A winning eating routine
What's the key to successfully integrating nutrition into a healthy lifestyle? It's a fun routine, of course! A routine, as we know, is a habitual way of doing things. Here, this habitual way of doing things will serve to restore order to your kitchen and support your health goals, with the minimum of fuss and complication.
With our hectic lives, always on the move, always on the run, creating a winning routine that satisfies us on every level becomes absolutely essential! We're all aware that meals eaten on the run, without planning, often rhyme with non-nutritious meals. Establishing a routine that automatically leads us in the right direction will make life that much easier and more enjoyable.
Granted, the idea of establishing a routine may seem monotonous. And I do mean sound! Because in fact, the opposite is a more accurate representation of reality. Let's do a little exercise with me. It shouldn't take more than an hour. And then you'll have a winning plan that will save you dozens or even hundreds of hours, not to mention the frustration, irritation and all the negativity that inevitably comes with eating on the run.
Are you ready to make your life easier, more enjoyable and finally eat what you really want to eat? Yes? great, let's get started!
Get out a sheet of paper, a pen and... get started!
The 7 steps to a winning eating routine
- 1. Know what you want
- Ask yourself:
- How much of my diet will be raw?
- What are my health objectives (weight loss, specific health problems, intensive training, etc.)?
- What do I need to eat specifically to meet the points listed above?
- 2. Create a plan that supports your health goals
- Using the data above, create a weekly menu that meets all your health goals.
- Include, of course, raw, appetizing foods that you love and that enhance your health, well-being and zest for life.
- Think about your budget, and any other special circumstances.
- When your weekly menu has you excited and salivating with anticipation, take the next step!
- 3. Make a list
- Looking at your weekly menu, write down on another sheet of paper, everything you need to do so you can eat like this. Write down:
- nuts and seeds to buy;
- sprouts to make;
- dishes to dehydrate (if you make them);
- fruits and vegetables to buy;
- the recipes you'll be using (think fast during the week, and reserve more elaborate meals for the weekend);
- any other steps you need to take.
- Untangle it all into a nice, coherent list, organized into sections.
- Most of the work is done! Congratulations!
- 4. Write a first draft
- Even with the best planning, you may have to make adjustments along the way. The unexpected being what it is: unpredictable!
- With your list from step 3 and your weekly menu in hand, enter the tasks and menus for each day of the week into your daily planner.
- Make sure you transfer EVERYTHING to the planner, and that each task is entered at the right time during the week.
- Think about preparing raw food on the weekend for the days ahead: nut/seed pies, dehydrated dishes, washed (and chopped if necessary) vegetables and fruit. This will save you preparation time during the week, when every minute counts!
- 5. Follow the routine
- Now that you've established your winning routine, follow it to the letter!
- Keep your planner handy so you can refer to it at any time.
- Make a note as you go along of any improvements, additions, things that don't work, any inspiration, any flashes of genius, that you might bring to your routine.
- Adjust food quantities as needed.
- 6. Adjust the routine
- After your first week, review your routine, taking into account everything you've noted above.
- You'll learn a lot about yourself in the process! Not only will you learn more about your real eating habits and physical needs, but chances are you'll come to some very interesting realizations.
- 7. Go further
- In order to arrive at THE winning routine that's perfect for you, readjust and revise it as often as you need to, until it's all flowing.
- Your dietary needs may change over time, so keep that in mind.
- Adjust your plans according to the seasons and the availability of local produce, too, if you wish.
- You may also want to plan "back-up routines" for special circumstances: trips, vacations, family celebrations, etc.
Once you've established a winning eating routine... routine!you'll see for yourself how much time you'll save: some estimate 14 to 20 hours a week! Not to mention all the extra vital energy you'll have because you're eating in line with your health goals and eating raw (you'll be on fire!).
Kisses routinely raw,
The winning raw food coach
Sheryl-Anne@CrusineSante.com
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Sheryl-Anne is La Coach en alimentation vivante et crue, creator of Crusine Santé, a website brimming with living food information, recipes and inspiration, and author of a popular weekly newsletter. With over 20 years of healthy eating under her belt, she lives her passion (raw and definitely alive!) on a daily basis, fueling herself raw and sharing her knowledge with the French-speaking world. She trains, writes, educates and coaches professionally around living foods since 2008. Given her groundbreaking work in the field of living foods in French, she is known as "the international living foods pioneer-coach". With her head full of projects, she enthusiastically invites all health and well-being enthusiasts to join her on CrusineSanté. She lives in Quebec.