Have you ever said to yourself after a week of making poor food choices “I’ll start eating healthy on Monday”…
We can all have the best intentions but with busy schedules, life can often get in the way of our healthy eating goals.
If you’re like us, coming home after a long day, the last thing we want to do is think about what on earth to have for dinner. In these moments, ordering takeaway can be extremely tempting. Don’t get us wrong, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying takeaway every now and then but if this happens on the reg then it can start to interfere with health goals.
When it comes getting into good eating habits, particularly during the week, one strategy that works time and again is meal prep.
If you’re not convinced, check out these 5 reasons why you need to add Meal Preparation to your routine today.
From our experience, most people explore the world of meal prep to help them stay on track with their health goals. Meal prepping can help to manage your weight and ensure you’re getting adequate nutrients in your meals e.g. enough protein.
Planning your meals can make the easy option a healthy one. After a tiring day, it can be tempting to pick up or order some fast food on the way home. While there are some healthier takeaway options, most takeaway foods are high in energy, saturated fat and sodium, which can sabotage your healthy eating goals. Knowing you have meals or ingredients ready at home can eliminate this temptation and keep you on track with your wellbeing goals.
One of the best things about meal planning is the amount of time you save. By setting aside 1-2 hours on the weekend to prepare ingredients or meals, you can save countless hours in the kitchen during the week. You’ll have more time to relax, learn something new, or fit in another healthy habit like daily exercise or meditation.
Deciding what you would like to eat in advance can also streamline grocery shopping. Instead of spending time roaming the aisles thinking about what items you may need, you can head to the supermarket with a shopping list and be in and out much more quickly.
Planning and prepping your meals in advance means you will eat out less often, plus you’ll have less food wastage, which helps to save money.
Aside from deciding the types of foods you get to eat, you can also control the amount of food on your plate to best suit your appetite at each meal. This can help reduce food wastage and reduce the likelihood of overeating.
Going grocery shopping with a prepared grocery list can help reduce impulse buying of unnecessary foods that may be thrown away by the end of the week.
It can be stressful when you realise there’s nothing for dinner because you forgot to defrost the chicken or turn on the rice cooker. Having prepared ingredients or meals makes it easier to put together a quick healthy meal and relieve the stress of cooking last minute.
Meal prep can help keep you on track with your healthy eating goals when you are extremely busy. Spending 1-2 hrs deciding and cooking foods you would like to eat during the week can save you time, money, and effort. It can also reduce food wastage and give you more control over your intake.
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