Seasonal changes always tend to be a little bumpy. Be it what to wear or what to eat, it is hard to remember what worked last year. Spring, as we transition from long dark winter to brighter days, can feel particularly jarring.

From a diet-culture view this is also the time that “spring detoxes” start to gain steam. Diet culture is predictable; it capitalizes on these moments of uncertainty to make us collectively feel bad about our bodies and worried about our health.

But we aren't doing that here. Instead of a "cleanse," let's talk about a refresh.

Gentle Nutrition, Mental HealthAmber HansonMarch 16, 2026meal planning

How to Meal Plan Without the Burnout: A Gentle Nutrition Guide

This post was first written in 2021, but my view on meal planning has evolved since then. Through my own recovery from rigid, orthorexic eating patterns and my work as a clinician, helping others find confidence in food without restriction, I’ve learned that a “perfect” plan is often the enemy of a sustainable one.

I still contend there are as many ways to meal plan as there are meals in a week. The key is finding what works for you.

The single biggest factor in long-term health isn't a specific diet but rather eating a wide variety of foods consistently. To do that without losing your mind, you need a system—not a set of rules.

Gentle Nutrition, Mental Health, Intuitive EatingAmber HansonMarch 10, 2026meal planning

How to End Daily Dinner Decision Fatigue with Flexible Meal Planning

Whether you are single and cooking feels like a hassle for just one person, or a parent fielding a million questions a day (why do we have eyebrows?) along with alllllll the household food opinions, we’ve all been there: staring into the fridge, too tired to think, too hungry to wait (bonus points for a toddler in meltdown).

And that is just dinner. It is easy to feel resentful of the fact that we need to eat so many damn times each day.

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