Did you know that meal planning and better health are closely linked? In this special episode, I’m joined by Melissa Jaeger, Head of Nutrition at my favorite food and nutrition tracking app, MyFitnessPal.A 2017 study found that people who plan meals tend to have better diet quality and lower rates of obesity, especially women. I also share my personal journey using food tracking to transform my body composition by managing macronutrients. For me, using a diet tracking app was a game-changer. Getting real data on what you’re eating can truly shift your relationship with nutrition for the long haul.Melissa walks us through the new Meal Planner feature in MyFitnessPal, which lets users build personalized weekly meal plans based on their dietary needs, budget, and household size. It generates recipes, creates grocery lists, and even integrates with e-retailers like Instacart for easy shopping.Meal planning is like setting your GPS. It helps you stay on track with your nutrition and fitness goals. Making smart food choices is a lot easier when you’re not starving and scrambling. Planning ahead isn’t just helpful, it’s the ultimate time-saver. We often feel like we don’t have time to eat right, but it’s planning that actually gives us that time back.Melissa also shares her formula for a balanced, nutrient-dense plate: half fiber-rich veggies and fruits, a quarter lean protein, and a quarter carbohydrates. We dig into the myth that all carbs are bad, and highlight their essential role in providing fiber and fuel. She wraps up with her top three tips to start meal planning, including how to use the app’s new feature.If you’re not tracking yet, I highly recommend downloading the app and giving it a try. A little effort goes a long way!You can get FREE access to my 4-week Strength Without Stress program right now! This program will help you reduce the systemic inflammation that’s caused by overly intense or lengthy workouts. It’ll help you build and maintain valuable lean muscle without the fatigue from other programsTo get free access to Strength Without Stress, post a Review wherever you’re listening. Grab a screenshot of your review before you post it and upload at: https://www.hollyperkins.com/reviewThis is a limited-time offer before it sells for $197–grab it while you can for lifetime access.Be sure to Follow and Subscribe so you'll know exactly when new episodes are available on Tuesdays.Topics covered:● (01:32) Tracking what I eat with MyFitnessPal changed my nutrition forever● (08:59) Top veggies and herbs to grow in the garden with summer almost here● (13:41) Eating a balanced, full breakfast truly helps energize you for the day● (15:58) Planning meals ahead saves you money and keeps you healthy● (25:57) A balanced plate is half produce, a quarter lean protein, and a quarter carbs● (35:58) The MyFitnessPal meal planner is a great first step in meal planning● (44:28) Creating shopping lists and ordering groceries onlineResources Mentioned● Research about how meal planning is linked to food variety, diet quality, and body weight ● Research about how frequent meal planning predicts greater weight loss● Research on predicting and modifying the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors● Research about how dietary planning mediates the intention–behavior relationship● Learn more about Meal Planning and MyFitness Pal here● Transcripts can be found on the official blog page for this episode at hollyperkins.com/blogFollow Me:Find me on Instagram: @hollyperkinsLearn more on my website: hollyperkins.comConnect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/HollyPerkinsFitnessDisclaimer: Content and information as part of The Holly Perkins...
Did you know that meal planning and better health are closely linked? In this special episode, I’m joined by Melissa Jaeger, Head of Nutrition at my favorite food and nutrition tracking app, MyFitnessPal.
A 2017 study found that people who plan meals tend to have better diet quality and lower rates of obesity, especially women. I also share my personal journey using food tracking to transform my body composition by managing macronutrients. For me, using a diet tracking app was a game-changer. Getting real data on what you’re eating can truly shift your relationship with nutrition for the long haul.
Melissa walks us through the new Meal Planner feature in MyFitnessPal, which lets users build personalized weekly meal plans based on their dietary needs, budget, and household size. It generates recipes, creates grocery lists, and even integrates with e-retailers like Instacart for easy shopping.
Meal planning is like setting your GPS. It helps you stay on track with your nutrition and fitness goals. Making smart food choices is a lot easier when you’re not starving and scrambling. Planning ahead isn’t just helpful, it’s the ultimate time-saver. We often feel like we don’t have time to eat right, but it’s planning that actually gives us that time back.
Melissa also shares her formula for a balanced, nutrient-dense plate: half fiber-rich veggies and fruits, a quarter lean protein, and a quarter carbohydrates. We dig into the myth that all carbs are bad, and highlight their essential role in providing fiber and fuel. She wraps up with her top three tips to start meal planning, including how to use the app’s new feature.
If you’re not tracking yet, I highly recommend downloading the app and giving it a try. A little effort goes a long way!
You can get FREE access to my 4-week Strength Without Stress program right now! This program will help you reduce the systemic inflammation that’s caused by overly intense or lengthy workouts. It’ll help you build and maintain valuable lean muscle without the fatigue from other programs
To get free access to Strength Without Stress, post a Review wherever you’re listening. Grab a screenshot of your review before you post it and upload at: https://www.hollyperkins.com/review
This is a limited-time offer before it sells for $197–grab it while you can for lifetime access.
Be sure to Follow and Subscribe so you'll know exactly when new episodes are available on Tuesdays.
Topics covered:
● (01:32) Tracking what I eat with MyFitnessPal changed my nutrition forever
● (08:59) Top veggies and herbs to grow in the garden with summer almost here
● (13:41) Eating a balanced, full breakfast truly helps energize you for the day
● (15:58) Planning meals ahead saves you money and keeps you healthy
● (25:57) A balanced plate is half produce, a quarter lean protein, and a quarter carbs
● (35:58) The MyFitnessPal meal planner is a great first step in meal planning
● (44:28) Creating shopping lists and ordering groceries online
Resources Mentioned
● Research about how meal planning is linked to food variety, diet quality, and body weight
● Research about how frequent meal planning predicts greater weight loss
● Research on predicting and modifying the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors
● Research about how dietary planning mediates the intention–behavior relationship
● Learn more about Meal Planning and MyFitness Pal here
● Transcripts can be found on the official blog page for this episode at hollyperkins.com/blog
Follow Me:
Find me on Instagram: @hollyperkins
Learn more on my website: hollyperkins.com
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/HollyPerkinsFitness
Disclaimer: Content and information as part of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast is for general interest, education, and entertainment purposes only. The use of information on this podcast or materials or products linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
Holly Perkins 00:00
A 2017 study of over 40,000 adults, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, found that individuals who planned their meals were significantly more likely to have higher diet quality scores and greater food variety. Specifically, women who engaged in meal planning had lower odds of being overweight or obese. We know from the research that the absolute best way to be healthier and successful in your nutrition efforts is not by figuring out what to eat when you're hungry, but instead planning out your meals ahead of time. If you want to become more muscle and less fat—faster and easier—keep listening.
Holly Perkins 00:53
Hello and welcome. Thank you so much for being here—truly. If you're new, welcome. I'm Holly Perkins, and I help women, mostly over 40, improve your body composition so that you are at least 70% lean muscle, so that you can reduce your risk of disease and stay in the game of life—and out of the rocking chair. And today, I am so excited about this interview. Now, as you know, I don't do a lot of interviews, and it is something I hope to do more going forward, but this was an opportunity I could not pass up.
Holly Perkins 01:32
So about, probably, 15 years ago, when I was really struggling to get my nutrition right, thankfully, I stumbled upon the concept of actually tracking the foods that I was eating every day and adjusting the portion sizes and the quantities—and the food categories, if you will—so that I would achieve a certain macronutrient distribution per meal and by the end of the day. And when I discovered this science, I was blown away by how fast my body changed. Now, if you've been in my community for that long—let's call it at least 10 years—you may remember these times. I had the ability to transform my body, physically and biologically, in as little as 10 days, simply because I learned to adjust my macronutrients.
