There’s an overwhelming amount of information about nutrition at the moment and a lot of it is really conflicting!! You go on social media and someone’s telling you to cut something out, then the next person is telling you that you need more of it. Before you know it, you’re questioning a lunch you were quite happy with five minutes ago?!
We know that what we eat matters.
We want to have enough energy, look after ourselves and feel good. But do we really need to know exactly how much protein, fibre, fat, sugar and every vitamin we’re having each day?
If you’re wondering how to eat well without tracking everything, I’d start by taking some of that pressure off. You can build a balanced diet without needing to analyse every meal.
Do we need to track everything?
Some people like data and find tracking useful. Fair enough, crack on! If it helps you and you’re happy doing it, there’s nothing wrong with that.
But you don’t have to do it! There are other ways to get a better idea of what you’re eating and make some useful changes without logging every mouthful.
I’d start by looking at your usual meals. Have you got a protein source? Are you getting some fruit and vegetables in? What about wholegrains and healthy fats? That gives you somewhere practical to start without worrying about every individual nutrient.
Give your meals a bit of structure
I find it useful to think about protein first and then build the meal around that. At breakfast, that might be eggs on toast or yoghurt with oats and fruit. At lunch, it could be tuna, chicken, tofu or beans, depending on what you enjoy.
If you regularly have a meal that leaves you hungry again soon afterwards, have a look at what’s in it. Could you add a protein source or make it a more substantial meal?
Then think about the rest of your plate. Some carbohydrates, fruit or vegetables and some healthy fats all have a place. You don’t need to weigh every ingredient to put those things together.
The aim is to have a few meals you enjoy that keep you satisfied and are easy enough to make on a normal busy day.
You can have structure and variety
If you’re anything like me, you might enjoy having the same breakfast and a couple of lunches that you alternate between. I like that structure and then I have more flexibility with dinner and snacks.
That doesn’t mean you can’t get variety in. When we talk about eating the rainbow, it doesn’t have to mean having every colour on your plate at every meal. You can think across the day or across the week.
If you’re having fruit as a snack, have an orange one day, a banana the next and a pear another day. Change the vegetables you have with dinner or add some beans to a soup you already make. You can keep the meals that work for you while mixing up some of the ingredients.
Rather than taking something away, what can you add?
This is something I’d really encourage you to try. When you look at your plate, rather than immediately thinking about what you should remove, ask yourself what you could add.
Could you put some fruit with your breakfast? Add some chickpeas to your salad? Have some eggs with your toast so it keeps you going for longer?
Fibre is another thing you can think about in this way. Foods like oats, wholegrain bread, beans, lentils, fruit and vegetables can all contribute. You don’t have to start by weighing everything out; you could start by including some of those foods more regularly throughout your day.
It gives you something helpful to focus on without turning every meal into an exercise in finding things you shouldn’t be eating.
Think about the food as well as the numbers
Numbers can give you information, but they don’t tell you everything about a meal. Two foods might contain a similar amount of sugar while offering different things in terms of fibre, vitamins or how filling they are.
That doesn’t mean one food is allowed and the other isn’t. You can enjoy sweets or a pastry and still have a balanced diet. I’d just think about what you’re having regularly and whether there’s enough variety, rather than judging your whole diet on one snack.
You don’t need every single thing you eat to tick every nutritional box.
A one-off check can be useful without becoming a daily job
If you’re curious about something specific, like how much protein you usually eat, you could have a look at a typical day. You might notice that breakfast doesn’t contain much and decide to make a change there.
That can be a useful exercise without becoming something you have to do forever. Equally, if tracking makes you more anxious about food, you can work on your meals without using an app at all.
If you’re concerned about a possible deficiency or have been given specific advice by your GP or a dietitian, follow that up with them. A food diary can help you notice patterns, but it can’t diagnose a deficiency.
You can just eat your lunch and enjoy it
I do think there’s a huge emphasis at the moment on optimising absolutely everything. We’re tracking sleep, stress, steps, how long we meditate for and everything we eat. Sometimes it becomes another thing to worry about when we’ve already got enough going on.
Looking after yourself is important, but there needs to be room to enjoy your life too. Have some structure, get some variety in and make changes that help you feel good, without expecting yourself to get everything perfect.
Get some support with the Lorna Marie Fitness 6 Week Reboot
If you understand the basics but find it difficult to be consistent, that’s something we can help with in the Lorna Marie Fitness 6 Week Reboot.
It’s an online fitness programme for women who want to get back into a routine with food and exercise, with support to make changes that work around everyday life. We keep things super practical so you can spend less time wondering what you should be doing and start putting those habits into practice.
If you’ve been out of a routine or feel overwhelmed by all the advice out there, we’ll help you work out where to begin.
Find out more about the 6 Week Reboot here.
You can also listen to Are You Overthinking Your Food? How to Eat Well Without Tracking Everything on Spotify or watch it on YouTube.
