In today’s fast-paced world, finding time to cook healthy meals, stick to a diet or make sure we don’t overindulge in calories is challenging.

Let’s be honest, juggling work, family, and personal commitments  can be hard, so meal prepping with this sort of lifestyle can be a game-changer. Meal prepping not only reduces the cognitive load of working out what to eat daily, it also saves time, reduces food waste, and supports your health goals.

In this article, we’ll cover some core areas of why meal prepping is essential for busy lifestyles, how it keeps you on track, and our top 5 ways to simplify the meal planning process.

Why Meal Prep – It Saves Time (and Money)

The biggest (and probably the most obvious) benefit of meal prepping is that it’s a huge time and money saver.

By having a strategy and planning your meals, what you eat can almost be set on autopilot, reducing the daily stress of deciding to consume for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

It also reduces the likelihood of impulse eating (or spending), which is often spent on unhealthy takeout meals or last-minute grocery trips (with snacks you may not even need).

When we’re buying ingredients for meal prep, we also know what we’re spending and eating that week, and our budget is a little more stable.

Meal Prepping Keeps You on Track

The biggest challenge of starting a fitness routine or meal plan is sticking to it, and meal prepping drastically increases your likelihood of following through.

Studies also show that simply practicing the art of meal planning could lead to healthier diets and less obesity [1].

Whether it's meal planning for weight loss or simply just trying to eat a more balanced diet, having pre-prepared meals or snacks sets you up for success.

We’re also less likely to be tempted by unhealthy fast food, better control the amount we eat, and often feel better and more motivated to continue with our goals.

Top 5 Ways to Meal Prep (And Make It Easy)

The elephant in the room though is that for some, meal prepping can be overwhelming. What do you buy? When do you do it? It can be challenging. Here is our top 5 strategies to make meal planning more enjoyable and easier to incorporate into a busy schedule.

Pick a Day To Do It

You need to start somewhere, so picking a day dedicated to prepping your meals is the first start. Sundays are usually the most popular choice, as it’s often the day before the week of chaos, but any day that fits in your schedule works.

On your meal prep day, set aside a couple of hours to prepare your meals for the week. You may even choose to do your shopping on this day so you have everything you need to get started.

Keep It Simple (Don’t Complicate It)

Sticking to simple, easy meal prep recipes is the way to go, ignore the 9-ingredient decadent protein granola bars for now.

 Focus on meals and snacks with few ingredients, these will be faster and easier to prepare, and put much less of a dent in your budget.

For your snacks, think of Yoghurt Pots/Bowls or Overnight Protein Oats, which can be prepped and stored in the fridge. You can also make Adult Sized Snack Boxes with healthy snacks like this one.

For your meals, think simple such as this Smoky Chicken, Greens and Roast Vegetables recipe, or stir-fries that can be made in bulk – like this one (you can even swap out the protein source).

These are just some examples, but any meal you can cook in bulk and store in containers is best, and look for recipes that are super simple.

Focus on Your Protein First

When going through the meal prepping process, it’s always good to have protein top-of-mind. Protein is the foundation of most meals, and cooking it in bulk makes meal prep more efficient.

Having adequate protein also keeps us satiated, and may better support weight loss and overall weight management [2].

Not sure how much protein to consume – We recommend reading this article.

Whether it’s chicken, beef or tofu, having a protein source ready meals you can pair it easily with some rice, mixed vegetables or a healthy salad.

Don’t Go All Out (Start Small)

Often meal prepping can be attributed to developing a new habit, and when we try to do everything at once from the get go, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.

Source: James Clear

If we start small, we’re more likely to succeed, so just prepping snacks from the beginning can be a great start towards forming the habit of meal planning.

Some other small changes you could do include:

·         Big Batch Dinners – Simply cooking your dinners in larger portions meals lunches for next day is covered- See one pot recipes.

·         Pre-Cut and Pre-Wash – Chop your veggies and pre wash your greens in advance, which saves time when time is tight assembling meals.

·         Improve Your Area of Weakness – Focusing on an area you struggle with when it comes to healthy eating can be a great start. This could be moments of the day when you get hungry, and having healthy snacks available to satiate your urge to eat.

Conclusion

Meal prepping doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming or difficult. Having the right strategies and open-minded approach allows it to become easier to integrate into your busy daily routine.

Whether it’s supporting your weight loss goals or just eating healthy, meal prepping helps save time, money and stay on track with your goals. By utilising our top tips (and starting small if needed) you can start meal prepping as soon as today, and start smashing through your diet and fitness goals!

References

1. Ducrot, P., Méjean, C., Aroumougame, V., Ibanez, G., Allès, B., Kesse-Guyot, E., Hercberg, S. and Péneau, S. (2017). Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, [online] 14(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0461-7.
2. Martens, E.A.P. and Westerterp-Plantenga, M.S. (2013). Protein diets, body weight loss and weight maintenance. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, p.1. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/mco.0000000000000006.

Authors: 
Teigen Faux, Exercise Physiologist (Honours) for Scientific Accuracy