Picky eating isn’t just for kids. 

In fact, many adults struggle to find foods that are both palatable and nutritious. When it comes to improving your diet or eating nutritious foods that would help promote weight loss, being a picky eater makes it tougher. 

But it’s still possible to get a balanced diet, moderate your calorie intake, and lose weight. If you’re a picky eater looking to drop a few pounds, here are some things that can help! 

Buddy Up

Just like going to the gym, eating healthy is often easier if you’ve got more than a little moral support. Having a friend who loves food and has a broad palette can help you try new foods or introduce you to new cuisines that might be more enjoyable as a picky eater. It’s even better if your foodie friend also loves to cook. Spend some time in the kitchen together getting to know different ingredients and how they can be prepared. Preparation can change the flavor of many foods–including those that you might have some aversion to. You may not like raw broccoli, but roasted florets–with those little crispy bits–have a completely different flavor profile. 

Refine Your Tastes

One of the biggest problems with the proliferation or prepacked, processed, and manufactured foods is the impact it has on our understanding of what food should taste like. Packed with preservatives and sugar, highly processed foods hijack our sense of taste. If you’re accustomed to eating a lot of sweet or sugary processed foods, it might take some time to train your taste buds and get them used to the natural sugars found in other foods. Try cutting out processed foods for a few weeks and then trying foods you once disliked again. Give yourself time to adjust to a new diet. Changing eating patterns isn’t easy. 

Try Substitutions

We all have our go-to meals. When you’re a picky eater, having meals that are easy and enjoyable makes a world of difference. Chances are you have a few dishes that you prepare because you genuinely enjoy them. If you’re trying to lose weight, try swapping out a few ingredients that are dense in low-quality calories for something a bit healthier that will help you reach your weight loss goals. Experiment with whole-grain pasta, swapping out regular rice for cauliflower rice, or baking your potatoes instead of frying them. 

While losing weight isn’t easy, it can be easier. Fit Five Meals provides wholesome food that fuels your body and helps you reach your nutrition goals. Our high-quality meals are premade from fresh ingredients and make getting the nutrients you need simpler. We’ve even got meals to satisfy picky eaters! 

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We all know the feeling or sensation we experience when we get a good night’s rest and feel rejuvenated and ready to start the day by eating energy-boosting foods. It’s even better when we keep that same energy throughout the day and can approach our career, relationships, and goals with fervor and passion. 

What we often fail to see is that what we eat directly impacts the energy we have throughout the day. 

Instead of downing another cup of coffee or sipping on an energy drink, there are a number of healthy eating habits and nutritious foods that can boost our energy level and help us power through the day. 

Some foods provide a slow release of energy from healthy carbohydrates while avoiding the feelings of a temporary sugar rush. Others are packed with vitamins and minerals that make drawing sustainable energy from your foods easier. Even proteins help to provide energy by supplying spent muscles with the building blocks they need from energy-boosting foods. 

Maintain Balanced Blood Sugar Levels

One thing you want to avoid if you’re looking for energy is a drastic fluctuation in blood sugar levels. The energy from a well-balanced, nutritious meal can last for up to four hours, helping to ensure that you have the fuel you need to get through the day. On the other hand, foods high in sugar cause spikes in insulin and lead to the sensation we know as “sugar crash.” Eating well-balanced meals throughout the day and snacking on energy-boosting foods every 3-4 hours will help maintain balanced blood sugar levels. 

Choose the Right Kinds of Foods

What you eat is as important as when you eat. Foods that are filled with the right type of carbohydrates will help sustain your energy levels. When combined with protein, carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index will release energy slowly and leave you feeling full. These energy-boosting foods include oats, whole-wheat bread, sweet potatoes, and lentils. 

Avoid Too Much Caffeine 

It’s important to stay hydrated, but drinking too much caffeine will actually work against you. A dependency on the quick bursts of energy from caffeinated beverages is a poor substitute for a balanced diet that will provide energy to burn. A cup or two of coffee won’t hurt your overall nutrition, but be mindful of how much it impacts your energy levels. If you can’t get through the afternoon without another cup, your coffee might not be to blame. 

There’s no single, quick solution to energy-boosting foods. Instead, it’s important to focus on nutrition and a well-balanced diet. Eating right will make sure you have all the energy you need. Need help choosing meals that will power you throughout the day? Fit Five Meals has the answers.

Millions of people hit the gym each week. Everyone has their own reasons: weight loss, muscle mass, or general fitness. For those who are looking to add mass, strength training is really only part of the program. Just like when losing weight, what you put in your body–your nutrition and diet plan–makes a world of difference. 