Holly Perkins 02:28
And a pivotal tool during that time of my life was the food tracking app, MyFitnessPal. Now, at the time, it was relatively new, and I thought that it was the most amazing thing ever. And all these years later, I still use it. I'm still a huge champion for diet tracking apps in general, but I've stayed really loyal to MyFitnessPal. Now, if you haven't caught the bug, here's what I love about it: You can literally enter into MyFitnessPal what you're eating each day, and it does all of the mathematics for you. All you have to do is adjust either the foods that you're choosing or the portion sizes so that you manipulate your macronutrients to get the outcome that you want. And a diet tracking app is absolutely essential.
Holly Perkins 03:22
If you know me, you know that when I get excited about something, I can't stop talking about it. And it's rare that I really do become a champion of a product or a brand. And you should know that when I do, it's because I have a mad love affair with the thing and that I have really vetted it against my uncompromising standards. In my world, tracking your food and getting real data about what you're putting in your body is absolutely essential. So let me tell you a little bit about MyFitnessPal. It is the number one global nutrition and food tracking app, founded in 2005, with a mission to help people around the world reach their health goals through better food choices by providing knowledge, motivation, and a sense of progress. With a community of over 270 million members in over 120 countries,
Holly Perkins 04:25
MyFitnessPal offers members one of the world's most comprehensive nutrition and food tracking platforms—allowing them to track their food, create personalized and goal-driven meal plans, and record exercise activity. With one of the largest food databases in the world, comprising over 20.5 million foods, access to over 2,000 recipes, and over 35 connected fitness partners, MyFitnessPal provides members with the tools for positive, healthy change. So today, I'm talking with Melissa Jaeger. She's an RD and an LD, and is the Head of Nutrition for MyFitnessPal, where she serves as a subject matter expert—offering nutrition guidance to support recipe collections, in-app plans, and evidence-based messaging.
Holly Perkins 05:19
She holds a degree in nutrition from the College of St. Benedict and completed her dietetic internship through Iowa State University. Recognized as the 2024 Registered Young Dietitian of the Year by the Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Melissa specializes in weight management and gut health. She has completed training in childhood and adolescent weight management and the low FODMAP diet for IBS. Melissa is passionate about translating evidence-based nutrition science into actionable advice for the public through global media. So let's get into this awesome conversation.
Holly Perkins 06:07
Melissa, hello! I am so excited to get to do this with you today. As I said in my intro, I have been such a huge fan of MyFitnessPal for a very, very long time. And my community knows that it's rare that I actually champion a product or a brand. And when I do, it's because I've really, really scrutinized it, and it's something that I know and love and trust. And I have been a fan, an advocate, and a champion of MyFitnessPal for so long.
Holly Perkins 06:45
And it's funny—maybe, I don't know, maybe a couple of months ago—I was doing something. I was tracking my food, as I do most days. I'm pretty religious about my food tracking and food planning in general. And I remember I just had one of those moments where I was like, "Oh my goodness, thank God for this app," because it really makes such a difference in my life. And I just had that moment where I was like, "I hope they know how much I love them, and I wonder if I could get more involved with MyFitnessPal." No joke.
Holly Perkins 07:14
And lo and behold, a couple weeks later, MyFitnessPal—your team—reached out for this podcast interview. And so I told my business development person, I was like, "This is an interview we are going to do," and I was so excited about it. So thank you so much for reaching out. I'm thrilled to be able to promote the brand and connect with you and just have a really fun conversation today. So, Melissa, tell me—where are you today? You're in Minnesota, right? Yes?
Melissa Jaeger 07:42
And first of all, thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to get to spend some time with you today and just chat a little bit more about MyFitnessPal and dive a little deeper, because I find that consumers may have heard of the brand or have used the product for years, but maybe we can unlock some new features and functionalities that really just help them support their health and well-being. But you're right—I am in Minnesota today, and I have to admit, we are not quite feeling the spring vibes yet. So for anyone else that is in the northern U.S. and is feeling our pain, I hope that we can all get out into our garden soon and plant our veggies and herbs and enjoy what we can of summer, right?
Holly Perkins 08:26
Yes! You know, it's funny you said that, because at this time, I'm in Pennsylvania. At the time of this recording—it's May 20—I woke up this morning and it was 41 degrees, and I was like, "This is a rude awakening!" after spending 17 non-stop years in sunny Southern California. So I'm with you. And to add to that, about two weeks ago, I really got the bug to plant a massive garden this year. And so I am so excited. Here are the top things I've got planned for my garden—and then I want to hear yours.
Holly Perkins 08:59
My number one: kale. Number two: I want celery. I know that sounds so strange—to plant celery—but I am a huge fan of celery juice, and I just find that celery in the grocery stores is not as great as when it comes from a garden. So I'm very excited about that. And some carrots. Then obviously I'll be buying some lemon and ginger, because my plan is to juice all summer long. I'm so excited. What's going in your garden this year?
Melissa Jaeger 09:28
Oh, that all sounds wonderful! So I always do a big mix of different types of fresh herbs, right? So how can I bring flavors and seasonings to the table? And so in the summertime—chives, parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, oregano, things like that—usually all go into some different pots outside for me, so that I can easily clip 'em or even freeze 'em at the end of the season if we haven't gotten through them all. And then we really love to grow different varieties of peppers to bring a lot of extra spice to some of our dishes at home. In addition to that, I really love growing Brussels sprouts. Have you ever tried growing Brussels sprouts before?
Holly Perkins 10:11
No, but I will this year. Now that you mentioned it, I—
Melissa Jaeger 10:13
—am a lover of Brussels sprouts, and I think they are a very underrated vegetable. So there is my plug for trying sprouts in different ways this summer, if you can.
Holly Perkins 10:23
I love it. I'm a huge fan of Brussels sprouts. That's always one of my top—I would say—five or six vegetables that I recommend to my clients. And those clients of mine that are listening are like, "Yep, I know it." It's always top of the list, and I've never grown them. So I didn't know if that was one of those crops that you could grow, or if it was climate-based or whatever, but if you're growing it there, I'll be able to grow it here. So thanks for that tip. 100%.
Melissa Jaeger 10:49
I know—it's prime time for gardening season. Unfortunately, everything is kind of hanging out inside my garage right now. A little bit of pre-planting happening, but hopefully I'll be able to transfer in once we get out of this 40-degree weather—like you and I are sharing right now—and get into prime growing season.
Holly Perkins 11:05
I love it. So let's jump in. I'm really excited about this conversation, and I wanted to start with this. All of my episodes really are research- and science-based. I do a lot of research—sometimes as much as two to three hours of research for every single podcast episode—and there was a study in 2017 published. It was a large cross-sectional study of over 40,000 adults published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, and it found that individuals who planned their meals were significantly more likely to have higher diet quality scores and greater food variety.
Holly Perkins 11:47
Specifically, women who engaged in meal planning had lower odds of being overweight or obese. And this suggests that meal planning really is an effective strategy for improving dietary habits, but also managing your weight. We know from the research that meal planning is where it's at. If you, dear listener, want to be successful, if you want to feel better sooner, and if you want your eating habits to bring you the results that you want sooner, it really does come down to meal planning. I've been an advocate of it forever. In fact, if I don't plan my meals out in the morning or the day ahead, I really get into trouble, because the worst thing is to find yourself hungry and then to be putting together a hodgepodge of whatever you have at your fingertips. I'm a huge fan of it, and that's what we're going to be talking about today. So on that note—Melissa, I'm curious—what did you have for breakfast today?
