In todays post we will find out about the benefits of meal prep. Meanwhile meal prepping became something very popular. You can see it anywhere in the socials but also while scrolling through the books on Amazon for example.
Meal prep is often associated with saved time. To be honest, for us as family dads this benefit has probably been the reason why we started to conquer the topic. Inbetween our journey we found out: THERE IS SO MUCH MORE!
Before diving deeper into the 13 benefits of meal prep we would like to shortly define, what our understand of meal prep is.
What is Meal Prep about?
Meal prep is a simple concept that can make your life much easier. It involves preparing meals or ingredients ahead of time so that you can quickly and easily put together healthy and delicious meals throughout the week.
One of the key benefits of meal prep is that it can save you time – as I already mentioned. By spending a few hours on the weekend or another day of the week, you can prepare a variety of meals and ingredients that can be used throughout the week. It is perfect for people who are busy for whatever reason (family, job, studies, etc.)
Beside saving time there is much more to come. For example the meal prepping will help you to eat healthier, but also handle the portion control. This can be the point in your life, where everything changes and turns into the right direction, when you struggle with your health, weight and time before.
Deep Dive into the Benefits of Meal Prep
Meal prep is about preparing your meals in advance and take care about what goes into your meals – shortly described.
From this definition we will now jump into the 13 benefits of meal prep in detail. Let’s go!
Benefits of Meal Prep: #1 Meal Prep Reduces Stress
One of the biggest benefits of meal prepping is that it reduces the stress of cooking last minute.
Have you ever experienced a busy day, maybe without short breaks to have a proper meal, coming home and opening the fridge, where nothing is in? Or maybe it is filled, but you need to invest at least 30 minutes to prepare your meal?
Good, what a mess. Especially when you on a weight loss journey or a healthy lifestyle to improve a special area of your life as an athlethe.
When you have your meals planned out and prepped in advance, you won’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat for the day. This can help reduce stress and anxiety, making your day much more enjoyable.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #2 Portion control
Meal prepping can also help with portion control. People usually tend to eat snacks while prepping their food, when they are hungry.
So they are not only taking in their prepared meal but also everything snack around. This fastly adds up to a huge meal, where they double the amount of calories they wanted to eat.
When you plan out your meals in advance, you can ensure that you’re eating the right amount of food for your body. This can help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid overeating.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #3 Can Reduce Temptation
We wanted to point this in out, as it has nothing to do with portion control. Portion control is about the amount of what you eat. Temptation is more about the quality of food you eat.
Taking the example of coming home late without a proper meal during the day. Of course we know, what would be healthy. But there is always the thought to ring the delivery service – and probably eat something, which is not very supportive for your lifestyle.
Reducing temptation especially at the end of the day is something, which is essential for you. We are limited on the decision we are actively making per day. After we conquered the peak of it during a busy day, our decisions will always tend to the comfortable alternative. This would be to give in the temptation and call the delivery service.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #4 Avoid impulsive Food Decision Making
Again something pretty similar as mentioned before. In our understand there is more to define. As already mentioned before at the end of the day our decisions usually tend to the comfortable alternative.
Meal prepping prevents you from impulsive food decision making meaning you are not prepare the meal, you are used to. Maybe there is still a benefit of not calling the delivery service.
But it goes by the moment you decide the cook another unhealthy meal you are used to. We are usually good in prepare a special food style. It is not taking much time, so we tend to some of those meals. Are those meals healthy and supportive? Typically not. Meal prepping in advance will prevent you from those decisions.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #5 Reduces food wastage
You remember the last time you were craving for something to eat? Your stomach told you about the size of your hunger and in the end you overeat yourself.
Before turning yourself completely down you stopped and eating. What to do with the rest now? In most cases the rest is thrown away.
Therefore meal prepping can help reduce food wastage. When you plan out your meals in advance, you can buy only what you need and use all of the ingredients that you buy.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #6 Saves Definitely Money
It is like everywhere in life: When you plan your meals out with a focus on a healthy and supportive lifestyle, there will be nothing left after dinner.
