Week 7- How to Become a Meal Prep Pro!
| Meal Preparation Defined – Meal prepping is the concept of preparing whole meals or dishes ahead of schedule. Since it requires you to determine what to eat ahead of time, meal prepping may lead to more nutritious meal choices over the long term. |
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| Why You Should Consider Doing It! Whether you’re trying to lose weight, or just improve your diet, meal planning is an easy step to help you reach your goals. There are numerous advantages of planning out your meals in advance that can not only save your waistline, but also improve your health. Meal prepping has been linked to weight loss and obesity prevention as it reports lower odds of being overweight in women and lower odds of obesity in men. It is scientifically linked to a more diverse, higher-quality diet which means it provides nutrients that you likely wouldn’t get otherwise. “With anything in life, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. That applies to meal planning as well. Planning meals and snacks ahead of time increases the chance for success as it increases the likelihood a healthier food choice will be made. The benefits of meal prep extend beyond convenience. It allows for better portion control, reduces food waste, and can lead to more balanced nutrition. Many find that having pre-made meals reduces the temptation to opt for less healthy fast food or takeout options when pressed for time. Whether you’re looking to save time, reduce costs, or manage your dietary goals, meal prep is an adaptable solution that simplifies cooking and maximizes nutrition. |
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| Popular Ways to Meal Prep You may think that cooking meals for the week ahead will consume a big chunk of your weekend. However, because there are various ways to meal prep, you don’t have to stand in the kitchen for an entire Sunday afternoon. Everyone can find a suitable meal preparation style. The most popular ways to meal-prep include: Make-ahead meals: Full meals cooked in advance which can be refrigerated and reheated at mealtimes. This is particularly handy for dinnertime meals. Batch cooking: Making large batches of a specific recipe, then splitting it into individual portions to be frozen and eaten over the next few months. These make for popular warm lunch or dinner options. Individually portioned meals: Preparing fresh meals and portioning them into individual grab-and-go portions to be refrigerated and eaten over the next few days. This is particularly handy for quick lunches. Ready-to-cook ingredients: Prepping the ingredients required for specific meals ahead of time as a way to cut down on cooking time in the kitchen. |
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| Benefits of Meal Planning: LEARN PORTION CONTROL 🧆 Planning your own meals will allow you to see how much you’re actually eating. This also prevents you from overeating at restaurants, which tend to serve a way bigger portion than you should actually be eating. EAT HEALTHY 🍎🍌🍓🥑🥦🥬 When you’re hungry and your blood sugar drops, you’re more inclined to eat whatever you can get the fastest. This is why some of us settle for the closest fast food joint with unhealthy options. Meal planning eliminates this issue when you have a balanced meal at your fingertips, filled with nutrient-dense food prepped and ready to go! Many times unhealthy foods are chosen because of convenience. If we can take the time out to plan meals, write a grocery list and have fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans available, they will become convenient and eaten more often. SAVE TIME ⏲️ Being hungry and realizing you have nothing planned is undoubtedly stressful. Instead of standing in front of your fridge or pantry deciding what to whip up, you can have your healthy meal ready in minutes. This also saves you the hassle of cleaning up after cooking SAVE MONEY 💵 Everyone can agree that saving money is something we all try to do, and meal planning is a great way to help. While you skip out on spending money at restaurants, meal planning also involves buying items in bulk, which can be a huge money saver. Sticking to what’s on the list also avoids impulse buys at the grocery store. AVOID WASTING FOOD When it comes to meal planning, you go to the grocery store with a plan, and know how you’re going to use all of the items. When every food has a purpose, you won’t have to worry about items in your fridge going to waste. |
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| 6 Time-Saving Tips on How to Meal Prep Like a Pro Assembly-Line Your Prep Time: Don’t fix one meal from start to finish and then move to the next one. Complete all the similar tasks together. For example, wash all your veggies at once. Then chop all of them. Then roast them at the same time. Afterward, portion them out and assemble your meals. Repeat Recipes: Make one lunch recipe per week. This way, you can bulk cook all ingredients, portion them out, and finish lunch prep in record time. If only one lunch sounds too monotonous for you, try prepping two lunch recipes and having dinner leftovers one of the days. Sub-in Your Slow-Cooker: Slow or pressure cooker meals are quick to prep and easy to cook. Throw your ingredients into a large freezer bag, chop any fresh toppings, and you’re done prepping dinner in 10 minutes. Prep Smart Snacks: If you know you’ll need a snack in the afternoon, pick grab-and-go options that combine produce and protein. Try having an apple and peanut butter, cottage cheese and berries, or carrots and hummus. Wash, peel, and slice your produce. Put your prepped veggies in a jar of water in the fridge to keep them fresh. Freeze Your Favorites: Which recipes do you and your family love to eat over and over again? When you prep those recipes, prep double and freeze the second batch. Next week, one dinner will be ready for you. Start Small: Meal planning involves a lot of moving parts. If you’re new to meal planning, start with just prepping your lunches and one dinner each week. GIVE IT A TRY AND YOU MIGHT SURPRISE YOURSELF! Meal prepping doesn’t have to be scary. It may take you time to try different approaches before you settle into a routine that’s right for you, but don’t give up too quickly because the benefits are undeniable. Not only could meal prepping be key in helping you achieve your goals, but you never know who you’re going to inspire to make needed changes in their lives as well. |