Melissa Jaeger 12:47
For breakfast today, I always like to find a way to combine protein and then fiber-rich carbohydrates. So I try to figure out, okay, if I'm thinking about protein this morning—eggs is one of my favorite options to have for breakfast. I find that they stick with me longer and help me to feel full and energized. And I always pair that with some type of seasonal fruit, because I find that whatever I can either grow or find seasonally just always tastes best to me. So right now, I have some raspberries in my fridge, so I paired raspberries with my eggs this morning. And then I wanted to add in a little something extra, so I toasted up half of a whole wheat English muffin and topped it with a little bit of peanut butter. And that will help me stick through this morning’s meetings and recordings and get on to my lunch later today.
Holly Perkins 13:38
I love it—and keep your blood sugar very stable.
Melissa Jaeger 13:42
100%. I think so often, breakfast is one of those meals that individuals choose to skip or maybe have very few calories at, when in reality, we need that morning boost to really get our day started, help to break that fast, and keep us moving and energized in the morning. So sometimes reorganizing our calories a little bit when we're thinking about our meal plan—it doesn't all have to fall at our dinner. How can we spread out our plans and our day between meals and snacks to help keep us energized and keep our blood sugar stable?
Holly Perkins 14:15
Oh my gosh, so well said. We are 100% on the same page. And I'm still so amazed when new clients come to me—I can't tell you how often people have kind of really attached to this idea of what I call “dirty intermittent fasting,” and this notion that skipping breakfast and then not eating until noon is actually productive. And I understand that there is some research to support this notion of intermittent fasting, but the early-day timed feeding, I have found, works so much better for people—even if they do want to do intermittent fasting later in the day—but just to shift those calories first thing in the morning so that you regulate your blood sugar. The rest of the day really does tend to reduce the energy drain and also the hunger that a lot of people experience at dinner. And so I'm so with you. I know that if I balance out the perfect breakfast, I could literally not eat very well for the rest of the day, and I’ll be okay. But if I mess up my breakfast, I'm hurting all day long.
Melissa Jaeger 15:22
It all starts with breakfast for me too. And I know that some people maybe tell me when they would come to work with me one-on-one, “I just don't feel all that hungry in the morning,” or “I'm not used to eating in the morning.” And so if we need to start small and work our way into something that’s a little bit broader fuel, or maybe we're just even worried about having the time to prepare things, right? That’s where planning ahead can really make all the difference. Because it can be really easy to rush out the door and say, “That's okay, I skipped it. I'll grab something later,” and not come back to it. So that's where we really need to start planning ahead in order to be successful at mealtimes.
Holly Perkins 15:58
What would you say? Why exactly is planning ahead such a critical factor for success in achieving a person's personal nutrition goals? Whatever their goals are—why is planning so important?
Melissa Jaeger 16:12
I really like to think about it as: planning your meals is similar to setting that GPS for your summer road trip. Right? If you have a plan to get to where you want to go, you have a clear route in mind. You are truly setting yourself up for success, even when maybe you have to take a detour or a small turn because something else came up. But ultimately, you have that plan, and with that, you aren't trying to guess or scramble to get a meal on the table to help you stay on track with your goals.
Melissa Jaeger 16:42
You've already taken that mental load off of having to come up with that idea, and you have it ready to go so that all you need to do is focus on building out those balanced meals, preparing that food, and serving it in a way that is going to be fun for you and your family. That way, you don't end up resorting to some of those temptations that you might see along the way, like running to grab takeout, or some of those impulse purchases as you're shopping at the grocery store, where you grab that item and say, "Hey, this looks good. It's on sale," but have no idea what you're going to use it for. It might be time to put that item back on the shelf and stick with that plan so that you can stay on track to achieving those health goals.
Holly Perkins 17:22
As I was doing some research, I saw something—I forget which entry it was—but I saw something that talked about meal planning as the ultimate solution for time scarcity. And I was like, "Ooh, that's interesting," because the people in my community, I know, often cite the number one struggle to our day as time scarcity—like we're all strapped for time. And I think that where people often struggle to eat right is because they feel like they don't have the time. And it's interesting; it's a strange conundrum because it's like, well, you don't have time to plan, but it's the planning that's going to save you time. And the amount of mental bandwidth that frees up—like you said, Melissa—when you go to the grocery store and you've got your list and you know what your five dinners are going to be this week, that frees up so much mental bandwidth but then ultimately ends up saving you time each day when you're struggling to put it all together.
Melissa Jaeger 18:23
100%. It's so incredibly common to feel like, "I don't have the time; this is something that can fall off my plate," when, quite literally, it is the thing that needs to be on your plate. It needs to be something that we find or earmark the time for. And I think one of the common kind of challenges we might face or need to overcome is figuring out where that time is in our schedule, because so often people go, "Well, I don't want to spend my whole day off prepping meals. I want to still enjoy myself."
Melissa Jaeger 18:53
So maybe it's finding smaller blocks of time, or maybe it's earmarking and setting a timer for 15 minutes when you get home from the grocery store to wash and pre-cut some of those vegetables or cook your rice or grain that's going to be served as a side throughout the week. So that as you're putting away the groceries and you're getting things ready, you have some of those smaller items prepped to help save you critical time throughout the week. So there are always these strategies and different touchpoints that we can kind of navigate to make that concept of how we use that time and how much time meal prep is going to take—to reduce some of that load or burden of feeling like we just don't have the time to handle it.
Holly Perkins 19:33
What are some common pitfalls of not planning meals in advance, and how can people avoid those?
Melissa Jaeger 19:42
I always found that individuals would come to me and say, "You know, I eat the same things over and over again," or, "I make the same meals because that's what I know how to make, and I feel like that is much easier than starting from scratch." And some of that repetition, while it can feel a little bit easier in the moment, can leave us not maybe enjoying our food as much, or not enjoying mealtime, and also not having the diversity in our diet that our bodies crave, that our guts crave, that we need in order to fuel our bodies to the best of our abilities. But some of the other pitfalls, like we talked about—you're in the grocery store—if we're not going in with that list, it can be really easy to overspend on different impulse purchases.
Melissa Jaeger 20:22
So I always look at meal planning as a cost-saving mechanism. But in addition, I think too, we scramble at the last minute sometimes because we didn't have that plan. And we're driving home from work and we go, "Okay, it would be so much easier to just run through this drive-thru." And ultimately, some of that takeout can maybe steer us away from hitting those nutrition goals, but it may also lead to food waste. Maybe we had some different ingredients left over in the fridge; we just weren't sure how to combine them to make a balanced meal, and sometimes those end up being thrown out—which is also another way where we're not using our cost savings most effectively when it comes to meal planning. So I do think that the key to really avoiding some of these pitfalls is that preparation in advance. When was the last time you took stock of what was in your pantry, Holly?
Holly Perkins 21:16
Well, I'm probably not the right person to ask that question, because I know everything in my pantry. I really walk the walk and talk the talk. I do—I know every single item in my pantry, and I would say most people don't. Most people don't even know what's in the back of their refrigerator, even though they stare at it all the time. And so I hear you on that. Where I do really resonate is the food waste issue. Now, I'm very proud that because of these practices and principles we're talking about are strong for me personally—like I said, I walk the walk and talk the talk—we have very little food waste in our household. But where I do stumble, if you will, is I'll go to the grocery store with a plan, but then I always like to stay open-minded, and the butternut squash will look extra great, and so I'll grab several, or the parsley will look beautiful and fresh.
Holly Perkins 22:12
So I'll grab a bunch or two, and then I'll get home and I won't have a plan for them, and those end up going bad. And that's where my food waste is. So I'm always proud of myself that at least it's the lower-cost items that I'm wasting, but also it goes against my heart and my soul to be just wasting any fruits and vegetables in general, because they're so valuable to me. And so the food waste is a really big thing. I think for a lot of people, no one feels good wasting food. And I have learned that I gotta plan ahead. If I'm gonna buy the butternut squash, I gotta come home and prep it and make sure I find the recipe. So I know we'll talk about recipes in a couple of minutes, because I think that's such a huge piece of meal planning. But before that, what would you say about how meal planning contributes to a better and more balanced diet?
