one of the most important aspects of following the Guidelines is planning. not only does menu and meal planning help you to keep track of what you and your family might be eating, you also have a better idea of what you need when you shop - no matter how you shop, even if its via internet and you have your groceries delivered.
planning also helps you see where challenges might lie - an eating extravaganza like thanksgiving is more easily managed if you know in advance you're eating a bigger meal than normal at an unusual time of day.
it's important to plan for all your meals and all your snacks. i can run on empty almost all day, and if i don't have nutritious options available, i'll devour every edible calorie in sight. knowing ahead of time that i have grapes, celery sticks, carrots, almonds and yogurt available, for example, means that i don't find myself staring into an empty fruit bowl when the four oclock munchies hit.
you may find yourself forced to plan different kinds of meals for different family members. people who put too much focus on the needs of the other people they're making meals for, can sometimes find themselves in a state of energetic imbalance for no other reason than that they're not addressing their own nuitritional (or possibly other) needs.
so if you're cooking for someone with a food allergy or a condition that necessitates a special diet, don't always force yourself - or other family members - to conform to those special needs. try, as much as possible, to offer options on occasion that honor and recognize we ALL have unique nutritional requirements.
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