If you’re wanting to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, you need to implement the Pantry Principle! Here are a few ways the Pantry Principle can help you eat more fruits and vegetables.
Don’t know what the pantry principle is? Check out the post The Pantry Principle: What It Is.
#1 You Eat What You Have
If you don’t have lots of fruits of vegetables in your house you won’t eat lots of fruits and vegetables. In contrast, if your pantry is well-stocked with fruits and vegetables you’re more likely to eat them. Tip: dried fruits are a great addition to a pantry!
#2 With the Pantry Principle, You Have to Plan Ahead
With the pantry principle, you must plan ahead. You don’t just grab whatever looks good in the grocery store. So, if fruits and vegetables don’t look good to you when you’re in the grocery store, no problem. They’re on your list. You made your list at home. When you were not hungry. And not in a hurry. And not tired. And when you were thinking about what you need to eat.
#3 You Plan Your Diet, Not Just Your Meals
With the pantry principle you don’t just plan your meals in advance—you plan your diet. You plan what you’re going to stock in your pantry based not on what you want to eat this week but on what you intend to eat this week, and next week, and the week after that. And forever, basically (although you can certainly refine it as needed!). It forces you to look at the big picture.
#4 Meals Preparation and Meal Planning Are Streamlined
No running out of ingredients and having to substitute. No having to change your dinner plan five times because you don’t have all the ingredients. Because most of your meal plans are based on the same ingredients you always have in stock, you don’t have to put nearly so much thought into your plans. You can put that time and thought into getting more fruits and vegetables into your meals!
#5 Shopping is Simplified
Because the bulk of your shopping is simply restocking items on a standard list, the whole grocery shopping deal is simplified, giving you more time to shop for fresh produce and more time to save money with which to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
How will you eat more fruits and vegetables?
