WMS Your Body, Your Kitchen, Your Rules: Balanced Meal Planning and Recipes for Everyone

Download your printable worksheet!

www.lark.com/resources/kitchen-rules-worksheet

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Agenda

• Rule 1: Make your kitchen work for you
• Rule 2: Prep and serve meals that work for everyone
• Rule 3: Maintain authority over your health
• Rule 4: Let “better” be your guide
• Action Plan: Your kitchen, your rules: worksheet

Rule 1: Make Your Kitchen Work for YOU

• Declutter your kitchen
• Stock with healthy foods
• Organize foods and implements
• Set rules for yourself and your family

Research says: clean your kitchen and stay in control to eat fewer cookies! In one study, participants were 100 female undergraduate students. They were in one of four conditions. 

• Clean kitchen, writing about a time when they felt in control
• Messy kitchen, writing about a time when they felt in control
• Clean kitchen, writing about a time when they were not feeling in control
• Messy kitchen, writing about a time when they were not feeling in control

They were given cookies, crackers, and carrots to taste and rate. 

Participants in the messy kitchen condition and the out-of-control mindset condition had 103 calories from cookies, while participants in the in-control mindset condition had 38 calories. All conditions had similar consumption of crackers and carrots. 

Your environment and your mindset BOTH matter!

Create a clean, organized space for healthier choices

Clear space for preparing food - such as enough counter space for a cutting board, mixing bowl, and anything else you need to make healthy meals and snacks.

Be sure to have the kitchen tools you need nearby and organized.

• Knives
• Cutting boards
• Mixing bowls
• Food storage containers with tight-fitting lids
• Mixing spoons
• Measuring cups and spoons for cooking and baking

What’s on Your Grocery List?

Stock your kitchen with nutritious foods that you love to make sure you can always get a balanced meal quickly!

• Salad greens, fresh and frozen vegetables, fresh and frozen fruit, sweet potatoes, squash
• Protein: veggie burgers, fish fillets, chicken breast, ground turkey, eggs
• Grains: Whole-grain pasta, cereal, and bread; brown rice; oatmeal
• Dairy: skim milk (or substitute), low-fat cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese
• Protein: eggs, skinless chicken, fish, shrimp
• Pantry: tomato sauce, olive oil, canned tomatoes, tuna, peanut butter, spices, nuts, cooking spray, vinegar, salad dressing, popcorn kernels, whole-grain crackers

Organize Foods for Healthier Food Choices

Make healthy foods more visible and accessible than less healthy foods. 

• Minimize the amounts of low-nutrient foods you have in the home
• Keep healthier foods visible, such as at eye level, in the front, on the counter, and in transparent containers
• Make healthier foods easier to prepare and eat by pre-portioning them
• Place less healthy options at the back of the pantry, fridge, or freezer
• Keep them very high or low, not at eye level, so they’re harder to see
• Wrap them in non-transparent wrapping (e.g., foil, non-transparent containers, paper bags) so you can’t see them
• Try double wrapping them or taping up the container so they’re harder to access

Make Rules for the Kitchen to Support Health

Consider these rules for the whole family.

• Eat at the table, not while walking around or in another room
• Bring your smiles to the table - make it a pleasant eating environment
• Put down devices before coming to the table

Consider additional “rules” for yourself. 

• Serve yourself and eat from on a plate or bowl, not from a multi-serving bag or package
• Serve vegetables first, filling your plate or bowl half full

Rule 2: Prep and Serve Meals That Work for Everyone

Family meals can have lots of benefits! 

Note that these are associations, not necessarily cause-and-effect relationships.

A challenge with family meals is that different family members eat differently - there are different tastes and health requirements. 

You Can Make Any Meal Healthier!

Here are some of the most popular dinners in the U.S. 

• Tacos
• Chicken and rice dishes
• Pasta dishes
• Burgers
• Pizza
• Sheet pan chicken
• Grain bowls
• Macaroni and cheese
• Stir fry
• Meatloaf

Here are some things that the above dinners have in common!

• They’re popular meals and familiar to most people.
• They can be family-friendly - appealing both to adults and to kids
• They are easy to make at home, but they are also common in restaurants.
• They can be as healthy as you choose.

Plate Method for Simple Meal Planning

The Diabetes Plate Method is a meal planning tool from the American Diabetes Association. It can help you turn any meal into a balanced meal. It can also be a guide as you build balanced meals from items in your kitchen. 

