On the weekend I read a great article in the paper that talked about capsule eating. In it Alice Williams writes “Despite all the research on what we should be eating for good health, it seems deciding what we should consume each day is more confusing than ever.”
I couldn’t agree more.
She writes about her own experience with simplifying her approach to food in this capsule way and how a daily food plan has helped her to stop obsessing about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. This is so relatable because the constant flow of messages about what and how we should eat are making it harder, not easier to choose. As if the answer to the question ‘what’s for dinner?’ wasn’t hard enough already.
capsule eating can be healthy
The reason I love this article, is because it encourages you to find a framework, not a strict set of rules, so you have to think less and can enjoy more. Not only the food, but also the ‘mental real-estate’ that you gain back. Amen to that! A strict set of rules only makes you feel bad when you break them.
What I particularly want to point out is that the article emphasizes the fact, that capsule eating can be healthy if you “hit all your nutritional notes”, because “when people leave decision-making until the last minute they’re more likely to make poor choices.” Totally true, right? That’s absolutely normal! If I haven’t been able to put our family menu together for the week, I default to vegemite and cheese sandwiches more often than I care to admit. I once fed my son a vegemite and cheese wrap for lunch, and then a vegemite and cheese sandwich for dinner (because variety, right?).
curating our lives has become essential
Isn’t it interesting how curating our lives has become a necessity. If we don’t do it, we easily feel lost or overwhelmed. Habit takes over and habit isn’t always serving us well, especially when it comes to food. Or we get confused by what is marketed to us every day, which can cause stress and anxiety.
Curating (in a food planning sense) becomes the art of choosing and implementing what we really want. It requires attention and intent at first, but then it makes your life so much easier. All of a sudden there is so much less you have to think about. And aren’t we all looking to ease the mental load.
However you choose to simplify your approach to food, whether you have a plan for the day you stick to or decide on your seasonal capsule recipe collection that you then rotate in your family menu, the point always is: less is more. Less to choose from, because you only have so much capacity for decision making in the day.
you don’t have to do it alone
Alice makes three very important points about investing in help, changing it up and not turning it into a diet, that I think are fantastic.
You don’t have to work this out on your own. If you want organisational help to ease the mental load, I offer the service of setting up personalized seasonal recipe collections. If you need help with specific health concerns, you can see a nutritionist to put a plan together for you. The point is, you are not alone! If you don’t know how to curate, you can get someone to do it for you.
And what I love the most, is that she includes the importance of not turning it into a diet. Because a diet is where the joy of eating goes to die. And however you choose to do your meal planning, it should always be joyful.
Much love,
Katrine x
Cover image by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
