Your guide to meal planning
Diets don’t work in the long run because they’re hard to follow consistently and to the letter. But if you’re looking to ease into a healthier way of eating in 2023, something that can help is meal planning.
By planning your meals ahead of time, you ensure that you always have the right ingredients to prepare a healthy and nutritious meal. It’s also a great way to keep your healthy eating routine on track during busy weekdays – no more last-minute panicking about what to eat for dinner!
It involves creating a list of meals – and the ingredients you’ll need to make them – for a few days or a week ahead and then shopping for those ingredients. Simple!
Meal planning tips
1. Make your meal plan work for you
Your meal plan can be as detailed and exact as you like. Or, it can just be a rough guide so you know what ingredients you’ll need for the days/week ahead.
Most people try to meal plan weekly, but there are no rules. If you think meal planning every 3, 5, 10 or 14 days will work better for you, try it that way instead. And we’re all for time-saving, so there’s nothing wrong with making 2 or 3 plans and alternating them week by week.
Most importantly, any meal plan needs to be one that you enjoy and will therefore stick to. Use our guidance as inspiration to create a meal plan that suits your preferences, needs and dietary requirements.
2. Make meal planning easier by having Purition once a day
By having Purition once daily, you’ll only have one or two other meals to plan.
If you’ve got a particularly busy day ahead, you could even add Purition to your meal plan for breakfast and lunch, followed by a quick home-cooked dinner.
This instantly means 33% or 66% fewer meals to plan and cook!
3. Double-up on your portions
Make meal planning even easier by doubling up on your meals.
If you’re planning to have a spag bol with courgetti for dinner on Tuesday, just double-up on your ingredients, make a larger batch and add leftover spag bol to your meal plan for Wednesday’s lunch.
Or freeze the remaining portion(s) and add it to your meal plan for the following week.
That’s two meals sorted, for half the time.
4. Think protein, fibre, fat
Including a good source of protein, fibre and healthy fats in each of your meals will ensure that you feel full and energised after eating.
Use our handy guide to build out your plate:
Protein
- Chicken
- Beef
- Fish
- Eggs
- Greek yoghurt
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Lentils
- Beans
1 palm-sized portion at each meal.
Non-starchy carbs (fibre)
- Leafy greens
- Aubergine
- Courgette
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Tomatoes
- Leeks
- …and many more!
2–3 fist-sized portions at each meal.
Healthy fats
- Olive oil
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Avocado
- Olives
- Cheese
- Oily fish
- Full-fat natural yoghurt
- Whole egs
1 thumb-sized portion at every meal.
5. Use a meal planner
Meal planning can be as simple as grabbing an old notebook or piece of paper and scribbling down your ideas.
But if you’re looking to get more organised, our weekly meal planner is for you! It’s got room to list your meals for each day, paired with a tear-off shopping list to take shopping with you. The pad features 52 pages to keep you covered for the entire year.
Add a Purition weekly meal planner to your next order for just £4.98.
Buy Meal Planner
Meal plan inspiration
Looking for meal inspiration for your meal plan? Our go-to is the Stone Soup – it’s packed with healthy, delicious and (most importantly) quick meal ideas. We use it ourselves, so it comes fully tried and tested!
You might also find our 14 easy low-carb meals blog handy. From chilli con carne to courgetti bolognese, we’ve shared loads of fuss-free quick low-carb meals that’ll keep everyone at the table happy.
Lastly, here are some example meal plans from our team. But remember, there’s no right or wrong way to meal plan, as long as you focus on building healthy, balanced meals.
Our co-founder’s meal plan
| Summer | Midweek | Midweek | Midweek | Weekend (busy) | Weekend (relaxed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | none | none | none | none | Full english |
| Lunch | 50g Purition | 50g Purition | 50g Purition | 50g Purition | none |
| Dinner | Lemon broccoli with grilled chicken | Lamb kofta, greek salad, Pitta and Greek yoghurt mint dressing | Salmon and garlic roasted mediterranean vegetables | Salmon and garlic roasted mediterranean vegetables | Roast chicken and all the trimmings |
| Sides | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal |
| Snacks | Handful of unsalted nuts | 1 x Square 70% dark choc | Small piece/slice of hard cheese | Hummus & raw veggies | none |
Stone soup inspired meal plan
| Summer | Midweek | Midweek | Midweek | Weekend (busy) | Weekend (relaxed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 40g Purition | 40g Purition | 40g Purition | 40g Purition as an instant porridge | Eggs & bacon |
| Lunch | Superfood lunch bowl | Broccoli al limone | Chicken, tomato & feta salad | Mexican omelette with smashed avo | Broccoli puttanesca |
| Dinner | Lebanese omelette & almond hummus | Smoked salmon & spinach tart | Smoky taco bowls | Fish & hazelnut butter | Creamy mushroom, beef & almond pie |
| Sides | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal | Greens with every meal |
| Snacks | 2 squares of 80%+ dark chocolate | 200g dairy-free yoghurt with a handful of berries | Boiled egg | Small tub of olives | Greek yoghurt with berries |
Our nutritionist’s vegan meal plan
| Summer | Midweek | Midweek | Midweek | Weekend (busy) | Weekend (relaxed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | none | none | none | none | none |
| Lunch | 40g Purition | 40g Purition | 40g Purition | 40g Purition | Scrambled tofu with kale, avocado, mushrooms & spinach |
| Dinner | Oven-roasted tofu & vegetables (butternut squash, aubergine & mushrooms) + vegetable soup | Salad with tempeh, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, and steamed broccoli + vegetable soup | ‘Buddha Bowl’: Baked falafel & shredded red cabbage, grated carrot, avocado, edamame beans and stir-fried kale + vegetable soup | Stir fry with tofu, courgette ‘noodles’, ginger, garlic and broccoli | Butternut squash, aubergine and lentil curry with quinoa on the side |
| Sides | Non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens with every meal | Non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens with every meal | Non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens with every meal | Non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens with every meal | Non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens with every meal |
| Snacks | Handful unsalted nuts | 200g dairy-free yoghurt with a handful of berries | Half cup steamed edamame beans | 2 squares of 80%+ dark chocolate | 200g dairy-free yoghurt with a handful of berries |
This blog is part 8 of 11 of our healthy eating & lifestyle for weight loss series.
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