you receive isn’t applicable to your life.   However, you or your friend isn’t able or willing to invest the time and money for a qualified professional to provide a personalized answer.  
 
The solution: This post shares some free tools and resources that you can access to get answers to frequently asked food and nutrition questions.  If you have additional questions on how to apply this to your life or think that meeting with a registered dietitian would be beneficial, click here to find a qualified professional near you.

​I know most of you fall somewhere in between the above two scenarios: you have a nutrition question or interest, but you either don’t need in-depth counseling, can’t afford the out of pocket expense, or don’t have easy access to a registered dietitian nutritionist.  Let me know what else would be helpful to see here!  What is your favorite food and nutrition resource?  Link to it in the comments below to share!

​While the title may be a bit dramatic, it’s also pretty accurate when you think about how it can apply to your life & MEAL PLANNING.  A key to succeeding at any goal – be it a strategic business goal or a personal health & wellness goal – is to have a SMART goal that acts as your PLAN. “I want to be better at planning my meals” is more of a desire than a goal.  A SMART goal around meal planning would be “I will prepare at least 5 dinners this week from food on hand, eating dinner out no more than 2 times”.  

• The second statement is much more Specific – you are going to be preparing dinners more and eating out less, pretty straightforward. 
• It’s Measurable – you can count how many dinners you made and how many you ate out.  Now, I hope this isn’t the case – but don’t forget to count any dinners that you failed to eat.  Your goal is 5+2=7, to be successful you need to eat all 7 dinners!
• The goal is Achievable (for some, maybe not you) – it takes into consideration that you have, or will, grocery shop and have the ingredients, knowledge & skill to prepare the meals you and your family want for those 5 dinners. 
• It is also Realistic – assuming you grocery shop and prepare meals on a routine basis… if you haven’t prepared a meal at home in a month, starting with 5 dinners in a week may be unrealistic.  And if you prepare every meal at home, this goal isn’t for you either! Remember, while the strategy is the same for business & personal goals – meal planning isn’t likely a Key Performance Indicator for you and you can adjust the goal to be more realistic for you and/or your family. 
• Additionally, this goal is Time-bound: you have 1 week to meet your goal.  You will either succeed and repeat/improve or miss the mark, see where you have opportunities and adjust your goal or make a plan to address your gaps.   In order for the goal to be achievable and realistic, it’s important to know where you are starting. 

So, stop for a minute and ask yourself two questions (referring to the 6 statements below): “What is my current level of meal planning?”   and “What level of planning do I want to reach for?”     

1. I write a plan for all meals for my family for each week.
2. I write a plan of 1 or 2 meals each day for a couple days ahead.
3. I think about meals for the next few days & foods I will need before going to the grocery store.
4. I think about the meal I am going to eat or fix when I get to the grocery store.
5. I think about what to order while driving into a fast food restaurant/calling for take-out
6. I think about what I am going to fix or eat when I am hungry and my family is ready to eat