Five Reasons You Should Meal Prep

Posted: Jul 12 in Health And Wellness, Nutrition by Dr. Lazarus

It can be hard to live a healthy lifestyle when your schedule is packed. It is much easier to stop by the drive-thru to pick up some fast food for dinner after a long day at work. Instead of ordering takeout again, consider meal prepping. Here are five reasons you should begin meal prep:

It is a Money Saver

When you know exactly what you will eat during the week, grocery shopping will be quick and not as expensive. You do not need to spend extra time wandering the aisles, buying foods that are not good for you, and increasing your grocery bill. Plus, when you have meals ready to eat, you are less likely to spend money on takeout. 

It Saves You Time

The main time commitment will be preparing your meals at the beginning of the week. Depending on the number of meals and the complexity of the recipes, it might take a few hours. However, you will spend very little time cooking for the rest of the week. For example, if you prepare a casserole for dinner a few days in advance, all you will need to do the night you eat is put it in the oven. No more chopping up vegetables or measuring ingredients after a stressful day in the office. 

It Promotes Weight Loss

You can meal prep according to your dietary needs. Most recipes can be stored in the fridge for a few days while putting meals in the freezer saves them for a longer period of time. When some or all of your meals are ready to eat, you are less likely to eat over your calorie limit. Meal prep also helps you use portion control better since you are cooking multiple meals at once. 

It Gives You More Variety

Some people think that meal prep means that you eat the same thing every day. That is not the case! It is easy to change recipes to give you more variety during the week. For example, you might plan to meal prep chicken and vegetables for your lunch this week. Instead of eating the same meal every day, separate your chicken into daily portions, and season them with different spices. For the vegetables, roast different types for each day. You can also eat your chicken on top of fresh greens for a yummy salad. Meal prep does not have to be boring. 

It Produces Less Food Waste

Food waste can be common if you are cooking meals at the last minute. You run out to the store to get an ingredient you suddenly need, possibly getting too much of it. With meal prep, you know exactly what you need when you go to the store. You have less food going off and rotting because it is used quickly in your meals. 

Meal prepping is healthy and economical. It also saves you a lot of time and stress during the week when you do not feel like cooking food. Try meal prepping out by preparing one meal for each day, such as a snack or breakfast. If it works out for you, you can easily expand to more meals as well as preparing for others.