Melissa Jaeger 23:08
Oh, I love this question. And major kudos to you for knowing what is in your pantry, what is in your fridge, because like you said, it is so easy to fall into that pitfall of, "Oh, I didn’t realize I already have this spice or this ingredient on hand," and we end up buying duplicates and spending more than we need to. So all of that can really help us to support creating a more balanced diet. But at the end of the day, when I look at an individual who's maybe thinking, "Okay, meal planning is how I'm going to hit X, Y, and Z nutrition goal," I always like to encourage them to take a step back, because thinking about our diets and how we're fueling our bodies is so critical, and so it's not just about hitting a single calorie goal each and every day.
Melissa Jaeger 23:54
It's the foods that we're eating that make up those calories that are going to help us build and maintain a balanced diet. And meal planning is such a valuable asset because it gives you control over what is going on your plate, so that you can really focus on getting not only a variety of foods but nutrient-dense foods. I want to make sure people are adding fiber-rich plants to their plate, finding lean sources of protein, really trying to create balance. And it doesn't have to be overly complicated. And there are some easy tools or ways to visualize out there what our plates look like. And so some individuals will talk about something called the plate method.
Melissa Jaeger 24:37
And I always like to think of—if you picture what's on your dinner plate at night—can you identify: Where is the protein coming from? Where is the fiber coming from? And how does that balance on my plate so that I'm fueling my body to support whatever goal I might be pursuing—whether that is weight management, whether it is muscle gain, whether it is performing at our best for an upcoming athletic event? So finding different methods to create those simple combinations to focus on the nutrients that make up our calories is going to be where meal planning can really contribute to maintaining a balanced diet.
Holly Perkins 25:16
Without a doubt. And I'm gonna back a step and even, quote-unquote, dumb it down a little bit also, because I get the questions from people coming to me, and I guarantee there's someone out there right now saying, "Okay, but what exactly is a balanced plate?" Because you and I have our definitions, and I know you and I are on the same page already. I would say it a hair differently than you do, but it's ultimately the same approach, the same principle. But for the person who has the intention and desire to improve their plate, how would you describe what actually achieves a balanced plate?
Melissa Jaeger 25:57
That's a great question. And I think when I take a look at it—and as an RD, I would spend a lot of time helping individuals identify what their sources of food looked like—and this is also where tracking came a bit into play, right? Because they could see how those foods stacked up throughout the day when they were tracking. But taking a look at: let's identify some sources of protein, right? So protein could look like chickpeas, beans, peas, and other legumes. It could look like salmon, chicken breasts, pork chops—whatever might be your source of preferred protein at a mealtime. And then how does that balance out with a variety of plants? Because that's where our fiber is coming from. So that could be really colorful fruits and veggies.
Melissa Jaeger 26:45
Maybe you have kiddos at home who love clementines because they're easy to peel and eat, so you always have some of those on hand. Great. That's a fruit that we could add to the plate. Maybe you really love some of those veggies that you and I talked about at the beginning of the show. Maybe I can convince more listeners to give Brussels sprouts a chance. That is another plant where fiber is going to be coming from. And I really want those fruits and vegetables to fill up half of our plate, and that lean protein to be another quarter of that plate—roughly, if not a little bit more. And then we can always mix in some of those other carbohydrates, which are going to help provide our brain with glucose, which it loves. And that could look like brown or wild rice or whole wheat pasta, or it could be a small amount of noodles in a stir fry dish—whatever we are looking to blend together. It doesn't have to be segmented. Those items can get mixed together on the plate into a delicious recipe and still break down to being about half of our plates being those fiber-rich plants, and a quarter or more coming from a lean protein source, and then balancing out the rest. 100%.
Holly Perkins 28:00
And the one thing for people who are maybe even newer to this conversation, to layer onto it—the concept of macronutrients and balancing macronutrients—what I would add, that people I think overlook, and I don't know if it's forgetting or if it's just they haven't quite fully understood the concept, but, you know, fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates. And I think that in this day and age of carbohydrates getting such a bad rap—still, still! I can't believe it—yeah, but yet, we do hear a lot of conversation about fiber. And so I always kind of giggle when someone comes to me and they're like, “Well, I like to do low carb, high protein, but I’m trying to get my fiber in.” And I often say, “Well, but fiber comes from your carbohydrates.”
Holly Perkins 28:51
Those carbohydrates are largely fruits and vegetables. And so I think a lot of times, people don't put all of the pieces together to really understand what carbohydrates are and the importance and the value of them. So I did a podcast episode—I think it was maybe it was either last week; I'm not sure exactly what the air date is for the podcast I'm thinking of—but actually it might have even been for my upcoming book. I've been doing a lot of research lately, and colloquially in the world these days, you know, we hear these terms “low carb,” “high protein” thrown around quite a bit. And I was really surprised to discover when I did the research that what I consider moderate carbohydrate, which is about 40 to 50% of your daily calories coming from carbohydrates, technically is considered about moderate. And when we look at the scale in the nutrition industry, medical industry, health industry—even our government—what's considered high carbohydrate is actually upwards towards 70% and 80%. And we know that's a problem.
Holly Perkins 30:01
We know too-high carbohydrate—especially if they're poor-quality carbohydrates—is a problem. But the funny thing is, the first thing I hear from people so often these days, when I suggest 40 to 50% of their daily calories coming from carbohydrates is, “Oh my gosh, that's so high! I could never eat that many carbohydrates.” And I’m like, “Well, it's actually not that many. It's actually quite moderate.” So do you ever venture into this conversation where you guide people from a place of metrics? Obviously, using the plate method is just so easy for everyone because it's visual. And do you ever kind of, quote-unquote, go on record, if you will, to say what those percentages should look like, roughly?
Melissa Jaeger 30:45
All great questions. And I think this is where nutrition tracking can help bring some insight, right? Because so many consumers come in—or when they were working with me one-on-one—would say, “Well, I don't know what 45 to 65% of my daily calories from carbs looks like,” or, “I don't know what makes up a 2000-calorie diet,” because they would see 2000 calories on a Nutrition Facts label. And so we would need to break it down a little bit more, because nutrition is incredibly personal, right? What works for me and what makes me feel the best may not make someone else feel the best depending upon other health conditions, dietary preferences, etc.
Melissa Jaeger 31:25
So I always really approached it from an individual perspective. Is that individual looking to lose weight or maintain weight? Or is that individual training for a high-intensity athletic event? And that would factor into those recommendations in terms of percentages for macronutrient breakdown. And I will touch on fat, because I know we haven't talked about fat quite yet, and it certainly still falls into the plate method. But I always think about, you know, sources of fat could look like avocado—whether that's on top of your salad or tacos or being blended into your smoothie in the morning. It could look like the omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, or it could be nuts and seeds on top of your salad or being used as a snack throughout the day, or your cooking oils, etc.
Melissa Jaeger 32:13
So fats, protein, and carbohydrates all need to be balanced out in a manner that's going to work best for that consumer to meet their individual goals. And so when they open a tracking app like MyFitnessPal, we have a set macro distribution that's in the app, but that user can then customize those macronutrients based on the recommendations of their healthcare provider, registered dietitian—whomever they're working with—in order to really help reach those…
Holly Perkins 32:42
…goals. Yeah, I love that. I'm curious, what is that sort of default macronutrient distribution? I'm just curious. I've never noticed it.
