Food Prep Makes Eating Healthy Easier

Even though we all know a healthy diet is good for us, many people struggle with sticking to a nutritious diet. Common perceived challenges we face when trying to start a change in lifestyle include increased costs, increase time commitment, and increased research and experimentation.

The solution to these obstacles is simple.

Food Prep!

Here is a quick guide to help you get started.

First, you need to plan out a handful of meals you can eat over a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Planning now will save you lots of time over the week and eliminate the opportunity for a bad decision if you must make a choice. Try to create meals that focus on a balanced combination of proteins, vegetables, fruits, and grains. Eating healthy is about balancing what you eat, not rationing what you eat. Decide on a flexible breakfast option, 3 meals you can substitute between lunch and dinner, and 2 snacks to fill the gaps between meals. Simpler is better at the start.

Second, it is time to shop. It might seem like eating healthy costs more, but this is not true. You can buy basic ingredients to combine yourself to make healthy meals and save money. Try to focus on buying produce that is in season, buying items you can use in multiple meals, and don’t over-buy. You are just throwing money away when food spoils on you. You can also buy frozen vegetables and fruits to save even more money and prep time. As you shop through the rest of the store, try to move past the processed foods. Stick to the edges and avoid the middle as much as possible. Focus on basic ingredients when searching for meats, grains, and dairy. If you make a basic list and stick to it, you have a good chance of noticing a drop in your overall bill.

Third, you need to put it all together. Food prepping will be most effective if you do it all at once. This means take a few hours on a weekend to save time during the week. As you build your meals, make sure to balance the food portions. This requires a kitchen scale or at least measuring cups. Add a cooked protein, fresh or frozen vegetables, and a cooked grain. Mix and match these three elements to create your chosen different lunches and dinners. Feel free to add some simple seasoning to these items but be wary of the processed sauces you might be tempted to use. Once all the meals are made, place a few in the fridge and store the rest in the freezer for later in the week. You can repeat this process with the snacks and breakfast, or just prep the ingredients for each and build them quickly when you need them during the week.

These helpful tips should be a great stepping stone towards learning how to prepare healthy food in an easy and inexpensive manner.

Enjoy the journey to a healthier life.

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