Here are the components of a balanced meal according to the Plate Method. 

• ¼ of plate: high-fiber carbohydrate
• ½ of plate: non-starchy vegetable
• ¼ of plate: lean protein
• Add healthy fats, fruit, and low-fat dairy regularly
• Water

Here’s an example of how you might turn a common dinner into a nutritious dinner that’s still family-friendly.

.You can also serve your family any "extras" they want, such as:

• Garlic bread
• Corn
• Dessert
• Juice

Combine Components to Build Plate Method Meals

You can add vegetables, protein, and high-fiber starches together to create meals that are consistent with the Plate Method. 

Rule 3: Maintain Authority Over Your Health

It’s easier to get others to accept your health goals and healthy choices when you’re confident in your decisions. It’s a good idea to identify to yourself why you’re making certain decisions about what you eat so that you can explain them to others if you want.

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Many people also find it helpful to steer the conversation towards what they’re serving and eating, and not towards the nutritional value of the food. Here are some examples. 

Focus on positive aspects of the meal!

It’s best to state your reasons without being defensive. Remember that nobody can argue with how YOU feel.

Be calm, not defensive

• Use “I” statements
• Speak for and about yourself
• Don’t speak for or about others
• Be confident in your reasons

Here are some sample “I” statements that offer reasons why you’re eating healthier. 

• I’ve found that I sleep better when I have a side of broccoli instead of mac and cheese
• I have more energy and focus in the afternoon when I have water at lunch
• My stomach feels better when I have chicken instead of a burger

True Authority Is Secure: The “Food Police” Aren’t Needed

Other people may feel threatened or offended if you are negative about their food choices. It can be easiest for everyone - and still healthy for you - to focus only on your choices, and not theirs. It’s okay to enjoy a relaxed, friendly meal together even if you’re eating something different than another person. 

Rule 4: Let “Better” Be Your Guide

Aim for “better” choices on a daily basis. Since we’re not perfect, having an “all-or-nothing” or perfectionist mentality can drag you down. Here are some examples of choices that are “all” or ideal, “nothing” if you get thrown off and give up on your healthy intentions for that meal, and “better” choices that help you get a meal that supports your goals. 

Stock easy foods so “better” is always possible.

Pave the Way for Getting Back on Track: System Checks

Everyone gets off track sometimes. The important thing is what happens when you do. Do you let it turn into a trend? Or do you get back on track? 

First, forgive yourself: Acknowledge what happened, accept that you made those choices, and forgive yourself if you’re not thrilled about the choices you made.

When you’re ready, try to figure out what happened or why you made those choices. Were you stressed or lonely? Were you feeling too much pressure to be perfect? Were you hungry, but there wasn’t much available that was healthy? Was the kitchen messy? 

It can take time before you’re ready to audit, so be patient with yourself.

A Clean Slate and Action Plan to Get Back on Track

1. Clean up: Clear chip bags, candy wrappers, etc. Start fresh with a clean kitchen.
2. Drink water: Drink 1-2 cups of water to feel better and make a healthy choice now.
3. Make a good choice: Go back to eating healthy at your next meal or snack.

References

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10346164/

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0013916516628178?__cf_chl_tk=TXjl77vgsmLnvcnKfnPXvd9ekNgTxyyc8G3_EWTYzqM-1772150621-1.0.1.1-VeUn1nyl621bbBzSc25Qf9ikbbzOwogIF36TpBt49ec

Vartanian, L. R., Kernan, K. M., & Wansink, B. (2016). Clutter, Chaos, and Overconsumption: The Role of Mind-Set in Stressful and Chaotic Food Environments: The Role of Mind-Set in Stressful and Chaotic Food Environments. Environment and Behavior, 49(2), 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916516628178 (Original work published 2017)

Wilson et al. Food Quality and Preference. Volume 51, July 2016, Pages 47-64

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950329316300210

Snuggs S, Harvey K. Family Mealtimes: A Systematic Umbrella Review of Characteristics, Correlates, Outcomes and Interventions. Nutrients. 2023 Jun 22;15(13):2841. doi: 10.3390/nu15132841. PMID: 37447168; PMCID: PMC10346164.

Utter J, Larson N, Berge JM, Eisenberg ME, Fulkerson JA, Neumark-Sztainer D. Family meals among parents: Associations with nutritional, social and emotional wellbeing. Prev Med. 2018 Aug;113:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.05.006. Epub 2018 May 7. PMID: 29746973; PMCID: PMC6309329.

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