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How To Make a Nutrition Plan Yourself?

A nutrition plan is a comprehensive guide on achieving long term health and wellness. It encompasses overall dietary requirements, lifestyle and health goals, such as weight loss, muscle gain or disease prevention. Diet plans and meal plans are part of the nutrition planning, and we will discuss further in this article the differences between each, and what might be the most suitable for your requirements and goals.

There are many reasons why people may seek a nutrition plan. A person may want to focus on their weight, either to lose body fat or gain weight in a safe, effective and sustainable way. Another popular reason for a nutrition plan are for those looking to improve their athletic performance and exercise goals, as well as optimising recovery. People who have health conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, food intolerances or kidney disease may also want a customised nutrition plan, to help best manage their health concerns. Others may want a plan in place to prevent the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, by following a specific nutrition plan. Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy may desire a nutrition plan to optimise their health status during this time, or those who follow certain diets such as veganism may require guidance on how best to optimise their health and nutrition through dietary adaptations.

See the infographic below that outlines the main principles of creating a nutrition plan:

Read further to understand the differences between nutrition plans, meal plans and diet plans, detailed further steps in creating a personal nutrition plan and mistakes to avoid.

What is a nutrition plan?

A nutrition plan is a specific plan that focuses on helping you to meet your nutritional requirements, in order to work towards your health and wellness goals.

This plan can focus around several factors, including looking at your calorie requirements and how much of certain nutrients like proteins, fats and carbohydrates you need every day. It may also detail how to obtain sufficient micronutrients through the diet, which are the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. A detailed nutrition plan can focus on the types of foods to choose, the times to eat according to your routine and lifestyle, as well as details on portion sizes and composition of certain food groups.

The differences between a nutrition plan, a meal plan, and a diet plan

Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there are several differences between a nutrition plan, meal plan and diet plan.

A nutrition plan is a detailed and comprehensive guide to achieving your long term health and wellness goals. It covers areas such as dietary needs, lifestyle, goals, schedule, what and when you will eat with detailed portion guidance. Meal plans should be customised to the persons health objective, whether that be for weight management, improved fitness or supporting a health condition. It differs from a diet plan, which is often designed to be a short term plan to achieve mainly weight loss, and is regularly more restrictive. Meal plans will outline certain meals and snacks to be included, typically based on a persons calorie requirements. They often come in weekly or monthly plans, and it can form part of a nutrition plan.

Importance of having a personal nutrition plan

There are several reasons why having a personal nutrition plan is important. Firstly, it is a tailored plan to help you achieve your individual health goals. This can be goals such as weight management or improved energy levels, or maybe increasing muscle mass. The plan will take into account certain personal factors such as activity level, age and gender and metabolic rate, to create a personalised goal to work towards.

A nutrition plan is important as it can ensure a person is obtaining the right amount and range of nutrients that the body needs, whilst they address their health concerns. This can be combined with a person wanting to manage health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease or digestive issues.

Customised nutrition plans can help you to identify key foods that could be triggers for those suffering from digestive issues. The plan will ensure that whilst you perhaps trial avoiding certain foods, there are still plenty of foods you can have, to prevent nutritional imbalances. This can help to support your gut health and reduce symptoms such as bloating.

People may find that a personalised nutrition plan can help them to improve their energy and productivity levels, as they are fuelling themselves better with foods that provide sustaining energy and productivity, whilst supporting mood and mental health. This is because certain nutrients that are included in food groups on the plan can help with these areas, such as omega 3 fatty acid rich foods, magnesium and even B vitamins, all important for sustained energy and mood.

Creating a personalised nutrition plan can also take away much of the daily decision making and simply meal planning and preparation, to help reduce overall stress and minimise last minute unhealthy choices being made. It allows people to create a long term and sustainable approach to their health goals, as it is designed to be personalised to their preferences & lifestyle.

It is important to consult a professional such as a registered dietitian, to help create a personalised nutrition plan. This will allow you to firstly identify and calculate your specific requirements whilst ensuring the plan takes into account your food preferences. A dietitian will also make sure the nutrients and food groups are balanced across the foods recommended, and the plan can also be adjustable overtime as required with changing needs and health goals.