Melissa Jaeger 32:51
Yeah, so when you're starting out with your custom macro goals, you're usually going to see about 50% carbohydrates coming into play. And that's kind of right in line with where you were saying—falling within that more moderate, right? Because oftentimes in the media, we're seeing things like, “Oh, 65% is feeling a little bit high,” or “35% is too low.” So there's certainly just a lot of different opportunities. But then usually that fat is around 30% and the protein around 20%. And individuals can toggle and flip that.
Holly Perkins 33:27
50-20-30 is sort of that default breakdown. Yeah. Once again, that's like so in alignment with what I teach. And it's funny, because I've been in MyFitnessPal for so long—it's home for me—that some of those features and some of those defaults, if you will, I'm like, “Oh, I didn't even realize that was there,” because it's been so long since I set up my account. So thank you for sharing that. What would you say are your top three tips for someone who's just starting with meal planning?
Melissa Jaeger 33:59
Oh, such a great question. So we've talked about and touched on this a little bit, and it may seem like it's going way back to basics, but we need to find the time that works for us. This includes time to make the plan, to shop for the groceries, and then to actually prepare. And we certainly don't have to go it alone, right? The other members of your household could help with different phases or be trying to, you know, find times throughout the week that are going to work best for you. But if we can't set aside some time to get started, it's really hard to reach that ultimate goal of being successful with meal planning and supporting our nutrition goals. So like I said, it could be small chunks of time throughout the week, or it could be longer periods of time on a day off. But I always start by finding the time. And I really do like to start small. Anytime we're stepping into a new, broader goal, it's really important to celebrate the smaller wins and the small steps we take to get there.
Melissa Jaeger 34:57
So maybe it's starting by just planning a few meals or snacks throughout the week to avoid becoming completely overwhelmed. And so maybe it's picking two or three dinners you want to start with this week and making enough for leftovers. Or maybe it's ensuring that you've planned and packed your snacks to bring with you to the office or to the gym so that you have something on hand in order to avoid the temptation to run to the vending machine or out to the shop around the corner to grab something during a break. But I also think there's tools out there, right, that can help us with meal planning and maybe take some of the heavy lifting off, and that's why I'm really excited to dive into our new meal planner functionality to really help take that burden off and help them plan more balanced, better-for-you meal options.
Holly Perkins 35:45
I love that. Talk to me more about Meal Planner, because this—I feel like this is a new feature, and it's something I personally haven't discovered yet, and so I'd love to learn more about it. Walk us through how people can use it.
Melissa Jaeger 35:58
You're spot on there. Meal Planner was a recently released feature in MyFitnessPal, and I am so excited because it takes that heavy lifting—a lot of that mental load—off of your plate so that you can really focus on the actual preparation and enjoying of your meals. So essentially, when you start with Meal Planner, you're going to input some different information to help us create more personalized weekly meal plans. You're able to tell us: What are your dietary preferences?
Melissa Jaeger 36:29
Do you prefer to follow a Mediterranean-style dietary approach, or are you vegan or vegetarian? What is your budget? Do you prefer meals that you want to be very cost-rigid on, and you want those meals to be of lower cost, or are you a little bit more flexible in your budget? What is your household size? How many other individuals might be enjoying these meals with you? Do you have any foods that you really love or that you really don't love—that you want us to leave out of your meal plan? We can do that for you. And then, honestly, one of my favorite features—I don't know about you, but I know personally that I don't always have time to cook something new every night—so I am a leftovers lover. You can indicate if you like or don't like leftovers, so that it can plan that into your weekly meal plan. And then it's gonna generate a weekly meal plan that's complete with recipes, and it actually has the grocery shopping list to go along with it, so that you're not trying to figure out what you already need or don't need to help make these recipes come to life at home.
Holly Perkins 37:28
That's amazing. Talk to me about some of the recipes.
Melissa Jaeger 37:31
Oh goodness. It's so much fun to see how customizable it can be with different recipes. So if you really love specific types of protein, there's some delicious salmon recipes in there. There is a great category for different stir-fries, different ways to blend in new cuisines and ingredients from around the world. Maybe you're just looking to revamp your Taco Tuesday night. There are certainly recipes from around the globe that I find are going to entice our users. But I have been digging into our breakfast recipes a little bit too, because, like you and I mentioned, breakfast is something that is so easy for individuals to maybe skip but is so critically important.
Melissa Jaeger 38:12
So whether you're looking for maybe some new smoothies or protein shakes, or maybe you're in love with overnight oats—something that you can actually prep ahead and store in your fridge and pull out on the go throughout the week. So whether you're looking for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just some different suggestions for simple side dishes, you can find a lot of different variety in recipes. We have over 1,500 in the plan right now, so you'll ensure that you're not eating the same things over and over again.
Holly Perkins 38:43
Am I right that you contributed to some of the recipe development? Are there new recipes, let's say, that you oversaw?
Melissa Jaeger 38:50
There have been a few new recipes that I've been able to contribute to and help work on for the app, and certainly more in the future will come. So we are looking forward to continuing to grow our recipe database to meet the needs of consumers and the preferences of consumers. Certainly, there was a great foundational existing recipe database that was integrated into Meal Planner, so I look forward to having our dietitian team help contribute to more future recipes and insights. Do you have a favorite? Oh goodness—right now, I'm really a fan of the Blueberry Almond Overnight Oats recipe.
Holly Perkins 39:28
That sounds like a good one. I love that. I have a Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats that I'm obsessed with.
Melissa Jaeger 39:34
Oh yes, that's awesome.
Holly Perkins 39:35
And I'm assuming that the recipes are already integrated and/or queued up into MyFitnessPal. So is it the type of thing where Meal Planner gives you your, let's say, weekly schedule of meals and recipes, and then if you click on or use one of those recipes, is it seamlessly integrated so that you're able to just plug it right into your food journal for the day?
Melissa Jaeger 40:03
100% yes. It makes food logging so much easier, especially when you are navigating straight from the plan. So it's as simple as clicking a button to add that meal into your food log, and then you can see it in your diary throughout the day, over the course of the week, so that you can really have that better understanding of how these meals are factoring into supporting your overall goals.
Holly Perkins 40:24
I love that. That makes it so much easier. I have some of my personal recipes that I've developed—I've loaded them up into MyFitnessPal so that my clients are able to just, like, click on that and it goes right in. And I think that, in my experience, I have found people are either recipe people or they're not. And I'm actually not a big recipe person, but I'm always trying to get myself into the habit, because it makes everything so much easier.
Holly Perkins 40:53
When you, listener, are able to get a recipe that’s something appealing and easy for you to make, but then it’s also so easy to take a look at what the nutrition metrics look like and/or log them into your tracking app — to me, it’s like, why aren’t we all doing that all the time? Honestly, what do you think is maybe the biggest hurdle for people like me, who aren’t sort of, you know, natively a recipe person? What do you think is the biggest hurdle and/or what is the best tip for someone to adopt recipes more?
Melissa Jaeger 41:29
I know that finding recipes in and of itself can really feel like a chore, because you’re usually trying to find a recipe that not only you will love, but that everyone in your family will love, that also meets your health goals, falls in line with your budget, maybe contains some ingredients you already have on hand, et cetera. So I think sometimes the act of getting started can feel really overwhelming. In addition, not everyone is comfortable cooking, and so finding recipes that have incredibly straightforward instructions and steps to be able to execute — and allow you to feel comfortable in executing them at home — can also be really key.
