Whether you're trying to lose weight, or just improve your diet, meal planning and preparation are easy steps that will help you reach your goals. ... Planning meals and snacks ahead of time will increase your chance for success, it will increase the likelihood that you will make a healthier food choice.

Planning starts with shopping. What goes in the trolley, goes in the house. If good food fills the fridge and cupboards, you’re more likely to make a good choice in favour of good health.  Plan to cook meals that include protein, good fats and low GI carbohydrates, these nutrients will give your body what it needs to work at an optimum level.

Planning and preparation can happen in different ways. Some people like to do a ‘cook up’ that lasts a few day. This helps them to reduce meal prep’ time when they get home from work. Other people don’t have time to cook, and there are certainly some healthy supermarket or takeaway options that can still ensure that you are eating a nutrient dense meal.

A great advantage of planning is … if you do it right, you will have leftovers for lunch every day.