It is the first month of the year and you have promised yourself to be healthier this year. Additionally, a well constructed meal-prep plan is a great way to improve your health. If you know what macro and micronutrients you need to achieve your goals, you will start to see results. However, meal preparation can be difficult if you do not know where to start. Here are some tips for your meal preparation and how you can make your lunches a lot easier.
Start Small
If you have never created a meal preparation plan before, keep it small. It is going to be a habit for as long as you like. Nonetheless, you need to ease your way into it so you do not put yourself off. It is a bit like the gym. You start going to the gym nearly every day of the week, it will soon feel like a chore. However, if you go a few times a week, that is when you are going to enjoy it more.
The same goes with your meal preparation. You do not need to cook a lot of lunches. Start with the first half of the week as your meal-prep then the second half of the week with sandwiches. As soon as you notice it is easy to prepare for the weekend. You can then prepare meals for later on in the week.
Consider The Different Food Groups
When eating your meals throughout the week, you need to ensure that you get all of your food groups. It includes your carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables, dairy and others. If you have a good split for your meal preparation, you are well on your way to consuming a healthy diet during the week.
Depending on your health goals, you need some foods more than others. If you are limiting your calories to lose weight and become more toned, your meal needs to contain a lot more protein.
You also need to have a good selection of fruit and vegetables in your diet. Again, if your health goal is to lose weight, you want to reduce the number of carbohydrates you have.
Organisation is Key
The organisation is essential with anything if you want to see results. Ensure that you have got all of your ingredients for your meals. Another factor is having the correct containers for your meal preparation. If you are going to be cooking something with a sauce, you need to ensure that you have tightly sealed containers.
Finally, you need to ensure that you have the correct kitchen utensils. There is no right or wrong answer for organising how you meal-prep. Nonetheless, you need to have a method that works for you and makes your meal preparation easier.
Purchase Good Quality Food Containers
Food containers are one of the most important things for your meal preparation. We don’t mean the cheap plastic containers that you get from takeaways. We mean containers that are either glass or plastic with a rubber seal. The reason for this is to make sure that it doesn’t leak out of your box.
With your containers, you want to make sure that they are safe for the microwave and dishwasher safe. You will likely be putting these containers in the freezer so make sure they will be suitable for that. Finally, have a variety of different sizes. You will likely be cooking different foods that will require other portion sizes.
Have a Variety of Herbs and Spices
If you want to make sure that you are enjoying your meal prep, you need to make sure you have plenty of flavour with your food. One way to do this is by adding savoury sauces to your food. Herbs and spices are something else that you should be adding to your dishes. Herbs and spices don’t cost a lot in calories and they make a big difference in flavour for a meal. Finally, herbs and spices are inexpensive so they won’t break the bank.
To Conclude
Meal preparation is one of the best things that you can do to make sure you are living a healthier lifestyle. Whether you are looking to gain weight or lose weight. Meal preparation is one of the most important things to do if you want to see results.
Many people believe that meal preparation is expensive, however it is the opposite. Not only will you start seeing results in regards to your health. You will also notice that you are saving money in your bank account.