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April 10, 2024
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Weekly Menu: How to Plan Your Week Meals

Do many people try to follow a balanced diet today? not only for aesthetic reasons, but also because of a greater concern for your health and quality of life.

But it is a fact, too, that some people comment that they cannot follow a healthy diet because they do not have time. and neither? creativity? to prepare their own foods. So they end up eating out or doing what seems most practical to them at home.

In such cases, it is evident that with more organization and, consequently, with a little more time, such people would be able to follow a healthier diet, eating out and / or opting for ready meals only on special occasions.

But, how to organize in this sense? Maybe this is your question right now. And the answer is much simpler than you might think: just plan your food in advance, setting up your weekly menu!

How to set up a weekly menu?

Most people take advantage of Sunday's rest to set up their weekly menu and buy them at the supermarket. And this is a good tip!

It is very important that this menu planning is done as directed by your nutritionist. But if you haven't consulted a nutritionist yet, consider this possibility! The professional can help you a lot, including this planning of the weekly menu.

"The nutritionist has a broad view of nutrients and does not let any of the food groups needed in a healthy diet be missed or repeated," recalls Paula Crook.

Also according to the professional, the lunch and dinner menu should have:

1. Salads: "When preparing the menu should be concerned to observe that the salad is composed of foods that do not make up the other preparations," adds the nutritionist. They should range from:

Leaves: lettuce, escarole, hive, arugula, watercress, radicchio, etc;
Raw vegetables: carrots, turnips, beets, radishes, etc .;
Boiled vegetables: beets, potatoes, carrots, etc .;
Others: Cheese, fruits, etc.

2. Main Course: It should consist of some protein: meat, chicken, fish or egg. ? It is necessary to present different meat preparations on the same day and modify the types of cuts during the week ?, highlights Paula.

3. Base plate: It should consist of some carbohydrate: rice, beans, lentils, pearl barley, quinoa, chickpeas, manioc, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc.

4. Trims: A steamed or braised vegetable or vegetable.

The expert also points out that, to set up a menu, there must be a balance in food intake and, consequently, nutrients. That is, we should not repeat the food too much. In addition, we must maintain a harmony between the colors, flavors and texture of the foods that make up the menu ?, says.

Lunch and dinner suggestions for your weekly menu

Below you can find a weekly menu suggestion (with lunch and dinner) where healthy, varied and tasty foods are used.

Lunch

Option 1: Dry meat with onions; lettuce, tomato and black olive salad; brown rice with broccoli and beans; Braised cabbage.
Option 2: Grilled steak; arugula and tomato salad; Brown rice, beans and broccoli braised with garlic.
Option 3: Grilled fish with mustard sauce; salad of green leaves, raw beets and tomatoes; 7 grain rice, chickpeas and sauteed chayote.
Option 4: Grilled chicken; green leaf salad and cherry tomatoes; Wholemeal pasta with red sauce and broccoli.
Option 5: Omelet with onion and tomato; salad of green leaves, tomatoes and hearts of palm; Brown rice with broccoli, beans and braised cabbage.
Option 6: Chicken Roll with Carrot and Sesame; salad of curly lettuce, watercress, radish, cucumber, tomatoes and walnuts; brown rice; Steamed beans and zucchini.
Option 7: Baked codfish with herbs; salad of lettuce, watercress, mango chips and chia seeds; quinua; steamed asparagus.
Option 8: Grilled Steak with Mushroom Sauce; salad of curly lettuce, endive, beet, cucumber, bean sprouts and cherry tomatoes; potato chips with leeks; Grilled eggplant.
Option 9: Chicken leg with herbs; salad of lettuce, arugula, carrots, tomatoes and mint leaves; Rice With Lentil; steaming pod.
Option 10: Oven sole; salad of purple lettuce, watercress, peach palm and cherry tomatoes; brown rice with spinach; Roasted pumpkin.