Factors to consider before creating a nutrition plan

Before creating a nutrition plan, there are factors to consider, before jumping in without preparation. To ensure the best success, think about the following before you get started:

Assess your health status
Consider undergoing some medical tests, such as a blood test to look for nutritional deficiencies or possible food allergens. This can also be a good way to assess health markers such as blood sugar control, cholesterol levels and kidney function, which all are heavily influenced by nutrition and lifestyle. Ensure you speak with your doctor and dietitian to check your plan aligns with your health needs.
Check your health goals
Decide what your nutrition plan is going to help you obtain. Is it fat loss, muscle gain, energy improvement or managing a certain health condition? These clear goals will allow you to better focus going forwards.
Evaluate your current habits
Look at your day to day eating habits, schedule, meal composition, portion sizes, food choices and cooking methods. You also want to assess other areas of wellbeing that influence health, such as exercise and activity levels, which will influence your personal nutritional needs. Other factors to be mindful of is your overall sleep quality and stress management, as these factors strongly impact our overall health and wellbeing.
Look at your current schedule, to see how many areas may need to be adapted, in order to improve certain areas such as taking the time to meal prep and plan ahead.
Consider your preferences
When designing a nutrition plan, it is important that the foods you choose are foods that you actually enjoy and want to eat. Think about your favourite foods, cuisine, any cultural influences and possible dietary restrictions. If the plan does not regularly include foods that you enjoy, it will be unsustainable and therefore unrealistic.
Look at your budget and options
Ensure the meals and foods you choose in the plan are within your budget and you can easily obtain them. For example, consider cupboard staples, frozen fruits and vegetables for when they are out of season, and what is readily available and easy for you to shop for.
Review already created meal plans
Looking at pre designed meal plans will help you to see examples of plans that have been tailored to certain nutrition goals, such as weight loss plans, kidney friendly nutrition plans or perhaps diabetes management plans etc. Check out our free meal plans, as this will provide some inspiration and a good starting point for you to create your own customised plan.
Understand nutritional principles
Ensure you are clear on topics that will be important when creating a plan, such as macronutrient needs, including protein, carbohydrate & fat requirements for you, as well as micronutrients (vitamins & minerals). Work on balance, rather than eliminating certain food groups without strong reason.
Monitor progress
Not only with weight, but also look at other areas of your wellbeing, such as energy levels, exercise performance, digestive health and mood, which can help you track how well your body is responding to the dietary and lifestyle changes, and portion sizes provided.

10 steps to create the best possible nutrition plan for your needs

Designing the best personalised nutrition plan requires in depth planning and a step by step approach, to ensure that it meets your requirements and allows you to work towards your health goals. Here we have broken down 10 steps on how to make a plan that works for you:

Define the goals
Firstly, you need to set your goal(s) as the foundation of the plan. This will allow you to work out from here your food choices, calorie goals and macronutrient requirements.
Create long and short term goals. For example, a short term goal could be to build up to prioritising strength training 3 times a week. The long term goal could be to lose 5kg in 3 months, or reduce your high cholesterol into the healthy range over the next 6 months.
Keep in mind goals aside from just weight, such as improved bowel habits, better mood, skin health and exercise performance.
Assess where you are starting from
Observing your baseline will ensure that you can identify where you need to start from and work on improvements. To assess this, start with completing a food diary for a week, writing down everything you eat and drink, portion sizes, meal timings, mood and hunger levels. This will help you realise where you need to make the changes in your dietary habits, to work towards the goal. Consider getting a health check, to see if you have any nutrient deficiencies or possible health concerns such as high blood sugars or blood pressure. This will allow you to adapt the goals of the plan to best suit your health needs.
Calculate your daily calorie requirements
Having an understanding of your required calories will help ensure you meet your energy needs, whilst working towards your goals. Use an online TDEE calculator (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which takes into account your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) as well as your activity level. Total calories can range from approximately 1600-2500 or more, depending on body weight, gender, lifestyle and exercise levels. If you are aiming for weight loss, create a deficit from your TDEE, but avoid drastic deficits and nothing below BMR, to prevent muscle loss, metabolism changes and fatigue.
Calculate daily macronutrient needs
The macronutrients are the proteins, carbohydrates and fats, the major nutrient groups in the diet. You want to work out how much of each nutrient you should obtain in your diet.
Typically, ratios for fat loss can be: 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, 30% fat. Muscle gain may be 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fats.
You may want to start by tracking your macros on an app, but overtime this should become intuitive.
Set a time frame
Choose how long you want to focus on this nutrition plan for, and ensure you allow regular evaluations. We recommend firstly a plan for 4 weeks, to allow you to start creating changes and measuring results. Then, look at a longer term plan of 3-6+ months, to allow these changes to become habits and permanent.
Select the meals in your plan
Choosing the right foods is crucial to ensure that not only they help you towards your goals, but they are enjoyable and you can sustain the habits around eating these foods. You will need to ensure that the foods chosen meet your macronutrients as well as micronutrients of vitamins and minerals.
Think about the range of vegetables and fruits (for fibre, vitamins & minerals), the types of lean proteins (such as chicken, tofu and Greek yoghurt), high quality carbohydrates (like quinoa, brown rice and potatoes) and healthy fats (such as avocado, olive oil and nuts).
Consider planning a weekly menu to ensure that you can create a shopping list for the week, reducing food waste and preventing decision fatigue. Ensure recipes are quick, simple and fit within your budget.
Prioritise hydration
Although the focus is around food options, don’t forget fluid intake! Adequate hydration is key for better digestion, metabolic function and energy. People who are dehydrated often feel fatigued and this drive further food intake. Aim to consume around 2L of water per day, more if you are in a hot climate or are very active. Keep a water bottle with you at all times, and flavour the water with fruits or herbs if you struggle with just plain water.
Consider supplementation
Although supplements are not required for everyone, they can help in certain situations. If you have been diagnosed with a deficiency such as iron or vitamin D, then consider a supplement. If you avoid certain foods for cultural or personal preferences, you may want to consider what supplements you need. For example, those who eat no animal products may need to consider supplementation of vitamin B12, calcium, iodine and iron. It is best to speak to a registered dietitian to understand better what supplements are required based on your health status and food intake, and at what dosage they are required.
Track progress
Regular monitoring will allow you to track your progression towards your goal and see where changes are needed. Track your food intake, portion sizes, hunger levels and mood. Track your progress towards your goal, such as weight or body measurements, energy levels or bowel habits. Check in with yourself weekly to see if adjustments need to be made.
Build a routine and be flexible
Remember, consistency comes with time, but allowing yourself some flexibility will ensure you do not give up, when unplanned situations arise. Plan for occasional indulgences, such as meals out and social occasions, knowing that you are getting back to the plan after this occasion. Also consider meal prepping, cooking in advance to help out your future self when there may be more stress and less time.

Here is an example of part of a nutrition plan, which focuses on whole foods, making the most of batch cooking and meal prep to save time throughout the week.

The best foods to include in a nutrition plan

When deciding what food to include in a nutrition plan, focusing on nutrient-dense foods is important, to firstly provide you with a range of nutrients such as proteins, healthy fats, fibres, vitamins and minerals. Then, considering your goals and dietary preferences is important to fine tune the list of foods included in the plan.

The types of food groups to include for all nutritional plans:

Lean proteins: These will support muscle growth & muscle loss, whilst also being a satiating food group.
High fibre foods: To support a healthy digestive system and better blood sugar control, as well as helping with satiety.

Healthy fats: These provide essential fats for brain health, hormone and energy production as well as being crucial to help absorb certain vitamins.

Universal list of specific foods for most nutrition plans:

Fruits: fresh and frozen berries, apples, pineapple, banana and dried fruits like apricots
Vegetabes: Green leafy vegetables like broccoli and kale, dark coloured vegetables like red cabbage and aubergine, as well as frozen vegetables like peas and sweetcorn.
Proteins: Poultry like chicken thigh, red meat such as beef mince, fish like salmon or tuna, as well as vegetarian protein such as tofu.
Whole grains: Choose options such as quinoa, oats, brown rice and whole grain bread.
Healthy fats: Extra virgin olive oil, mixed nuts and seeds, oily fish, avocados and olives
Legumes & beans: Chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, red and black lentils
Dairy (or alternatives): Greek yoghurt, milk and cheese, or plant based alternatives
Herbs and spices: A large range from basil and rosemary, to strong flavours like cardamom and cinnamon, as all spices contain health benefits as well as adding flavour.

