Planning your meals 30 days in advance is an effective way to stick to eating healthy foods. It allows you to predetermine your meals rather than eating spur of the moment meals that can be potentially unhealthy, such as fast food. It's best to follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines on healthy eating to be sure that you are eating nutritionally-dense foods low in salt, saturated fats and sugar.
Benefits of Meal Planning
The benefits of meal planning -- whether it's a week or month in advance -- are endless. Meal planning website DinnerPlanner.com points out that meal planning helps you eat healthier, save money at the grocery store, bring families together at the dinner table and helps promote portion control. Planning your meals 30 days at a time may seem like a daunting task, but you can start by planning a week in advance until you get accustomed to the meal planning concept.
Healthy Food List
The USDA has put together a comprehensive report on nutrition and healthy eating called the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010." The primary food groups the USDA recommends in this report include whole grains, vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy, lean meats, beans/legumes and nuts/seeds. Choose fresh foods rather than canned or prepackaged items. Refined foods, pre-packed and canned goods contain preservatives like sugar and salt, which the USDA suggests limiting.
Meal Planning Tools
The Internet offers a host of useful meal planning tools -- many of which are free to use. You can search for healthy meal recipes and ingredient lists to help you with your grocery shopping, as well as print out monthly calendars listing all of your meals for the month. One such website is MealsMatter.org where you can access their meal planning tools for free -- including recipes, daily and monthly plans and tips on how to eat healthy.
Sample Meal
A healthy meal is considered by the USDA as being rich in vitamins and nutrients and low in calories. By choosing fresh foods containing little or no added salt, sugar and saturated fats, you can ensure that the calories are nutritious. For example, a healthy dinner may include boneless/skinless chicken breast, green beans, whole grain pasta and a piece of fruit for dessert. This meal is high in fiber and protein as well as many vitamins and minerals -- it will supply your body with the nutrients it needs while helping you feel full for a longer period of time.
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