How menu planning can be a help

Healthy heart tip

DO you plan your meals in advance? If you don’t, it may be something you could consider.

Meal planning can support healthy eating as nutritious and balanced meals are easier to achieve when planned ahead.

Planning meals makes it less likely that families will opt for take-aways or less healthy homecooked options.

Save money

Menu planning saves money by identifying exactly what groceries are needed and makes it easier to resist impulse purchases, helping with the cost of living crisis.

Planning your meals ahead also cuts back and reduces waste, as you only buy what you are going to use.

Keep it interesting

Menu planning could incorporate more variety into your week.

Why not plan some meatless meals or have some themed nights?

In your meal plan, you could also alternate between new and old favourite recipes to mix things up.

Don’t forget to think seasonal too. For example, what fresh produce is available this time of year? Or is it soup or salad weather?

Save time, effort and stress

Since the ingredients required to cook a meal are already available and the recipe has already been decided; time, effort and stress are reduced.

Remember that leftovers from one meal can be used to supplement another in your plan too.

Take a look in the cupboard for foods that need to be used and base some of the meal plan on what you find.

For example, a can of chickpeas may be used to make falafels or houmous.

Hopefully we have inspired you to have a think in advance about your meal choices.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up to weekly healthy tips at: www.heartresearch. org.uk/healthy-tips.