Melissa Jaeger 42:07
So oftentimes, if we’re searching and we find a recipe that maybe includes 15–20 ingredients, that can feel incredibly overwhelming for any cook, let alone a home cook. And just like you, Holly, I oftentimes find myself finding a really great base recipe, but then I know what level of spice maybe my family can tolerate, or I really love to season with fresh herbs versus dried, so I might be making some swaps on the fly. And so that’s where that flexibility needs to come into play with recipes to make them feel a little bit more approachable. We often try to approach things with this mindset of perfection, and I am all about trying to approach it with the mindset of: how are we making progress today? And today, I tried a new recipe, and that is making progress towards my goal — even if I made some edits or adjustments on the fly to make it taste the way I want it to taste for me and my family. Absolutely.
Holly Perkins 42:59
I so agree with this — progress over perfection. It’s just, I think it’s in human nature, and I think it’s so easy to get caught up in this, like, it’s got to be perfect, to have to follow things to a T in order to be successful. And we know with nutrition and health in general that it’s just not true. There is no such thing as perfection, and the more you’re able to take a step forward in terms of progress, or doing something new, or trying a new approach today, and then layering another new step tomorrow — really is the thing that’s going to move the needle in the long run.
Holly Perkins 43:35
So I really appreciate, appreciate that insight there. I think that it’s just so helpful for people to remember that just picking one recipe and then doing it and executing on it — that in and of itself can be so huge for a person in terms of opening up a whole new reality. And that actually is the angle that I often use with my clients who are eating peanut butter toast every single day for breakfast and that’s it. It’s like, just pick one recipe and just try it, because it’s wild how much more success you’ll see, faster, when you integrate some of these tools like that. On that note, what do you feel really sets the Meal Planner apart from other meal planning tools or apps that are out there? I know there’s a few of them out there that I can think of, but how is Meal Planner different? How is it better?
Melissa Jaeger 44:28
What I really love is that the level of personalization and customization is really unmatched, in my opinion. And I find that if you’re following a specific dietary plan, or you’re trying to follow specific macronutrient goals, or you’re just simply trying to swap out for foods that you know that you’ll love and be more likely to eat — you can do that. So as it is, planning out those meals takes very little time to do so, but you can always go in and continue to customize or swap, right? Maybe you know that you have some leftovers of a certain fruit or veggie that you want to have as a side instead. You, with the push of a button, can swap that out and see how it plays into that nutrition profile for the day’s meals, and make adjustments along the way.
Melissa Jaeger 45:20
So having that power of control and customization in your own hands, while taking the mental load and stress off of trying to search through many recipes that are going to fit all of your customizations and preferences, is really where I think Meal Planner shines. Because it’s really designed for you and is going to support you in being more successful. So you can tell us — do you only want two dinners planned this week because you know you’re traveling for work and you’re going to be eating out? Great. Do you know you need a week’s worth of breakfasts planned when you get home from your work trip, so that you’re set up to get your week started on the right foot?
Melissa Jaeger 45:58
Great. It can do that for you. And I do love that it also integrates with different e-retailers, because I find that — like you and I talked about — it can be easy to go into the store and succumb to maybe some of those impulse purchases or see those different things. But in today’s day and age of, we don’t have time and we’re on the go, being able to send that grocery shopping list to different major e-retailers and having those groceries delivered to your door just takes one more step off of your plate when it comes to meal planning and prep.
Holly Perkins 46:27
You know, that’s really huge, and we haven’t really even touched upon that much, and I want to call that out. So I’ve been late to the party in that conversation of ordering my groceries ahead of time and either having it delivered or at least picking up curbside. And I kind of laugh at myself, and I’m a little embarrassed to even admit it, but I really kind of just discovered how convenient and helpful that feature is. And so I want to give a shout out to any of the other late bloomers like myself who still go to the grocery store, walk in the doors, and buy things and check out. I mean, it’s a real game changer to have a recipe and, electronically, from the comfort of my chair, cue that up at my local grocery store or e-retailer, as you said, and then save the time by simply picking it up and coming home — and I’ve got everything. And so for the person who is time-strapped and just doesn’t even have the bandwidth to think about some new options, boy, I hope you’ll hear this suggestion, because what a cool feature that that integrates into Meal Planner. Can you tell me a little bit more about how that works?
(Continued in next message due to length limit)
Here is your revised transcript with corrected grammar, added punctuation, tidy formatting, and speaker names bolded as requested. Time stamps and structure are preserved exactly.
Holly Perkins 40:53
When you, listener, are able to get a recipe that's something appealing and easy for you to make, but then it's also so easy to take a look at what the nutrition metrics look like and/or log them into your tracking app. To me, it's like, why aren't we all doing that all the time? Honestly, what do you think is maybe the biggest hurdle for people like me who aren't, sort of, you know, natively a recipe person? What do you think is the biggest hurdle and/or what is the best tip for someone to adopt recipes more?
Melissa Jaeger 41:29
I know that finding recipes in and of itself can really feel like a chore because you're usually trying to find a recipe that not only you will love, but that everyone in your family will love, that also meets your health goals, falls in line with your budget, maybe contains some ingredients you already have on hand, et cetera. So I think sometimes the act of getting started can feel really overwhelming. In addition to that, not everyone is comfortable cooking, and so finding recipes that have incredibly straightforward instructions and steps to be able to execute and allow you to feel comfortable in executing them at home can also be really key.
Melissa Jaeger 42:07
So oftentimes, if we're searching and we find a recipe that maybe includes 15–20 ingredients, that can feel incredibly overwhelming for any cook, let alone a home cook. And just like you, Holly, I oftentimes find myself finding a really great base recipe, but then I know what level of spice maybe my family can tolerate, or I really love to season with fresh herbs versus dried, so I might be making some swaps on the fly. And so that's where that flexibility needs to come into play with recipes to make them feel a little bit more approachable. We often try to approach things with this mindset of perfection, and I am all about trying to approach it with the mindset of, how are we making progress today? And today I tried a new recipe, and that is making progress toward my goal, even if I made some edits or adjustments on the fly to make it taste the way I want it to taste for me and my family. Absolutely.
Holly Perkins 42:59
I so agree with this — progress over perfection. It's just, I think it's in human nature, and I think it's so easy to get caught up in this, like it's got to be perfect, to have to follow things to a T in order to be successful. And we know with nutrition and health in general that it's just not true. There is no such thing as perfection, and the more you're able to take a step forward in terms of progress, or doing something new, or trying a new approach today, and then layering another new step tomorrow — really is the thing that's going to move the needle in the long run.
Holly Perkins 43:35
So I really appreciate, appreciate that insight there. I think that it's just so helpful for people to remember that, just like picking one recipe and then doing it and executing on it — that, in and of itself, can be so huge for a person in terms of opening up a whole new reality. And that actually is the angle that I often use with my clients who are eating peanut butter toast every single day for breakfast, and that's it. It's like, just pick one recipe and just try it, because it's wild how much more success you'll see faster when you integrate some of these tools like that. On that note, what do you feel really sets the meal planner apart from other meal planning tools or apps that are out there? I know there's a few of them out there that I can think of, but how is Meal Planner different? How is it better?
Melissa Jaeger 44:28
What I really love is that the level of personalization and customization is really unmatched, in my opinion. And I find that if you're following a specific dietary plan, or you're trying to follow specific macronutrient goals, or you're just simply trying to swap out for foods that you know that you'll love and be more likely to eat — you can do that. So as it is, planning out those meals takes very little time to do, but you can always go in and continue to customize or swap, right? Maybe you know that you have some leftovers of a certain fruit or veggie that you want to have as a side instead — you, with the push of a button, can swap that out and see how it plays into that nutrition profile for the day's meals, and make adjustments along the way.