List of specific foods for weight loss nutrition plans:

Fruits: Any type of fruits, including berries, grapefruit and melons, as well as apples, pears and peaches
Vegetables: All non-starchy vegetables like cucumbers, cauliflower, courgettes and peppers
Lean proteins: Chicken or turkey breast, egg whites, fish, lean meats, soy products, as well as vegetarian proteins like beans and lentils
Whole grains: Smaller portions of quinoa, oats and whole grain breads
Healthy fats: Smaller amount of olive oil, nuts & seeds
Dairy: Similar to above, with Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese or plant based alternatives
Herbs and spices: Any variety to add flavour and enjoyment, such as black pepper, cayenne spice and turmeric

List of specific foods for vegan nutrition plans:

Fruits & vegetables: Any type of fruits and vegetables as mentioned above
Lean proteins: Soy products like tofu, tempeh an edamame, seitan and legumes such as beans and lentils
Whole grains: Brown rice, quinoa, oats and whole grain breads
Healthy fats: Avocado, olive oil, olives, nuts & seeds
Fortified options: Plant based dairy alternatives like soy milk or soy yoghurt, that has been fortified with vitamins B12 and D, calcium and iodine.

Foods to avoid in your nutrition plan

There are certain foods that can slow down your progression as they are very high in calorie or are more processed, meaning they often contain higher levels of fats, salts or sugars. Although occasional intake is fine, these foods will not provide nourishment to your requirements and therefore should not be frequently featured in your nutrition plan.

List of specific foods for to avoid for nutrition plans:

Highly processed foods: This includes foods that are high in saturated fats, sugars or salts, such as packaged snack products like cakes and crisps, ready meals and processed meats e.g. bacon and sausages.
Sugar sweetened foods and beverages: Regularly consuming added sugars in the form of foods and liquids can not only add extra calories to the diet without any other nutritional benefit, but they can cause energy crashes and increase risk of chronic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes. This includes fizzy drinks, sweetened cereals, syrups and sweets.
Excess saturated fats: Too many saturated fats can increase cholesterol levels and contribute to weight gain. This includes fried foods, pastries and fatty meats.
Refined carbohydrates: These foods lack fibre, which can lead to spikes in blood sugar and energy crashes. Examples include white bread and white pasta as well as pastries and pizza.
Alcohol: Not only does alcohol provide 0 nutritional benefits, it is also high in calories and impacts on other areas of health such as hydration, sleep quality and food choices. Avoid where possible, especially sugary cocktails, beers and sweet wines.
Sodium rich foods: These foods are often heavily processed and can increase blood pressure and bloating. Examples include crisps and other salty snacks, as well as cured meats.
High calorie sauces and dressings: When flavouring the meals, it is easy to rely on ready prepared sauces, but some can be high in calories such as cream or cheese based sauces, and mayonnaise based dressings. Be aware of the added calories and fats from these sauces when planning meals.

How to get the most out of your personal nutrition plan?

To ensure you get the most out of your nutrition plan, it is important to make a strategic plan to help you say on track, monitor progress, maximise your success and also feel like the changes are sustainable.

Set realistic and clear goals
Begin with short term mini goals that are are step by step process towards your long term aspirations. This can be for example, starting with eating one serving of vegetables with each meal, or aiming for a lunchtime walk three days over the week.
Plan, plan, plan
Planning will help ensure success! Plan for meals and even consider meal prepping over weekends or during your free time, to help your future self. It will save you money too and allow for less impulse decisions. Plan for if you are going to need snacks between meals, what the snacks are and how they fit into your health goals.
Work on consistency but be realistic
Remember that what you do on a day to day basis most often is what’s most important. So sticking to the changes consistency will ensure the results. Allow yourself the flexibility for special occasions as well as those unplanned scenarios. These occasions do not mean you have ‘ruined’ your progress. Instead, get back to plan at your earliest opportunity.
Listen to how you feel
You may need to adjust portion sizes or the types of food you eat, if you notice yourself struggling with feelings of fullness, bloating, energy highs and dips or other problems. Adjust changes and take notice of your bodies response. Be mindful about when you eat, listening to hunger rather than eating from boredom or habit.
Keep track of progress
Be sure to monitor your food intake, fluid, exercise, mood, bowel changes and any other markers of progress over time. This can be done in several apps or a written journal. This will better allow you to check your progress in between short term goals, and look for areas that you may be seeing positive success with, or are struggling to manage.
Adjust as required
Based on your progress, it is likely that you will need to adapt and change some areas as you go. For example, you may need to revisit portion sizes or look at when you are eating. Working with a dietitian will allow you to make changes that are necessary and sustainable, to prevent imbalances in nutrition.
Add in variety
Plan a wide range of foods to help meet your nutritional requirements, as well as preventing you from getting bored. This will keep the meals enjoyable whilst working towards your goal. Researching recipes and meal ideas from books and online can be helpful for inspiration and more ideas.
Don’t forget about hydration
As you will plan in meals, don’t forget to also prioritise fluid intake to support energy, hydration and overall health. Water is the main option, though you can also try infusing water with fruits or use herbal teas for hydration.
Celebrate your small wins
Don’t forget to acknowledge the changes you are making, whether that’s sticking to a plan for the week, trying a new recipe or achieving a personal best with your training. These will allow you to see progress in other ways towards your goals.
Keep the plan simple
As much as it can be nice to eat an exciting, elaborate and different meal every day of the week, most people do not have the time or resources. You may find that sticking to simple, but varied meals helps to reduce time, whilst helping you to maintain consistency, especially around any other priorities.