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| Smart Strategies for a Balanced Thanksgiving Have a game plan… Approach the holidays with a game plan of how to eat and exercise. For example, two days before Thanksgiving, cut back on eating and try to increase your exercise. On Thanksgiving Day, focus on the healthiest foods at the holiday meal and eat those items first. If you’re not satisfied after eating the best choices, only then go back for some of the more decadent treats. This is the easiest way to squeeze out the less-healthy options and empty calories on the menu. For the two days after the holiday, continue to eat lighter or intermittent fast to ensure your weight is stable. Additional tips for day of… Eat Breakfast And have lunch, too, if your holiday meal will be served later in the day. You want to arrive at the Thanksgiving table hungry but not ravenous, which may lead to overeating. Make a Spritzer In addition to providing calories (125 in a 5-ounce glass of wine), there’s some evidence that drinking alcohol stimulates appetite. Plus too much alcohol can lower inhibitions, so you may be more likely to overeat when you’re drinking. Mix half red or white wine and half seltzer in a wine glass, add a slice of lime, and you have a festive drink with half the calories and alcohol content. Another option is to have a glass of sparkling water in between each drink. It will serve as a palate cleanser that will help slow your intake. Consider glass size, too. A study from the U.K. found that today’s larger wine glass size may be a factor in that country’s increased wine consumption. A “drink” is 5 ounces of wine, but that amount looks different in different-sized glasses, and many people pour far more. Lighten Your Recipes Thanksgiving is a great time to serve family recipes like Grandma’s pumpkin pie or your dad’s dinner rolls. Our advice: Don’t mess with your favorite holiday dishes. But do try swapping or adding ingredients to less sacred ones. • Skip the cream. Use Greek yogurt or whole milk instead in mashed potatoes, creamy soups, and creamed onion or spinach recipes. • Reduce the sugar. Cut it back by 10 to 25 percent in baking recipes. You’ll barely taste the difference. • Add some fiber. Replace 25 to 50 percent of the all-purpose flour called for in recipes with whole-wheat flour. Or try half all-purpose, half white whole-wheat flour, a lighter, milder version of the whole grain. If your recipe calls for breadcrumbs or panko, opt for whole wheat. • Upgrade the stuffing. Replace half the white bread with whole wheat, use low-sodium chicken broth, and add extra vegetables, such as carrots, mushrooms, and peppers. • Be sodium savvy. Using the flavors of the season—thyme, sage, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves—will cut the need for salt. Choose low-sodium broths and homemade dressings (which tend to be lower in sodium than many bottled ones). • Boost nutrition. Adding small but mighty nutrition powerhouses can make food healthier and more flavorful. Try pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, or chopped dried apricots in salads, and roasted pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts in stuffing. Concentrate on Your Meal Mindfulness can be the key to maximizing your mealtime pleasure, so pay attention to the flavor and texture of each bite. It will make you appreciate each dish more, but that’s not all. Research shows that eating while distracted can lead you to consume more calories. Take a Walk Between Dinner and Dessert For some families, this is an annual tradition. But it’s more than just a way of bonding with relatives and staying active. We know that satiety can lag somewhat, so if you go straight from the meal to dessert, your brain may not have time to register how full you actually are. And you’ll probably enjoy dessert more if you aren’t completely stuffed. Final Words Crash diets don’t work. If you start a crash diet this week, you’ll gain the weight back, plus some, according to the stats. Crash diets use sketchy methods to make the number on your scale go down, but the pounds you’re losing aren’t the ones you want to ditch. Sure, you’ll drop pounds from water weight, lean muscle, and the food you’re digesting, but your body fat will mostly stick with you. In fact, after a crash diet, your body will hold onto fat more! This is because crash dieting wrecks our metabolism and clicks our bodies into “starvation mode.” It’ll hold onto and store all the calories you give it, like a hoarder prepping for the apocalypse! Meal planning can help you save time, eat healthier, slim down, and much much more… Conclusion Planning your meals EVERY. DAY. becomes exhausting for most people. The last thing you want to do after a long day of work is to think about what to make for dinner. You can reduce stress by avoiding this daily question with meal prepping. Not only will you have a plan, but your meal will be only a few minutes away from hitting your plate! Prepping meals ahead of time may also aid in weight loss thanks to portion control — especially if you are batch cooking. You are in control of the ingredients used and cooking methods, unlike restaurant meals or takeout, you can portion out your meals to meet your personal nutrition needs. The perks of meal prepping go beyond the plate and can seriously impact your life and health. People who meal plan tend to look up meal ideas and even research nutritional facts about potential recipes. If you look up your meal info, you’ll learn as you go and become more informed about your food choices over time. The more you learn about the power of food for energy and nutrition, the more likely you are to stay committed to your healthy meal choices. In addition to the convenience of meal prepping, studies have repeatedly linked healthy meal choices to lower stress, better daily moods, and a positive overall impact on our mental health. Our bodies and minds are just happier when we give them the nutrients they need. Remember: Meal prep isn’t all-or-nothing, and there’s no definitive right or wrong way to do it. Experiment a little to find what works for you, and don’t worry about being perfect. Doing just a few steps in advance can go a long way! |
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| Disclaimer: As always, please consult with a healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise program. The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives. |