Why Should You Meal Prep?
When I first started nutritionally coaching clients, one of the topics I always hesitated to bring up was meal prep. I realized that the reason for my hesitation was that I personally disliked meal prep and preferred to make nutritional decisions on the fly. But as I started to get further into my nutritional journey, I came to understand that achieving good nutrition requires intentional action, not accidental choices. Without a plan, it's easy to lose focus and become distracted from our goals in the fast-paced world we live in. As a working mom, I hated meal prep and felt like it was a massive waste of time, which made me hesitant to discuss it with my coaching clients. Now I take this issue head on because I recognize the value that meal prep can add to someone's fitness journey. I want to clarify that I'm not saying meal prep is essential for nutrition and fitness, but it is a very useful tool to assist you in your journey. Planning meals ahead of time can save time during the week. Meal prep can be as simple or as complex as we choose to make it, and like everything else, it's a process that can be refined and perfected over time.
The first time I tried meal prepping, I went all in, I bought meal prep containers, created a meal plan, and went to work. I decided to make two different meal prep recipes for lunch and dinner for the week. I spent my whole Sunday in the kitchen prepping meals, then had to turn around and cook dinner for my family. By the end of the day, I was upset that I had spent so much time in the kitchen instead of enjoying the last day of the weekend with my family. To make matters worse, I didn't even enjoy the recipes I made and ended up only sticking to meal prepping for two days. By the third day, I was back to my habit of going out for lunch, and I decided that meal prepping was not for me. It took me years to give meal prepping another shot, and now I'm proud to say that I found tips and tricks that have helped me stick to it, I even meal prep for my husband and kids. Meal prepping has been a huge benefit to my weight loss journey and is something that I choose to do regularly.
4 Benefits to Meal Prepping
Like many others, I didn't think I would have the time, patience or desire to meal prep. However, since I have implemented meal prep into my fitness journey, it has been incredibly beneficial. Here are some benefits I've found from meal prepping:
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Although it may not always seem like it, as I got into meal prepping, I was able to create a routine that not only fit my lifestyle but also saved me time. Like many things in our lives, we must understand that we allow things that are the most important to us to take up our time. I had to come to terms with the fact that meal prep would take some time to develop a routine, but it was worth the struggle. I have developed many tips and tricks that help me save time on meal prep.
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Description text goes herOne of the best tradeoffs I received from meal prepping is the practice of portion control. Many Americans struggle with portion control, especially when trying to lose weight or eat the appropriate amount of food when we are trying to eat in a caloric deficit, meal prep can help us understand it better. We tend to eat based on visual and taste cues rather than listening to our body's signals of satiation. Many of us can remember our parents telling us to eat everything on our plate, so as adults many of us have internalized that idea from those moments as children. However, meal prepping can help us learn that it is more about the quality than the quantity of food on our plates. Planning and preparing meals in advance allow us to make mindful choices and helps us avoid making impulsive choices about our food. This leads me to the next benefit.
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This is closely connected to portion control, As I stated earlier in this article making healthy choices is intentional, not accidental. Planning your meals allows you to manage the amount of food you are eating, making it easier to achieve your macro and micro goals. One of my biggest struggles when transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle was deciding what to eat on my lunch break. Let's face it, eating out almost always presents a challenge, if you do manage to find something that fits your new lifestyle it's often the most expensive item on the menu. This can be a huge factor that persuades you to just give in and eat things that are not conducive to your health and fitness journey. By meal prepping you are planning your meals ahead of time and avoid making last-minute decisions that don't align with your goals.
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There is a huge misconception that eating healthy is expensive. In my experience, I have found this to be untrue. When I meal prep my lunches for work, I spend less money than when I eat out. When nutritionally coaching clients I have found that many people feel that healthy food is expensive because they compare the cost of healthy options to fast food or restaurant meals. Let’s put this into perspective: If you go to Burger King (emphasis on the name Burger King). You can get a burger for much cheaper than a salad. However, when you meal prep you can purchase an already-made salad from the grocery store for 3-5 dollars a bag. When I started Meal prepping, I felt overwhelmed and started to develop a negative outlook on the process. However, along the way I have learned some money-saving tips and tricks.
Put it into Perspective
One of my favorite places for lunch is Chipotle. My go-to order is a veggie bowl with guacamole and corn salsa, which typically costs around 15 to 20 dollars. However, when I go to the grocery store, I can buy a box of organic spring mix for about 5 dollars, organic avocados for 2 to 3 dollars each (sometimes on sale for 2 for 5), a 1-pound bag of dried black beans for 2-3 dollars, and a bag of corn for around 2-3 dollars. I always have onions, garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro on hand for making homemade salsa, which altogether would cost around 10 dollars. This adds up to 26 dollars for multiple meals that can be meal prepped for the week, compared to the 15-20 dollars spent for just one meal at Chipotle. Efficient meal prepping can help save a lot of money.
One essential thing to remember when diving into the meal prep work is that IT IS A PROCESS!!! Finding recipes and a routine that fit your lifestyle takes time and practice. The more I stuck to it I learned there are many tricks and trades to meal prepping and it is okay to make it your own. As you explore your health and fitness journey, your meal-prepping practice will change multiple times based on your current lifestyle and fitness goals. For example, my meal prep changes during the summer months when my children are in school and don't need packed lunches. You can even get your children involved in the process. My little one’s love helping me pack their lunches for the week, especially when I let them choose what to pack. There's no one-size-fits-all process to meal prepping, and while it may be overwhelming at first, it can make a huge difference in your health and fitness journey. You may even grow to love it!
Want to Start Meal Prepping
Struggling with meal prep? Want to make it a part of your routine but feeling lost? As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I take a habit-based approach when helping clients like you tackle meal prep with a system that fits your lifestyle. Say goodbye to the guesswork and let me help you navigate your nutritional journey. To get your first free session click on the Start your journey link to get started .
Meal Prepping
Meal prepping is not essential for health and fitness, but it can be a useful tool to help you get started or stay on track. It's not for everyone, and it's possible to meet your goals without it. However, I've found it to be extremely beneficial for reaching my goals, so I try to make it a habit as much as possible.
I would love to hear from you!
Have you tried meal prepping? if so what struggles did you face?
Please feel free to respond in the comment section below.