The most common mistakes when creating a nutrition plan yourself

When designing your own nutrition plan, there are several steps to keep in mind to avoid making mistakes that might hinder your progress. We have included the top mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not making it individualised
Following generic plans found online are not best suited to your unique goals, lifestyle, activity levels, any medical conditions, and preferences. Therefore, this can hinder performance overtime. Instead, ensure the plan is personalised to your needs, by consulting a dietitian for support.
Not checking your health status
It is useful to request a blood test to check for possible nutritional deficiencies or abnormal biomarkers in the blood that you may not be aware of, as this will better help you design a plan that address your health needs.
Over-restricting
If your goal is to lose body fat, it is tempting to drastically cut calories low, to speed up results. Although this can show results in the short term, it is quickly followed by issues such as fatigue, low mood, nutrient deficiencies and inconsistency with sticking to the plan. Instead, focus on a moderate caloric deficit, which your dietitian can help you calculate, so that you are more likely to stick to this long term.
Cutting out food groups
You may believe cutting out a food group such as dairy or carbohydrates, will allow for faster results. But unless you have a medical reason to cut out certain foods such as an allergy or intolerance, this can lead to an unbalanced diet, and a less than healthy relationship with food. Instead, include all food groups unless you have been medically advised otherwise, opting for healthier options like whole grain carbohydrates and healthy fat sources.
Estimating portion sizes
Misjudging portion sizes by eye can easily lead to under or over eating, even if you are consuming healthy and varied meals. Instead, use scales and cups to measure portion sizes according to what you require, to ensure accuracy.
Not considering snacks and beverages
Make sure you include everything you consume in the plan, such as snacks and drinks, which can significantly contribute to calories. Ensure that you have accounted for the snacks and drinks within your plan, so that they align with your goals and will not hinder progress.
Over complicating the plan
It’s tempting to want to create complex recipes with a large range of ingredients, though there is a risk of overwhelming yourself and then giving up. Instead, choose simple meals with easy to find ingredients and consider batch cooking to help you out with effort and time.
Being unrealistic with progress
It’s natural to want to expect results fast, though a nutrition plan often takes consistency and a certain length of time before results start to show. Give yourself at least 6 weeks of commitment before deciding if you need to change the plan.
Not tracking progress appropriately
Aside from weight changes, it is helpful to look at other ways to measure progress, to decide if you need to adjust your plan. For example, keep a food journal, record your bowel changes and energy levels.
Giving up after small slip ups
Remember that one day off plan or a few indulgences do not ruin your hard work. These are a normal part of life and we want to still be able to enjoy social occasions where sticking on plan may be unrealistic. Learn from this and refocus on your goals for your next meal.

Personal nutrition plan vs. Dietitian-created meal plan

When looking to improve your diet and overall health, consider the differences of you creating your own nutrition plan or reaching out to a dietitian who can help create a personalised nutrition plan. Each approach has benefits and drawbacks that we will delve in to, to allow you to make the best decision for you.

Personal nutrition plan

Pro’s:

Cost-effective: There is no need to pay for a nutritional professional, so this is a budget friendly option.
Learning opportunity: Creating your own plan requires research and learning about your health goals and understanding more about the field of nutrition.
Easy customisable: You can quickly tailor the plan to your tastes, preferences and lifestyle.
Flexibility: You can also adjust the plan as you go along to evolving goals quickly and effectively.