Melissa Jaeger 45:20
So having that power of control and customization in your own hands, while taking the mental load and stress off of trying to search through many recipes that are going to fit all of your customizations and preferences, is really where I think Meal Planner shines. Because it's really designed for you and is going to support you in being more successful. So you can tell us, do you only want two dinners planned this week because you know you're traveling for work and you're going to be eating out? Great. Do you know you need a week's worth of breakfast planned when you get home from your work trip, so that you're set up to get your week started on the right foot?
Melissa Jaeger 45:58
Great. It can do that for you. And I do love that it also integrates with different e-retailers, because I find that, like you and I talked about, it can be easy to go into the store and succumb to maybe some of those impulse purchases, or see those different things. But in today's day and age of we don't have time, and we're on the go — being able to send that grocery shopping list to different major e-retailers, and having those groceries delivered to your door just takes one more step off of your plate when it comes to meal planning and prep.
Holly Perkins 46:27
You know, that's really huge, and we haven't really even touched upon that much, and I want to call that out. So I've been late to the party in that conversation of ordering my groceries ahead of time and either having it delivered or at least picking up curbside. And I kind of, like, laugh at myself, and I'm a little embarrassed to even admit it, but I really kind of just discovered how convenient and helpful that feature is. And so I want to give a shoutout to any of the other Late Bloomers like myself who still go to the grocery store, walk in the doors and buy things and check out. I mean, it's a real game changer to have a recipe and, electronically from the comfort of my chair, queue that up at my local grocery store or e-retailer, as you said, and then save the time by simply picking it up and coming home, and I've got everything. And so for the person who is time-strapped and just doesn't even have the bandwidth to think about some new options — boy, I hope you'll hear this suggestion, because what a cool feature that that integrates into Meal Planner. Can you tell me a little bit more about how that works?
[...Continued in next message due to length…]
Here is your revised transcript with corrected grammar, added punctuation, tidy formatting, and speaker names bolded as requested. Time stamps and structure are preserved exactly.
Holly Perkins 40:53
When you, listener, are able to get a recipe that's something appealing and easy for you to make, but then it's also so easy to take a look at what the nutrition metrics look like and/or log them into your tracking app. To me, it's like, why aren't we all doing that all the time? Honestly, what do you think is maybe the biggest hurdle for people like me who aren't, sort of, you know, natively a recipe person? What do you think is the biggest hurdle and/or what is the best tip for someone to adopt recipes more?
Melissa Jaeger 41:29
I know that finding recipes in and of itself can really feel like a chore because you're usually trying to find a recipe that not only you will love, but that everyone in your family will love, that also meets your health goals, falls in line with your budget, maybe contains some ingredients you already have on hand, et cetera. So I think sometimes the act of getting started can feel really overwhelming. In addition to that, not everyone is comfortable cooking, and so finding recipes that have incredibly straightforward instructions and steps to be able to execute and allow you to feel comfortable in executing them at home can also be really key.
Melissa Jaeger 42:07
So oftentimes, if we're searching and we find a recipe that maybe includes 15–20 ingredients, that can feel incredibly overwhelming for any cook, let alone a home cook. And just like you, Holly, I oftentimes find myself finding a really great base recipe, but then I know what level of spice maybe my family can tolerate, or I really love to season with fresh herbs versus dried, so I might be making some swaps on the fly. And so that's where that flexibility needs to come into play with recipes to make them feel a little bit more approachable. We often try to approach things with this mindset of perfection, and I am all about trying to approach it with the mindset of, how are we making progress today? And today I tried a new recipe, and that is making progress toward my goal, even if I made some edits or adjustments on the fly to make it taste the way I want it to taste for me and my family. Absolutely.
Holly Perkins 42:59
I so agree with this—progress over perfection. It's just, I think it's in human nature, and I think it's so easy to get caught up in this, like it's got to be perfect, to have to follow things to a T in order to be successful. And we know with nutrition and health in general that it's just not true. There is no such thing as perfection, and the more you're able to take a step forward in terms of progress, or doing something new, or trying a new approach today, and then layering another new step tomorrow, really is the thing that's going to move the needle in the long run.
Holly Perkins 43:35
So I really appreciate, appreciate that insight there. I think that it's just so helpful for people to remember that, just like picking one recipe and then doing it and executing on it—that in and of itself can be so huge for a person in terms of opening up a whole new reality. And that actually is the angle that I often use with my clients who are eating peanut butter toast every single day for breakfast, and that's it. It's like, just pick one recipe and just try it, because it's wild how much more success you'll see faster when you integrate some of these tools like that. On that note, what do you feel really sets the Meal Planner apart from other meal planning tools or apps that are out there? I know there's a few of them out there that I can think of, but how is Meal Planner different? How is it better?
Melissa Jaeger 44:28
What I really love is that the level of personalization and customization is really unmatched, in my opinion. And I find that if you're following a specific dietary plan, or you're trying to follow specific macronutrient goals, or you're just simply trying to swap out for foods that you know that you'll love and be more likely to eat, you can do that. So, as it is, planning out those meals takes very little time to do. But you can always go in and continue to customize or swap, right? Maybe you know that you have some leftovers of a certain fruit or veggie that you want to have as a side instead—you, with the push of a button, can swap that out and see how it plays into that nutrition profile for the day's meals and make adjustments along the way.
Melissa Jaeger 45:20
So having that power of control and customization in your own hands, while taking the mental load and stress off of trying to search through many recipes that are going to fit all of your customizations and preferences, is really where I think Meal Planner shines, because it's really designed for you and is going to support you in being more successful. So you can tell us, do you only want two dinners planned this week because you know you're traveling for work and you're going to be eating out? Great. Do you know you need a week's worth of breakfasts planned when you get home from your work trip, so that you're set up to get your week started on the right foot?
Melissa Jaeger 45:58
Great. It can do that for you. And I do love that it also integrates with different e-retailers, because I find that, like you and I talked about, it can be easy to go into the store and succumb to maybe some of those impulse purchases or see those different things. But in today's day and age of, we don't have time and we're on the go, being able to send that grocery shopping list to different major e-retailers and having those groceries delivered to your door just takes one more step off of your plate when it comes to meal planning and prep.
Holly Perkins 46:27
You know, that's really huge, and we haven't really even touched upon that much, and I want to call that out. So I've been late to the party in that conversation of ordering my groceries ahead of time and either having it delivered or at least picking up curbside. And I kind of laugh at myself, and I'm a little embarrassed to even admit it, but I really kind of just discovered how convenient and helpful that feature is. And so I want to give a shout-out to any of the other Late Bloomers like myself who still go to the grocery store, walk in the doors and buy things and check out. I mean, it's a real game changer to have a recipe and electronically, from the comfort of my chair, cue that up at my local grocery store or e-retailer, as you said, and then save the time by simply picking it up and coming home, and I've got everything. And so for the person who is time-strapped and just doesn't even have the bandwidth to think about some new options, boy, I hope you'll hear this suggestion, because what a cool feature that that integrates into Meal Planner. Can you tell me a little bit more about how that works?
Melissa Jaeger 47:38
Certainly. So once your meal plan is generated, it is going to share with you a list of ingredients. And what I love is you can either select or deselect ingredients based on if you already have some at home or if you need it. And so from there, you're eliminating that, "Oh, I forgot that I already had this in my pantry," because you can quick take a look and say, "Nope, I remember I do have enough of this left for another meal." Deselect it so you're not spending more at the grocery store than you need.
Melissa Jaeger 48:08
And then, once you've customized that grocery shopping list, you can simply hit "Send." It will connect to your e-retailer provider. So Instacart is one that's incredibly popular, but other e-retailers may be available based on your location and the device that you're using—Walmart, Kroger, et cetera. All of these are available with the click of a few buttons and connecting those accounts so that you can get those groceries delivered and just be on your way with preparing the actual meal and saving yourself quite a bit of time in the process.