Meal prepping is also buying you ingredients on a bigger scale, but using everything of it. There are no leftovers and therefore you are saving your earned money.
When you plan out your meals in advance, you can buy ingredients in bulk and take advantage of sales and discounts. This can help you save money on your grocery bill.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #7 Saves Your Time
This benefit is pretty clear and does not come out of the magic. It is like standardizing your meal prepping.
When you have your meals prepped in advance, you won’t have to spend time cooking and cleaning up every day.
This can give you more time to focus on other things that are important to you. Note that we don’t want you to to rush through prepping and also take you the joy of cooking.
Instead of prepping your meal everyday within 30-45 minutes, you are now investing like 45-60 of cooking your meals for the week. Afterwards you should take your time to prepare the portion and store them.
About the math: 7 x 30 minutes = 3,5 hours of usual cooking versus 1 x 90 minutes for meal prepping. It saved you 2 hours of your week.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #8 Improve cooking skills
We usually tend – like said before – to cook, what we are experienced in. Especially as a smaller household there is often the questions of “Do I am cooking only for myself today?”
A huge benefit of meal prep is the portion you are preparing. You are not only for one day, but up to seven. Therefore the meal is for 7 portions, which makes it is easy to explore new recipes and improve your cooking skills.
Additionally when you plan out your meals in advance, you can experiment with new techniques. This can help you become a better cook and enjoy your meals even more.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #9 Better Nutritious Meal Choices
Meal prepping can also help you make better nutritious meal choices. When you plan out your meals in advance, you can ensure that you’re getting all of the nutrients that your body needs. This can help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid health problems.
Oftentimes people are in a diet and think after several days: “I have come here. I sticked to it, so now it is time to reward myself with one special meal”. Whops, of they are.
Meal prepping will prevent you from making those choices.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #10 Supports healthy habits
What you put into your body will be the base for you strength. If the meals are not supportive, your overall power will decline. Maybe you will not recognize it the first week, but over the time small issues will appear in and influence your life.
When you have your meals prepped in advance, you’re more likely to stick to your healthy eating plan and avoid unhealthy food choices.
It is that easy! Plan it out and the chance of getting off track is ways smaller.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #11 Use of healthy ingredients
As mentioned before our body needs special ingredients on a daily basis. Like protein, vitamins and much more you are forced to take about them with every meal.
Prepping your meal in advance will make you think about these micros and macros once or maybe twice a week. Not every day!
What is the outcome? You are eating healthier, your nutrition becomes more different and healthy and you are still saving time. When we were not able to convince you about the benefits of meal prepping, what is now?
Benefits of Meal Prep: #12 Eating healthier
For some of you this might double with #10. But it is not. By taking care about the ingredients you make sure your nutrition becomes healthier. This will support your lifestyle.
BUT, generally eating healthiers come a bit later. We are usually sticking to the things around us. Eating highly processed foods adds up to a pretty unhealthy nutrition after a while.
On the opposite: Using healthy ingredients will shift your focus to healthy foods over the time. You will explore new recipes, new foods trying to stick to your fresh and healthy ingredients. This will make you eating healthier in the long run.
Benefits of Meal Prep: #13 Helps to Focus (more)
Meal prepping can also help you focus. When you have your meals prepped in advance, you won’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat for the day. This can help you focus on other things that are important to you.
Overall, meal prepping is a great way to save time, money, and reduce stress in your life. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight, improve your cooking skills, and make better nutritious meal choices.
Steps to Effective Meal Prep
Meal prep is a great way to save time and ensure that you are eating healthy meals throughout the week. Here are some steps to help you get started with effective meal prep:
Planning Your Meals
The first step in effective meal prep is planning your meals. This involves deciding what meals you will eat for the week and what ingredients you will need. You can use a meal planning app or a simple pen and paper to plan your meals. When planning your meals, keep in mind your dietary goals, such as weight loss or healthy eating.