If you’re looking to put on pounds of muscle, pay careful attention to what you eat. 

With so many options and so many empty promises for muscle-gain glory, knowing a few simple foods that will help you bulk up can go a long way. Here are 6 foods to help you gain muscle mass: 

1. Oatmeal 

Don’t skimp on breakfast. If you want to add muscle mass there are very few meals that will start your day off better than a hearty bowl of oatmeal. The carbohydrates in oatmeal will help fuel you throughout the day. At the same time, oatmeal is also minimally processed and has a low glycemic index value. That means oatmeal is packed with micronutrients, will keep you feeling fuller longer, and adds energy to your bank.  

2. Eggs 

If oatmeal isn’t your thing, double down on the eggs. Eggs are a great source of vitamin D and are full of the amino acids, protein, fat you need to power through your day. Easy to prepare in a host of different ways, eggs are simple to integrate into your diet. Their cheap, quick, and a great foundational item for your meal planning. 

3. Whey Protein 

Whey protein might not be a food per se, but it belongs on any list of muscle-building foods. Whey protein is a fast and convenient source of protein that’s available for an affordable price. Whey isn’t a substitute for protein-rich foods, but as a supplement between meals, it can elevate your nutrition and make your pursuit to gain muscle mass more effective. 

4. Fish

Fish, like tuna, are incredibly high in protein, rich in fat, and filled with Omega-3 fatty acids. Want to stay on top of your metabolism? A diet full of fish will help. Omega-3 helps regulate body function and complements every other aspect of your dietary plan. 

5. Lean Beef

Beef: it’s what’s for dinner–and lunch and, sometimes, breakfast. Lean beef has zinc, iron, B vitamins, protein, and amino acids–all things you need to beef up yourself. Lean beef is especially rich in the high-quality proteins you need to reach your muscle mass goals. It should be a staple of your diet. 

6. Whole Grains

There’s a reason grains have been a staple of the human diet for so long. They provide sustained energy and promote overall health. Grains are easy to come by and simple to incorporate into any meal plan. 

If you want to take the guesswork out of meal planning, Fit Five Meals makes it easy to select wholesome food to fuel your body. Want to gain muscle mass? Choose meals specifically designed to help you meet your fitness goals. 

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Maintaining a balanced diet is vitally important to your overall health. Ensuring that your body is getting the right nutrients, minerals, and vitamins makes it possible for your body to function properly and provides fuel for all the activities that you enjoy. 

But what things should you look for when trying to craft a balanced meal program? 

Two of your primary markers in your search for a balanced diet should be fiber and protein. 

What Is Protein?

Proteins are the building blocks of the body and provide resistance to infection. Looking to build and repair tissue? Protein is the solution. Want extra energy? Add extra protein to your diet. The body is constantly building and repairing and expending energy. As a result, you’ve got to get sufficient protein in your diet in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

Not only does protein provide your body with the building blocks it needs, but it’s also a powerhouse when it comes to managing hunger and increasing your metabolism. Protein helps build muscle and burn fat at the same time. 

If you’re looking for protein, you’ll find healthy doses of it in seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, nuts, and seeds. 

How About Fiber?

Fiber, while not digestible, is an important part of your diet. It promotes satiety and cuts down on hunger–much like protein. At the same time, fiber helps regulate your digestive system, especially your bowel movements. It also is known to help control blood sugar levels in the body. The best sources of fiber are whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds. 

The One-Two Punch

Together, protein and fiber help you feel fuller longer and fuel your body with energy. They also work together to promote healthy digestions which, while making your bowel movements more regular, will promote overall health and a sense of wellbeing. By making sure that protein and fiber both make their way into your diet, you’ll be making wise decisions for weight loss and general health. 

Finding the right meal plan to balance everything you need can be tough. Fortunately, Fit Five Meals has meal plans to help make the right choices and offers food that fits your budget and your schedule while fueling your body. 

Want to know more about how Fit Five Meals works and how it can revolutionize your approach to food? Find out HERE. 

One of the biggest hindrances to conscious healthy eating is the proliferation of dieting myths. These myths appear to be helpful and even present themselves as something similar to common sense. The fact of the matter is that folktales and uninformed opinions can be harmful to accomplishing your health and weight loss goals. 

“Dieting myths appear to be helpful but can actually be some of the most harmful things to your weight loss goals and overall health.” 

Take a look at the following five diet myths: 

Myth: You can only eat a limited range of foods. 