Holly Perkins 48:39
That's an incredible feature. Again, I consider myself quite knowledgeable about MyFitnessPal, and I didn't even know that was in there. I love that. I do most of my shopping at one of the retailers that you mentioned and do curbside pickup. I'm very rural, so we don't have any delivery. But that, to me, is super exciting, because if you really break that down and think about it—how much time and, like I've said, mental bandwidth—that really saves. To be able to just go click, click, click, and it's done is wild to me. Especially for the person who has the demands of a family, and/or a career, and/or a big life—whatever that may look like—that's the type of thing that really so easily and seamlessly sets you up for success. It will save you so much time in the long run, 100%.
Melissa Jaeger 49:31
I think, you know, as someone who worked as a registered dietitian previously and worked in a retailer, the amount of times I would hear somebody from a different aisle say, “Oh no, I forgot my list. Now I don't remember what I need to pack,” and they would be on the phone or trying to call someone, and they end up spending extra time in the store because they forgot the list. They don't remember everything that they need to grab, or they end up spending extra money on the way. So I think having this option to allow yourself—and give yourself—that little bit of time back while still being successful and hitting your nutrition goals via meal planning is so critical to ultimately achieving your level of success, whatever that might be.
Holly Perkins 50:12
Whatever that looks like, I so agree. One more question. So if there's someone listening who is just completely overwhelmed in life—for whatever reason, all the reasons for most of us—and just feels so confused by all of the information around how to eat, what to eat, meal planning, macronutrients, micronutrients, et cetera, what would you suggest as just the very first baby step for someone to begin moving in the right direction?
Melissa Jaeger 50:45
I think the first baby step really is by seeking out trusted nutrition advice, and that may take a teeny bit of time to do a little bit of research. But ultimately, having that support system in place is going to help set you up for success in the long run, because it's so hard to know where to get started when we don't have a good direction or path outlined for us. It can be really confusing. There's so much misinformation out there, and so finding credible nutrition and health information from the experts is going to be a great stepping-off place to getting started.
Melissa Jaeger 51:31
And if you're not comfortable searching for an expert yourself or navigating—maybe you haven't connected yet with an individual—sometimes understanding where our diet is and what it looks like today, so that when we do eventually connect with that trusted resource or provider, it allows them to see where we're at today, so they can make recommendations that are tailored and customized to you. And that can often start by tracking your food. Because if we don't track, we don't understand where the nutrients are coming from in our diet, and we oftentimes forget what we even ate yesterday. And so it can be really hard to share that information with someone one-on-one, who really wants to support you in achieving your health goals.
Melissa Jaeger 52:18
So if you haven't taken the time to seek out trusted nutrition resources, experts, coaches—people that will help you along the way—maybe start by tracking your food using MyFitnessPal and see what kind of insights it brings to you. What does it show you? What does it teach you about maybe where there's some opportunities to improve or highlight what you're already doing really, really well?
Holly Perkins 52:41
I so agree. In fact, the first step that I always recommend with newer community members or even clients of mine is: just start logging. Track what you're eating—even if you're just having coffee with sugar in the morning and a Snickers bar for lunch—just simply start logging it. Because we know from psychology and behavioral research that simply doing that brings it to the forefront of your mind. And you probably know more about nutrition than you even realize. And simply by documenting it and becoming conscious to what you are eating, it sets in motion a whole new avenue and/or approach and/or kind of self-auditing and self-adjustment to what you're eating. And so I love that suggestion. I think it's really, really smart. Thank you for that. So one last question, Melissa—if you were stuck on a desert island and there was only one food or meal or recipe that you could have, what would it be?
Melissa Jaeger 53:49
Oh, my goodness, that is a tough question—hitting at home with something that is hard to make a decision on because I am such a lover of all foods. Huh, okay, let me think about this for a moment.
Holly Perkins 54:02
I would even say this is a fun fantasy question, because that will never happen. And so you also may offer up your fantasy food. Let's make the assumption that you could also be sustained by that food. So it doesn't have to be like the perfectly balanced kale salad with blueberries on it. What's the one food you could not live the rest of your life without?
Melissa Jaeger 54:29
I don't think I could live the rest of my life without berries. That, to me—I grew up with raspberry bushes in the backyard, and I have this nostalgic memory of running through the backyard and picking raspberries straight off the bush and snacking on them—and that, to me, brings home so many fun memories and is just my kind of happy place. So I think if I had to be stranded on an island, if you could plant me a couple raspberry bushes or any other type of berry, I would be a happy camper.
Holly Perkins 55:04
I love that. And they're so good for you. You mentioned that you like to choose seasonal fruits, and for you, one of those right now is raspberries. I'm curious—are you able to find raspberries somewhat locally where you are? Or, like, this time of year, where do you source your raspberries from?
Melissa Jaeger 55:21
Great question. I would say that they're just starting to become a little bit more prevalent in greenhouse-grown environments in the state. But we do have "you-pick" berry fields throughout the summer. We produce a lot of great produce here in Minnesota, and I'm very, very lucky to have a farmer's market nearby that I enjoy taking a walk through every weekend and seeing what's seasonal and out there—like radishes have been in abundance lately. The first asparagus was coming in last weekend, so it's fun to see where we can source some things seasonally.
Melissa Jaeger 55:57
But luckily, our grocery retailers in the metro area also love to support local farms. And so I always encourage individuals, whether you're doing your shopping at a grocery store or farmer’s market, direct from a farm, or wherever you're finding things—you can always look for those little call-outs or highlights to local producers. Because oftentimes they might run on special deals or sales. So sometimes I can save a little bit of money if I'm at the grocery store and finding something from a local grower because they didn’t have to pay as much in transportation fees and production fees and things like that. So oftentimes, if I can find a way to save a little bit of money and still enjoy those produce items when they're really fresh and fun and vibrant, that's when I’m stocking up my fridge or my freezer and making sure I keep enough on hand for the future.
Holly Perkins 56:47
Same! That’s my MO when I go to a retailer. I'm always looking at the produce to look for what's the freshest, what looks the brightest color, and what's local. So with you there. Melissa, thank you so much. This was awesome. If our listeners are curious to learn more or follow you or find you, where would you direct people?
Melissa Jaeger 57:07
I encourage them to head to the MyFitnessPal blog for more fun articles, tips, tricks, nutrition calculators, and resources. And if they would like to connect on social media, the handle @MyFitnessPal is a really great place to start.
Holly Perkins 57:23
We'll do that. Thanks again, Melissa.
Melissa Jaeger 57:26
Thank you so much. You have a wonderful day.
Holly Perkins 57:30
You too.
Hey, before you go, I wanted to make sure that you heard about my upcoming lab. Since we touched upon nutrition and blood sugar regulation today in our conversation with Melissa, I thought you might be interested in my upcoming lab: From Cravings to Control.
During this live session, you'll learn my approach to consistency with food so that you improve glucoregulatory control—so that your blood sugar levels are stable. You're going to learn why willpower isn't the problem and what actually creates lasting consistency, how to outsmart your cravings using intention, strategy, and planning, what to eat and when so that your body stays fueled and your cravings chill out, and exactly how to break the binge-crave cycle without giving up your favorite foods.
Holly Perkins 58:28
Oh, and there will be a live Q&A! Ask me anything about food cravings and consistency.
Come on over to hollyperkins.com/lab—that’s L-A-B—to purchase your ticket. It’s just $20 and you’ll get lifetime access to the recording. It’s one of my absolute favorite things that I’ve implemented this year, and I would love to get to know you there.
Again, it’s hollyperkins.com/lab.
And stay tuned for another brand-new episode on Tuesday of next week. Stay strong, my friend.