How meal prep can help you eat healthier

From being less reliant on processed food to knowing what exactly is going into every meal, there are many health benefits of meal prep. We asked a registered dietitian how to get started.

We’ve all been there. Staring aimlessly into the fridge wondering what to eat for dinner, only to end up snacking instead. It happens to the best of us. But a little bit of time spent creating a meal plan before the week begins can help.

What is meal prep?

“Meal prep has many different definitions,” says Alexandra Beaulieu-Gagnon, a registered dietitian from Cook It. “It might be getting ready for the meal immediately ahead. It could also be getting organized on a Sunday afternoon for that week’s dinners. It might even be menu planning.”

It’s a general term, she explains, for lots of steps or smaller actions. Some examples include:

• Cutting up veggies for the week. (This will save you time when cooking dinner on a weeknight)
• Baking muffins for snacks during the week
• Writing out a menu plan with a few ideas for the following week’s meals

What’s the most important thing to remember when it comes to how to make a meal plan? According to Beaulieu-Gagnon, flexibility is key.

“It’s just meant to help keep you organized,” she says. “It’s great to have a menu plan with some ideas in advance. But try to be flexible for unexpected things that come up.”

The benefits of meal prep

“You can control what’s in your food,” Beaulieu-Gagnon says right away when asked why meal prep is important to eating well. “Being able to cook for yourself allows you to eat more fresh, non-processed food. You know where everything is coming from. You can control how much salt or sugar goes in.”

Meal prep also gives you the skills to be a better cook, she explains. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. By cooking more frequently, she says, you’ll be able to improve your skills. This will mean you’ll be less reliant on often unhealthy ready-to-eat meals.

Not only is meal prep healthy for your eating habits, it can also be healthy on your wallet. Beaulieu-Gagnon pointed out that in the long run, you can save money by cooking your own food. You can also make big batches of food at once. This can provide leftovers for a couple of days, meaning you can save time later in the week as well.

How to get started

1. Make a calendar

Think about the week ahead, and then decide how many meals you may need to prep. This may include breakfasts, lunches, dinner and snacks. It may include just a few of those. You may also decide to use a meal delivery service like Cook It a couple days a week.

The amount of meal prep you may want to do depends on the individual.

“Look at it as a guide rather than a strict rule,” Beaulieu-Gagnon says. “Be prepared, but also flexible. Life happens, and stuff comes up. That’s totally normal.”

2. Decide what you want to eat

Once you’ve decided how many meals you need, it’s time to decide what you want to eat. If you’re new to cooking, Beaulieu-Gagnon suggests a trip down memory lane may be a great way to begin.

“Start by experimenting with a few recipes you remember from your childhood,” Beaulieu-Gagnon says. “Maybe it’s the spaghetti your mom made. If you’re new to cooking it may be tough to cook new recipes out of nowhere. So use your favourite memories of food as inspiration.”

Get started with healthy, easy recipes. Many recipes only use just one pot or one baking tray. Some include this spaghetti primavera or this sausage paella.

3. Make a grocery list

After deciding on your recipes, go to the grocery store with a list. This can help you save money and time, and also reduce ‘impulse’ purchases.

You might also find it helpful to buy a few pantry items to keep on hand.

“Get some healthy, non-perishable items like pasta and beans,” Beaulieu-Gagnon says. “This helps fill the gaps on days when you haven’t been able to make a plan.”

4. Decide how much to prep ahead, and find ways to be efficient

‘People think that meal prep means you have to do every single thing in advance,” says Beaulieu-Gagnon. “But really, even a couple small things still count. It could be something as simple as cooking some quinoa in advance, or chopping a few veggies.”

Beaulieu-Gagnon shared a few tricks on some ways to make time spent in the kitchen more efficient.

“Making pasta for dinner? Boil more noodles and make a pasta salad for tomorrow’s lunch at the same time,” she suggests. “One cup or four cups of pasta takes the same time to cook.”

Another idea: A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store can be dinner for one night. The leftovers can create a chicken salad or wrap for lunch the next day.

Meal prep, then enjoy your free time

She may be registered dietitian. But even Beaulieu-Gagnon admits that she doesn’t want to spend her whole day cooking. And, she says, neither should you.

“You don’t want to spend your whole life cooking,” she told me as our conversation was coming to a close. “You want to enjoy your time with your family. Figure out what works for you and how you can optimize the time you spend in the kitchen. This way, you have more time back to focus on the things you really want to do, like spending time with the people you care about.”

Originally published on Lumino Health