Son, Uni Y2, in a house share, has decided he needs to up his game re food.
He has both the Nosh books, but I doubt he's read them.
He's 5'8, 9 I guess but thin as a streak of pump water 😂. Never had a huge appetite, never ate us out of house and home; not at all sporty but 40 min walk to/fro uni.
He feels puny and wants to bulk up.... he thinks he needs 'calories'. This is what I said to him:
"Eat what you’re comfortable with in terms of amount. Don’t worry about calories, worry about quality.
The long and short of it is you need to plan. It’s good to have 5 go-to simple recipes. These will need a certain amount of fresh ingredients and some store cupboard staples. Most meals should have a protein base: meat (say mince, chicken breasts); fish (salmon, flaked trout, canned sardines); eggs; cheese; beans. A block of cheddar keeps for ages. Then think carbs like spuds, rice (in packets if you like, or those new, trendy grains ones), pasta, gnocchi (bought dry, like pasta, not from the fridge area) also keeps for ages. Think veg. Packets of frozen peas, sweetcorn are go to’s. Carrots are easy to prepare (pre sliced go off quicker).
Have snacks like unsalted mixed nuts to hand. High in cals, good for you. Have a bag of apples in the fridge. And a pot or 2 of yogurt. A banana is a good, quick breakfast.
Basically, have a rethink. Organisation and planning is key. Actually read the nosh books. Be aware they expect you to make everything from scratch, but the odd jar of ready made pasta sauce won’t hurt, especially augmented with mushrooms and red peppers (fry them up a bit first).
Hope that helps! Adulting food does seem very daunting at first, but, not being patronising, baby steps. Plan the next 3 nights’ food. See what you need to buy, and do a shop. If Spoons 🙄 gets in the way, spread your food over 4 nights."
........ can I add more? Be more specific? More prescriptive?
But he's not about to become a gym bunny!