MORE ENERGY, FEWER CRAVINGS - THE 5-DAY BREAKFAST and lunch PLAN

If you’ve listened to any of my recent podcasts, you’ll know that many of the women I coach struggle with eating during the day. Mornings can be hectic so breakfast often isn’t a priority as tasks stack up. Lunch times can also be problematic. Making the right choices when you’re starving and pressed for time is practically impossible. With the wrong fuel, or not enough, cravings can strike mid-afternoon and the urge to snack takes hold, until they finally get time to eat their first proper meal of the day in the evening. But by then, they feel guilty because they’ve been snacking half the day. They write off the day and promise to try again tomorrow, starting with a tiny breakfast to make up for the day before.

Breaking this cycle is easy and it starts with planning healthy and filling breakfasts and lunches. This can be a game-changer for your energy levels, cravings and even how much you think about food.

Daytime is when you are busiest, so you really need the energy. Planning your meals so you’re well-fuelled will stop the urge to snack in the afternoon and you’re more likely to be able to last until dinner.

Prioritise Protein

One of the reasons this plan is so effective is because it gives you around 50g of protein across both meals. We’re used to counting calories but usually have no idea how much protein we’re consuming, but this simple meal plan makes is easy. By the time you add your evening meal, you’ll probably have eaten around 75g of protein a day which is ideal for peri and post-menopausal women.

LOVE YOUR GUT

Menopause can upset the delicate balance of the gut microbiome, and this is known to affect immunity and digestion and even cause weight gain. Fortunately, it’s easy to increase the number of healthy bacteria by increasing the amount and variety of plant-based foods we eat and adding probiotic-containing foods to our diet. Dr Tim Spector recommends eating 30 different plant-based foods a week. Follow this plan and you’ll be eating at least 20 different plant-based foods to get you well on the way to hitting this target. Plus you’ll also be eating natural yoghurt, kefir and sauerkraut for a probiotic boost.

PLANNING YOUR MEALS

Planning meals in advance is essential if you want to eat a healthier diet consistently. It’s practically impossible to make new, healthier choices when we’re stressed and overwhelmed. When we are time-poor and under pressure, we don’t have the mental capacity to make decisions, so we revert back to our old habits to make decision-making easier.

By using this meal plan to create a plan for weekday breakfasts and lunches you make decisions about what you are going to eat ahead of time. That way your meals are ready when you’re hungry and you don’t have to decide what to have.

Advance planning is essential in the beginning. It may feel like extra work to begin with, but the convenience of having the right food available and ready when you need it more than makes up for it.

The Meal Plan

Here are 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches to try. If you find recipes that particularly work well for you (you enjoy them and they keep you full)

DAY ONE

Breakfast: Fruit, yoghurt & nuts

Lunch: Tuna Salad

Total Calories: 825, Total Protein 50g, Net Carbs 44.6g, Fat 47.7g

Breakfast Ingredients:

150g Greek yoghurt (10% protein, 5% fat)

50g kefir

80g frozen blueberries

30g mixed nuts & seeds

Lunch Ingredients:

1 can tuna in brine or spring water

100g mixed leaves

30g Sauerkraut

1 tbs olive oil

1 medium banana (dessert)

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Fried eggs on rye

Lunch: Fish curry

Total Calories: 841, Total Protein 50g, Net Carbs 39g, Fat 51g

Breakfast Ingredients:

3 medium eggs

1 slice of rye bread

10g butter for frying and buttering bread if desired

Lunch Ingredients:

100g fresh or frozen white fish

5g coconut oil

1/4 can coconut milk

1 clove garlic

1 tsp curry powder

80g brocolli

50g frozen peas

DAY THREE

Breakfast: Protein Smoothie

Lunch: Hummus on Rye

Total Calories: 761, Total Protein 50g, Net Carbs 60g, Fat 34g

Breakfast Ingredients:

30g protein powder of choice

10g cocoa powder

1/2 banana

50g kefir (use coconut kefir for a vegan option)

20g peanut butter

200ml milk of choice

Lunch Ingredients

1/2 tin chickpeas drained and rinsed, liquid reserved for blending to desired consistency

25g tahini

5ml olive oil

Lemon juice, salt and garlic to taste

DAY FOUR

Breakfast: Mushroom omelette

Lunch: Feta & chickpea salad

Total Calories: 870, Total Protein 45g, Net Carbs 30g, Fat 60g

Breakfast Ingredients:

3 large eggs

15g butter

50g sliced mushrooms

Lunch Ingredients:

100g feta cheese

1/2 tin chickpeas

80g cherry tomaroes

1 spring onion

Half a red pepper

1 tsp olive oil

DAY Five

Breakfast: Super porridge

Lunch: Chicken & leek soup

Total Calories: 853, Total Protein 52g, Net Carbs 84g, Fat 31g

Breakfast Ingredients:

50g porridge oats

175ml milk plus 175ml water

80g frozen blueberries, defrosted and warmed

15g mixed seeds

Lunch Ingredients:

1 medium leek

10g butter

100g potatoes

50g frozen peas

100g chicken breast

Chicken stock, fresh or from a stock cube and/or salt & pepper to taste