As the clock struck down to this New Year, I’m sure many of us resolved to live healthier lives, yes?

Central to healthy living is healthy eating. What we choose to nourish ourselves determine quite a lot of how our wellness efforts shape out.

However, we might find ourselves inundated by a barrage of information about eating right, some of which may not be so helpful in achieving our health goals.

Here’s a sampling:

Myth #1: Say goodbye to meat and dairy.

Going all plant-based may have incredible health benefits such as lowering rates of diabetes and heart disease. However, we can’t discount that animal products are excellent sources of protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc. Cutting meat and dairy out of your diet means that you are limiting your options for getting these nutrients.

Myth #2: Ditch the processed food.

In today’s fast-paced life, not all of us have the time and energy to prepare our food from scratch. Sometimes, we would need to resort to processed food. The trick is in choosing which kinds of processed food to incorporate into our meals. For example, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits provide an easy way for us to get the nutrients we need from these food items even when they’re off season.

Myth #3: Toss off all the fat.

For decades, fat has been vilified as the big bad of food. It has been blamed for everything from widening girths to heart disease. The thing is: we need fat. It provides the feeling of satiation when we eat and it helps out bodies absorb other nutrients such as vitamins A, D and E.

Myth #4: Do away with desserts.

Being a sweet tooth, I shy away from diets that compel me to give up desserts. I would reason that by doing so, I would live longer, but would I want to? (Yes, dessert is my reason for being.)

The trick is in choosing which food items go into the sweets we eat: if we opt for healthier versions of the usual decadent ingredients like substituting milk with soy or almond milk or choosing a lower calorie cream are already significant steps you can take to eat healthy.

Myth #5: Skip meals.

It seems so simple, doesn’t it? To lose weight, you need to eat less. To eat less, simply skip a meal. However, doing so may also mean depriving yourself of key nutrients and energy you need to power through your day. (I know I can get cranky when I skip a meal.)

While you won’t have to divest yourself of tasty and mouthwatering food, doing the nitty-gritty of ingredient selection, food preparation and calorie counting can be both time-consuming and difficult.

Luckily, with food delivery services like Fit Food Manila, you won’t have to hassle yourself with these.

Fit Food Manila is whole team dedicated to helping you with your health goals. Its culinary group is manned by a head chef and several cooks who ensure that the food delivered to you is delicious so you won’t feel deprived. Its in-house dietician and nutritionist, on the other hand, calculate the amount of calories you get from different food groups to help your body get the nourishment it needs.

If you think that it’s impossible to achieve nutritious yet mouth-watering meals everyday, then check out this five-day meal plan that Fit Food Manila prepared for me which totals to just 1,500 calories per day.

Day 1:

Breakfast: Philly Cheesesteak (420KCal)

Lunch: Grilled Chicken with Peking Duck Sauce on Red Rice (362 KCal)

Dinner: Paella Negra topped with Seafood (429 KCal)

Snacks: Baked Potato Wedges with Grated Cheese (141 KCal) and Caramel Banana (140 KCal)

Day 2:

Breakfast: Chicken Longganisa with Garlic Brown Rice and Sunny Side Up Egg (443 KCal)

Lunch: Hickory BBQ Fish Fillet on Brown Rice (390 KCal)

Dinner: Malaysian Beef Rendang on Brown Rice (484 KCal)

Snacks: Pad Thai (131 KCal) and Popcorn (90 KCal)

Day 3:

Breakfast: Ube Granola and Chia Seed Oats (392 Kcal)

Lunch: Spicy Chili Beef Strips with Red Rice (393 KCal)

Dinner: Boneless Chicken BBQ with Atchara and Peanut Sauce on Red Rice (443 KCal)

Snacks: Pizza Bread (192 KCal) and Grape Jello (80 KCal)

Day 4:

Breakfast: Mexican Chili con Carne Omelet (402 KCal)

Lunch: Pan-Grilled Chicken with Grilled Pineapple Salsa on Brown Rice (367 KCal)

Dinner: Chicken Strips in Oyster Sauce on Brown Rice (401 KCal)

Snacks: Banana Graham (109 KCal) and Carrot Cake (216 KCal)

Day 5:

Breakfast: BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich (392 KCal)

Lunch: Tokyo Spicy Salmon Salad (384 KCal)

Dinner: Grilled Chicken Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Red Rice (419 KCal)

Snacks: Apple and Cheese Quesadillas (140 KCal) and Cookie Squares (182 KCal)

Fit Food Manila meal plans include three meals and two snacks. These are delivered to you the night before so refrigerate within one hour of delivery to ensure the freshness of the ingredients and heat right before consumption to give the best taste and quality.

Available meal plans include:

Fit Food Original (Php420/day). The original meal plan based on calorie counting that helps in losing weight.

• Php2,100 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
• Php2,500 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
• Php2,900 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Food Plus (Php550/day). The meal plan that’s low in carbs but high in fiber but not as high in fat. This is recommended for individuals who want to maximize weight loss while controlling other issues like blood sugar.

• Php2,750 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
• Php3,050 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
• Php3,350 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Food Keto (Php595/day). The Ketogenic meal plan that limits carbs to around 5-10% of the daily source of energy, limits protein to around 15-20% and gets the rest from healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, eggs, butter, animal fat, and coconut oil, designed to turn the body into a fat-burning machine.

• Php2,975 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
• Php3,225 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
• Php3,725 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Heart (Php600/day). The low sodium and low fat meal plan which will help not just in lowering body weight but also in lowering blood markers like LDL Cholesterol. This meal plan also replaces high fat meat with low fat alternatives.

• Php3,000 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
• Php3,300 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
• Php3,600 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Food Veg (Php470/day). The veg meal plan with no meat, poultry, fish, egg and dairy.

• Php2,350 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
• Php2,725 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
• Php3,100 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Options for 7-day meal plans are also available.

Select your meal plan at fitfoodmanila.com or call +63 917 7240222.