Why I created Building It Balanced
So, I wrote an online guide. After a few years of different versions and not really knowing how to get out what I was trying to create, Building It Balanced is finally done!
As a nutritionist, the most common things I am ever asked are “what should I eat”, followed closely by “does this 6-week program help me” or “will this diet work” and “do you write meal plans”. And as a nutritionist, I know that everyone has different nutritional needs but more than that, everyone has different tastes, cooking abilities, budgets, and time. As a person, I know that life is busy, it can change a lot and as organised as I try, that some days the day just doesn’t go to plan, which means that dinner I was going to prepare is just not going to work.
What I started to realise at the beginning of my nutritionist life was that there was never a going to be a meal plan that worked for everyone because of these things and that creating individual plans was a lot of work. And then what happens if they change their job, have kids or more kids, decide they hate a recipe after a while or simply, just don’t feel like what you told them to eat!!!!
But what I also realised was that those questions that people asked me were also not changing and lots of people really do want guidance. Then I thought, what if they build their own meal plan? Instead of meals, have categories with different options that catered to different tastes, cooking abilities and time. And then instead of just telling people what to eat and when (and hating it after a week), they are learning how to eat balanced and healthy forever (with lots of vegetables!), not just 6 or 8 weeks.
I wanted to create something that helped people fall in love with eating nutritious food, to help create good long-term habits and make these apart of their everyday life. But I wanted it to be practical, realistic, and sustainable. No complicated recipes or food ideas, not 1200 ingredients needed, and not taking up endless hours.
And so, Building It Balanced was drafted, re-written, edited, tweaked, and edited again. 40 pages of guidance and options and 141 pages of recipes.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks. You can meal plan or prep, or not – it’s up to you. You get to pick your own food each day, but instead of that becoming overwhelming and confusing, its set out easily for you choose. And you get all my tips and tricks that a few years at university and a lifetime of living has taught me.
The guidance is there, the recipes are there but so too is balance and choice.
Speaking of balance – what does it even mean? Having a balanced diet and life gets talked up a lot especially in a health and wellness world.
Eating a balanced diet means that there is the correct balance of protein, fats, and carbs. That daily we are getting 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit, making sure we get all the nutrients that we need.
Everywhere we turn we are told that a balanced diet will help with weight loss or management, with heart health, with hormone balancing, with reducing our risk factors for illness, with boosting our skin health and immune systems, and so many more – and they are correct!
But for me personally, it also means making sure my body is running at its best. I want endless energy, I want to be strong, and I don’t want to get sick or run down. I want to be able to do everything my busy day demands of me, I want to be able to run (literally) after my kids, I want to be able to workout and push myself, and I really just don’t want to miss out on anything in life!
As for the BIB guide (Building It Balanced!), I truly hope that people find it helpful, practical, and enjoyable. And while it is an online guide for now (you can DOWNLOAD it here!), watch this space!
Rach x