Con’s:

Gaps in knowledge: Although information around nutrition can be found online, there will be a lack of expertise and depth of knowledge required to understand certain areas such as micronutrient balance and portion sizes.
Risk of making more mistakes: Devising a plan yourself can lead to inaccurate calculations of caloric requirements, as well as drastic approaches like cutting out food groups and over restricting, which in the long term will not be sustainable.
Time consuming: Not only does it take time to research and understand about nutrition, it also takes significant time and effort to write the plan and adjust as you go.
No professional guidance or accountability: Having a dietitian create your meal plan will ensure you are best managing your health conditions and can also hold you accountable, increasing likelihood of keeping to plan.

Dietitian created nutrition plan

Pro’s:

Expertise: Working with a dietitian will ensure they use the latest research and most up to date scientific knowledge to put your plan together.
Personalised: A dietitian will take into account your goals, medical history and lifestyle, to put together a detailed and effective plan.
Tailored: The plan will be specifically designed for yourself and your requirements, to help you work towards your goals such as managing weight or improving chronic health conditions
Nutritionally balanced: A dietitian will ensure that all your macronutrients and micronutrients are being met with the plan, minimising risk for developing deficiencies
Quick and efficient: Dietitians are trained in providing nutrition plans and therefore they will be able to create personalised plans quickly, with minimal wait
Ongoing support: Not only can the dietitian provide you with a personalised plan, they can also be there to answer questions, provide guidance and help you with accountability, increasing the chances of long term success.

Con’s

Cost: Seeking out professional advice will come with a cost, especially with tailoring the individual plan for a persons needs and lifestyle

Although it can seem tempting to create a nutrition plan yourself, you can see that it comes with risks such as knowledge gaps, nutritional imbalances and the time investment. However, seeking the help from a professional will ensure expert guidance and detailed understanding of how best to achieve your long term goals, whilst removing the hassle of time you need to put in. Where possible, seeking the advice from a dietitian or nutritionist to create a flexible and long term nutrition plan is best, to ensure your plan is realistic, accurate and tailored to your needs. Seek support from a nutritionist online to find out how they can best help you put together a customised nutrition plan. You can also purchase a meal plan from our website for general plans and meal ideas. heck out our range of ready prepared plans that can be purchased on our website.

Frequently asked questions about creating a nutrition plan

Can I create a nutrition plan without professional help?

Yes you could create a nutrition plan yourself by researching and understanding nutrition basics and using online tools such as calorie calculators and recipes. However, professional help will firstly ensure accuracy and specific tailoring to your requiring, helping to provide variety and balance, whilst taking into account any health concerns, to allow you to work towards your goals.

What time period should my nutrition plan target?

Begin with a 4 week plan, as this allows enough time to start tracking progress without feeling too overwhelmed for long term commitment. Give yourself at least these 4 weeks to stay consistent, and then adjust after if required.

How do I know what my daily calorie needs are?

Using one of the many online calculators available will provide you with a daily calorie needs goal. These take into account your age, gender, weight, activity level and weight goals. However, these are generally estimates – so for more precise calculations, work with a registered dietitian.

How should I balance macronutrients?

This depends largely on your goals, activity levels and dietary requirements. However, generally a nutrition plan will contain macros that are 40-60% carbohydrates, 20-30% protein and 20-30% fats.
Again, working with a dietitian can ensure you are sticking to the right macros for your needs.

How do I avoid feeling hungry while on a nutrition plan?

Ensure that your nutrition plan contains plenty of lean proteins, high fibre foods and healthy fats, as these all promote satiety and feelings of fullness. Keep hydrated, and be mindful of meal timings, to prevent too long of a gap between meals.

What tools can help me create and stick to my plan?

There are various apps that can help you track your food intake, calories and portion sizes. You may find it helpful with planning ahead for meals, creating shopping lists and also meal prepping, therefore buying good quality food containers will help.

How do I plan meals if I’m short on time?

This is where planning is key. Consider batch cooking when you do have more times, and ensure you stick to simple recipes. Use healthy shortcuts such as frozen vegetables, tinned beans and lentils and already cooked proteins, to save time in the kitchen.

Do I need to include supplements in my plan?

It depends on your requirements and needs. Most nutrients can be obtained from a balanced and varied diet. However there may be certain health conditions or lifestyles of eating such as being vegan, that may warrant for supplementation. Speak to your dietitian or healthcare professional before starting any supplementation.

How To Make A Nutrition Plan?

Published by Reema Pillai on 6th December 2024