Dinner

Option 1: Tuna fish; salad of green leaves, tomatoes and grated carrots; 7 grain rice and cooked beets.
Option 2: Fish fillet with carrot and potato; lettuce salad with tomato; white rice and braised cabbage.
Option 3: Filet mignon; lettuce, arugula and tomato salad; brown rice; Zucchini with corn and carrots in the oven.
Option 4: Ground beef with zucchini; watercress salad with cherry tomatoes; rice 7 grains; Braised carrot.
Option 5: Baked meatballs; arugula salad with mango and cherry tomatoes; mashed sweet potatoes; Braised pea.
Option 6: Minced filet-mignon; salad of purple lettuce, frisée lettuce, watercress, fig and cherry tomatoes; mashed sweet potatoes; Braised chayote with parsley.
Option 7: Grilled chicken; salad of curly lettuce, arugula, carrots and beets; manioc puree; Steamed broccoli.
Option 8: Hake fillet with rosemary in the oven; salad of lettuce, watercress, tomato, heart of palm and sesame; brown rice with broccoli; carrot puree.
Option 9: Omelet with vegetables; salad of curly lettuce, watercress, red cabbage and grated carrots; rice 7 cereals.
Option 10: Vegetable soup with chicken and sweet potato, curly lettuce salad, endive, cucumber, radish, chickpeas and mint.

What can not miss on the menu and what to avoid

Nutritionist Paula cites foods that should and should not be consumed in the diet of those seeking to follow a healthy diet. The guidelines are very important when it comes to setting up your weekly menu!

What can not miss: Leafy salads, assorted vegetables and if possible, replace white rice with whole grain, 7 grains or quinoa.
What you should avoid: fatty foods such as fried foods, sausages, sausage, bologna and salami, cream, preparations containing a lot of oil or butter, fatty meats (ribs, termites, rump steak, skirt steak), chicken skin, very yellow cheeses and creamy, whipped cream and high-glycemic, low-fiber carbohydrates (sugar, refined flour foods such as pies, pasta, bread).

How to store food to consume all week?

What are the necessary precautions throughout the week with food preservation (especially in the case of vegetables and fruits)? This is a very common doubt.

Paula Crook points out that fruits and vegetables should be kept refrigerated, as cold slows down the process of deterioration, ensuring quality for a longer time. ? The ideal storage temperature is around 10ºC, as these foods are sensitive to very low temperatures, which? Burn? the leaves of vegetables and cause stains on the fruits. So they should be placed at the bottom of the refrigerator ?, explains.

Still according to the nutritionist, fruits and vegetables should be individually wrapped, without washing, in ventilated plastic containers. "Vegetables such as lettuce and arugula should have their leaves loose, sanitized, dried and stored in ventilated plastic containers or transparent bags full of air," he adds.

Advantages of Weekly Menu Planning

Paula Crook, nutritionist at PB Consultoria de Nutricio, points out that menu planning is important for varying preparations and guiding grocery shopping.

But does not stop there! Below you can check out these (above) and other advantages of setting up your weekly menu:

Food Variation: As nutritionist Paula has pointed out, menu planning is important for varying preparations. After all, no one can go on with a diet where you eat practically the same foods every day!
Economy: With the weekly menu in hand it is possible to go to the supermarket and buy only what is necessary, thus avoiding unnecessary expenses.
Time: With the weekly menu in hand, no time is wasted during the week, going to the supermarket etc. Buy a missing ingredient or other to prepare a particular dish. Just use the ingredients that are already at home to make the foods already determined on the menu.
Nutrition: Having a weekly menu makes it easier to escape possible temptations? (such as sweets, fast food, snacks). • Lack of planning leads people to consume easily prepared products and poor nutritional quality, such as noodles, nuggets, frozen lasagna, pizza, etc. If there is a menu, is it easier to follow the diet? Comments nutritionist Paula.
No waste: Going to the supermarket with the weekly menu in hand, you buy only what is necessary, thus avoiding the waste of perishable food.
Focus: It sounds silly, but the weekly act of sitting down and organizing what your food will be like throughout the week? that will include everything you like (of course, but also healthy)? will make you more motivated to move on with your diet.

Did you like the tips? Now you know that planning your weekly menu can be very helpful in your daily life and will greatly contribute to the good results of your diet! Always remember to count on the support of a nutritionist to help you in this process!