You might lose weight by eating only grapefruit or citrus for a week, but chances are burnout and cravings will cause you to fall back into unhealthy eating habits. As with much in life, balance is essential when it comes to what we eat. Limiting your range of intake also limits the nutrients your body receives.  

Myth: You should detox regularly.  

“Detoxing” sounds appealing. Limiting yourself to plant-based juices or specific regimens that supposedly remove toxicants from your body sounds like a great health solution. However, the best approach for dealing with chronic toxicity in the body is through a well-balanced and steady diet. Your liver, kidneys, lungs, and other organs work to remove harmful toxins from the body. A low-calorie or insufficient diet deprives these organs of the nutrients they need to do their best work. 

Myth: Carbs and fats are bad for you. 

It’s easy to label certain types of foods as detrimental to your weight loss goals. Carbohydrates and fats are often victims of such misjudgment. The real culprit that contributes to weight gain is the calorie. To lose weight, you must operate at a caloric deficit. Carbs and fats have their place in a balanced, low-calorie meal plan. 

Myth: You shouldn’t skip breakfast. 

We’ve all heard it: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When it comes to overall health and weight loss, when you eat is not as important as what and how much you eat. Research suggests that whether or not someone benefits from eating breakfast–or eating earlier in the day in general–depends on individual factors. For some, an early morning meal helps stave off bad eating habits later. For others, skipping breakfast is natural and helps them operate at a caloric deficit for the day. 

Myth: Eating more often will boost your metabolism. 

Every time you eat there is a slight boost in your metabolic rate. This fact has contributed to the myth that eating often boosts your metabolism overall. In fact, larger meals have a greater boosting effect than smaller, sporadic snacks. Whether you choose to eat fewer large meals or frequent small meals, the facts remain the same. What you eat and how many calories you take in overall has a great impact on your health than frequency. 

Fit Five Meals offers a creative solution when combatting and overcoming diet myths. By providing fresh food that fits your life, we make it easy to maintain a balanced diet with meals that are as easy to enjoy as they are nutritious.

Order now and see what fast and fresh tastes like.

Setting a budget and monitoring your finances has its benefits. The security that comes from a well-balanced bank account is nice, but one of the first casualties in the battle for better budgeting comes on our grocery lists. Most people assume that eating cheap means eating tasteless, boring, bland food. That doesn’t have to be the case. If you know where to look, what to buy, and how to spend, it’s possible to ball on a budget when doing your grocery shopping. 

Here are five easy ways to capitalize on your grocery spending and make the most of your money. 

Eat in, not out.

It’s easy to do. While at work, running errands, or traveling, grabbing a quick bite to eat is so easy. Eating out can really put a hurting on your checkbook. One of the easiest ways to save money and get the most out of your budget is to eat at home more often. Eat breakfast before leaving instead of grabbing food on the road. Pack a lunch. Cook a nice dinner at home instead of going out. You’ll be surprised how much money you save by using your kitchen more. 

Plan Ahead and Don’t Deviate.

Meal planning can save you a ton of money. Here’s how it works: make a menu, build out a grocery list, and only purchase those items on your list. It’s that simple. By avoiding impulse grocery buys, you can shave dollars off of your expenses. You’ll be eating cheaper, shopping less, and save money in the process. 

Buy Seasonal Produce.

As the old saying goes, “For everything there is a season.” This is as true in the produce section as much as anywhere else. Produce that is out of season is often much more expensive when compared to its seasonal counterpart. By buying fruits, vegetables, and greens that are more readily available at particular times of the year you’ll be able to save a lot more green yourself. 

Junkfood costs you twice.

There are a lot of reasons why we are drawn towards the brightly packaged, sugar-laced items found in the junk food sections of the supermarket. One reason is that junk food is considered “cheaper” when compared with healthier options. If what you’re searching for is financial security, keep in mind that putting harmful, nutrition-devoid food in your body will cost you twice–once at the checkout line and then again in medical bills and health complications. Eating healthy can save you money. 

Learn to love leftovers.

Those forgotten remnants of past suppers in your fridge are actually a shortcut to savings. Having leftovers for lunch that you salvaged from dinner the night before cuts down on prep time and on the amount you spend on food every week. Plus, it’s better for the overall health of the planet. Leftovers are both ecologically and fiscally beneficial. 

Fit Five Meals offers easy solutions that will save you time and money without costing you an arm and a leg. Our fresh, never-frozen meals are easy on your wallet and cost only $8 per meal on average. You can eat healthy, delicious food and save money in the process. Check out our updated menu.