Getting Started with Nutrition and Meal Prep

Change is NEVER Easy. For Anyone.

When I first started paying attention to my nutrition, I was frustrated with the stereotypical dad I received in response to my frustrations. “Take 1-hour on Sundays to prep two meals”, “Create a list ahead of time and shop for the full week”, “Log your food before you eat it.”

Certainly, I was special. My hangups and frustrations could not be this basic. I am too busy. They don’t understand. 

Time and experience have humbled me and shown me that I am indeed not special. However, when I first started I failed to recognize how difficult it is to start a new habit. Instead of the same Reddit advice, I needed someone to validate my concerns before I was open to advice. Our egos are very powerful things.

I am going to give you the same dad advice, but I am going to start with this:

Rather than overhauling your morning, evening, or weekend routine, focus on one thing. Put down the YouTube videos of what the latest Gymshark sponsored athlete eats in a day, and focus on your life and circumstances. 

Change requires discipline, but in order to maintain discipline, you need to extend yourself compassion and be realistic about the short-term changes you are able to make. All or nothing is a setup for disappointment. Don’t let yourself down.

If cooking and tracking food are not currently in your routine, read on.

Please note that this advice is coming from an omnivore and includes examples that include animal protein and dairy. 

I Don’t Know How to Cook, and I Have No Interest in Learning

Fair. Learning new things is hard and chores are not fun. Whenever we take on a new thing we have little experience with, it is easy to feel defensive or closed off. I’d invite you to try some of these tips anyway. If you are hell-bent on everything being done-for-you and you have the budget for it, consider macro-focused meal delivery services such as TriFecta Nutrition or MyMightyMeals (local to the Chicagoland area). Note that these are NOT the same as Lean Cuisines or frozen meals. Those are not super macro-friendly and won’t help you meet your goals. 

What’s In a Meal?

The Hand Method

For a typical meal, you can use your hand as a cheat sheet.

A palm size of protein (4-5 oz for you!)

A handful of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.)

Two handfuls of vegetables (spinach, broccoli, squash, etc)

A thumb-size of fats (1tbs of olive oil, for example)

A Note on Fiber

Fiber is found in fruits and vegetables that are colorful and take longer to chew. It takes longer to digest than starches and simple carbohydrates and keeps us feeling fuller longer. It also helps things move through the GI tract. However, too much or too little fiber can leave us feeling bloated or backed up.

21-25 grams of fiber for AFAB (assigned female at birth) and 30-38 grams for AMAB folks is a good place to be. This difference is generally due to size rather than sex. The larger of a human you are, the more fiber you will need (and calories and everything else). Increase fiber gradually and aim for 20ish grams/day and go from there. (Most of us have trouble getting this much)

Meal Timing and Frequency

A meal like this 3-4 times a day (evenly spaced) and a snack or two is a good place to start. If you start here, pay attention to when you feel satisfied, and measure properly when you prep you can make great progress without tracking macros at all.

Meal Ideas

Once a week, you can prepare your proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables in 1.5-2 hours. Below are some staples to choose from.

Chicken

Chicken breasts or thighs are easy. I prefer thighs because they only have a gram or so more fat, but taste a lot better/have less tendency to dry out. You can bake this at 425 for 20-25 mins until the internal temperature is above 165 degrees. 

Salmon

I love salmon. It is bizarre. I blame my nordic ancestry. It has a lot of great fats and micronutrients as well (I prefer wild-caught over farmed here. Farmed salmon has more fat and fewer micronutrients.) Salmon is higher in fat than these other sources, but it is still a solid protein choice. You can bake salmon filets at 400 for 15ish mins until the internal temperature is 145

Ground Turkey

You can make little smash burgers or brown it on the stovetop to put with pasta. Honestly, one of my go-to meals is ground turkey (4 oz cooked), protein pasta, spinach, peppers, and (lower sodium/sugar) pasta sauce from the jar. 

Ground Beef

Ground beef can be used in the same way as ground turkey. Leaner cuts (at least 93% lean) are key here. Ground beef is higher fat and more expensive at leaner cuts, but it has good nutrient content and is very tasty.

Example Week

My typical week this month looks like this. You are not me and this is not a meal plan. However, I wanted to give you an example of what I’ve done so you can get some ideas.

Breakfast

  • Instant Oatmeal with Egg Whites and 1TBS of peanut butter(which is a good amount. But it is easy to overestimate this. This is why measuring is important!)

  • Coffee with oat milk

Lunch

  • Baked or Grilled chicken thigh with BBQ sauce (I bake BBQ sauce on the chicken. I use Sweet Baby Ray’s premade. Just be mindful of measurements so you know what macros you are adding to the meal.)

  • Microwave Broccoli (I like the Cosco bags you can just pop into the microwave)

  • White Rice

Snack

  • Carrots and hummus, Chobani yogurt with fruit on the bottom, Apple or Banana with peanut butter

Dinner

  • Ground Turkey Smash Burger (4oz) with cheese and roasted potatoes (season with salt, pepper, rosemary/italian seasoning in olive oil) and salad (spinach, carrots, little peppers, olive oil dressing)

Kitchen Supplies and Grocery List

Cookwares

  • Glass Dish for baking proteins

  • Baking sheet for vegetables (glass is also ok)

  • Meat thermometer

  • Stovetop pan

  • Rice cooker or Instant Pot

  • Stovetop pot for pasta/vegetables

Proteins

  • Greek Yogurt (0% fat)

    • For snacks, I like the chobani cups with fruit on the bottom. Very little fat, decent carbs, and good protein. This is a great pre or post-workout snack.

  • Egg Whites (great to throw these in on days you might make breakfast. I like 2 egg whites: 1 egg for scrambled eggs)

  • Chicken thighs/breasts

  • Ground turkey/beef (at least 93% lean. Ground turkey is cheaper and usually leaner, but check the label.)

  • Salmon (Wild-caught > farmed for less fat content and more micronutrients)

  • Tilapia (this is a lower cost option and is mostly protein, however, I don’t like it. You may.)

  • Shrimp (lean and middle of the road cost wise)

Fats

  • Canola oil cooking spray (good for stir fry or vegetables or greasing baking pans because it can handle high heat)

  • Olive oil

  • Peanut butter/favorite nut butter

  • Cheese/Creams

Carbohydrates

  • Fruit! It is your friend! It is yummy and has a lot of fiber and micronutrients. 

  • Pasta (I like protein + pasta b/c it tastes the same/has the same texture as regular pasta but gives you 7 extra grams of protein per serving. Banza protein pasta is chickpea-based and has a ton of protein, but I do not enjoy the texture personally.)

  • Rice

  • Quinoa

  • Oats

  • Beans/legumes/lentils

  • Veggies

    • Green veggies have a ton of fiber and micronutrients

    • Starchy veggies are higher in carbs, are easy to digest, and have less fiber. But we need them and our livers like them. 

    • Veggie snacks like carrots and hummus/ranch dip are super satisfying. So are those little mini peppers. I eat them out of the bag.

  • Tortillas

Spices

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Poultry Seasoning

  • Taco Seasoning

  • Italian Seasoning

  • Garlic powder or minced garlic for the fridge (i am very lazy and I don’t like to cut it)

  • (I am not a chef so these pre-made salt-free mixes are helpful for me!)

NutritionKayla Mae Andersongrocery list, fiber, macros, meal prepComment