One great tip is to plan your meals around ingredients that can be used in multiple dishes. For example, if you plan to make a large batch of roasted vegetables, you can use them in salads, omelets, or as a side dish throughout the week.
Batch Cooking
Batch cooking is an essential part of meal prep. This involves cooking large batches of food that can be used throughout the week. You can cook grains, such as rice or quinoa, proteins, such as chicken or tofu, and vegetables in large quantities.
One great tip is to use a slow cooker or Instant Pot to cook large batches of food. These appliances make it easy to cook large quantities of food with minimal effort. You can also use sheet pans to roast vegetables or proteins in the oven.
Easy Meal Prep
To make meal prep easier, consider using pre-cut vegetables, pre-cooked grains, and pre-cooked proteins. These items can be found in most grocery stores and can save you a lot of time in the kitchen.
Another great tip is to use meal prep containers to store your food. These containers are designed to keep your food fresh and can be easily reheated in the microwave or oven.
Healthy Meal Prep
When meal prepping, it’s important to focus on healthy ingredients. This means using whole grains, lean proteins, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. You can also use healthy fats, such as olive oil or avocado, to add flavor to your meals.
One great tip is to make your own salad dressings and sauces. This way, you can control the ingredients and avoid added sugars and preservatives.
Weight Loss
If your goal is weight loss, meal prep can be a great tool. By planning and preparing your meals in advance, you can avoid unhealthy takeout and fast food options.
One great tip is to focus on portion control. Use a food scale or measuring cups to ensure that you are eating the correct portion sizes. You can also use smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less.
Meal Prep Ideas for Weight Loss
If you’re looking to lose weight, meal prepping can be a great way to stay on track with your healthy eating goals.
By preparing your meals in advance, you can control your portion sizes and ensure that you’re eating healthy, nutrient-dense foods.
When it comes to meal prep for weight loss, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, you’ll want to focus on foods that are high in protein and fiber, as these nutrients can help keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day.
Second, you’ll want to choose foods that are low in calories and fat, as these can contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess.
Here are a few meal prep ideas for weight loss to get you started:
- Grilled Chicken and Vegetables: Grill up some chicken breasts and a variety of vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, and onions. Portion out the chicken and veggies into separate containers and enjoy throughout the week.
- Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili: Brown some ground turkey in a pot, then add in diced sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, and spices. Let the chili simmer for a while, then portion it out into containers for a hearty, filling meal.
- Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables: Cook up some quinoa and roast a variety of vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. Toss the quinoa and veggies together with a simple vinaigrette for a nutritious, flavorful salad.
- Egg and Veggie Breakfast Burritos: Scramble some eggs with a variety of veggies, such as spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Wrap the eggs and veggies up in a whole wheat tortilla for a satisfying breakfast on the go.
- Greek Yogurt and Fruit Parfaits: Layer Greek yogurt with your favorite fruits, such as berries and sliced bananas, in a jar for a healthy, protein-packed snack.
These are just a few meal prep ideas for weight loss to get you started. Remember to focus on nutrient-dense foods that are high in protein and fiber, and keep your portion sizes in check to stay on track with your weight loss goals.
Our Personal Benefits of Meal Prep
Writing all those benefits down in this order, talking about it and remembering how everything started turns us very thankful. Sometimes we are not able to see the small changes and it is important to remind yourself of them.
As dads our schedules are pretty busy. Beside our jobs we are trying to handle everything for the kids. Kindergarden, school, soccer, tennis, friends and a lot more. Additionally there are our wifes being on the same level and fight in life.
Those experiences had led to todays post here. And we are very grateful for those experiences. We are able to handle our job. We care about the kids and are trying to make everything possible. We still got time for our wifes and lifes as a married couple. And after all we still have some hobbies to go after.
This all comes with a body feeling quite healthy. As Andy Frisella says: “Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal”. Also we are married, also we got kids, also we are hard working WE STILL WANT TO BE DESIREABLE.
Of course this is not only based on meal prep, but prepping our meals in advance came with huge benefits for us. So why are you not giving it a try? We are the best examples of why everyone is able to make it.
