September is the new January, according to the nutritionists at WW.
Most people admit to enjoying that ‘back to school’ feeling in September. Parents or not, we’re all nostalgic for the smell of a brand new pencil case and most of us feel motivated, focussed and ready to hit the ground running at the end of the summer.
“There is a real appeal to getting back to routine, and it helps build healthy habits, which are proven to support people making healthy food choices and maintaining a commitment to move more,” says WW Programme Development & Nutrition Manager Jessica O’Shea.
“In fact, most people feel much more motivated in September than January, arguably, September is a better time to refocus, after recharging your batteries in the summer, than in the dead of winter when resilience is lower,” she added.
New school timetable, new meal planner.
Just as kids can learn better by having their week timetabled, Geography on Monday, Spanish on Tuesday, WW believes we can all benefit from doing the same with meal planning. And as the cost of living crisis grips, meal planning also cuts the cost of your shop.
“Planning what you are going to eat ahead of time can help you make healthier choices, save money and stick to your goals. To make meal planning easier, start out by making twice as much as you need for dinner so you have a quick lunch or easy dinner the next day. You could even freeze the leftovers and save for a day when you have less time to cook,” says Jessica O’Shea.
“Meal planning can help you include a variety of foods into your routine. Variety is the spice of life! Not only is a healthy eating pattern one that includes foods from a range of food groups, but variety helps you get all the nutrients you need for good health.”
She added, “Planning what to eat ahead of time reduces the amount of on-the-spot decisions, in other words, there’s no need to decide what to have for dinner when you are tired and hungry. You already did that earlier when you were energised and level-headed!”
WW has plenty of batch-cooking and quick, simple ‘back to school’ recipes, and a lunch box meal prep plan, with delicious ideas including Chicken & avocado grain bowl, Jacket potato with creamy chickpea salad, Salmon & egg salad with herby yoghurt dressing, Chicken Caesar open sandwich, and Spicy roast veg couscous.