If one of your new year’s resolutions is to eat healthy in 2019, that’s great! But where do you start? From misconceptions like equating healthy eating with bland food and unsustainable fad diets, there are numerous factors that make healthy eating seem like a complicated affair. But it doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. Making healthy food choices is all about planning ahead, and that is exactly what meal prep allows you to do. Meal prep—basically planning and preparing your meals ahead of time so you don’t have to do it when you’re busy, starving, or tired—is a fantastic way to keep a healthy diet on track. Here are three ways meal prep can help you eat healthy in 2019 and beyond.
Keep healthy food readily available.
If you want to eat healthily, keep healthy food readily available. A great way to do this is by preparing delicious and healthy meals for the week ahead of time. For many people, the biggest challenge to eating healthy has to do with making last-minute decisions about food: What’s available right now? Not only does meal prep help keep healthy food readily available, but it also helps you save time and money throughout the week. You can also prepare healthy snacks such as fruits, nuts, and granola and keep them in easily accessible and visible places in your home and workplace. That way you reach for the good stuff when you’re ready for a quick lunch or snack.
Eat healthy new recipes every week (or even every day).
If you get bored with what you’re eating, sooner or later you’ll give up. Meal prep doesn’t have to mean making a bunch of the same meal for the whole week. And adding variety doesn’t always mean added prep time. Because meal prep is so popular right now, there are thousands of delicious and healthy meal ideas online. By trying a variety of recipes, meal prep can help you eat healthy without losing interest or getting burnt out. Check out this helpful guide for how to meal prep using the mix and match method.
Have an overall more nutritionally balanced diet.
Proper nutrition is important for all of us. When done right, meal prepping can be one of the easiest ways to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet. With meal prepping, you can weigh and measure your portions. This can help you keep tabs on exactly what you’re eating, and that makes tracking calories or other nutrients easier. Plus, you control the ingredients and can make sure your calories are coming from mostly nutrient-dense whole foods. Knowing you spent time prepping nutrient-packed ingredients makes grabbing unhealthy takeout far less enticing.
Eat healthy in 2019 by prepping your food.
There are many reasons why meal prep is one of the best practices to reach your healthy eating goal. The benefits of meal prep range from reduced cost and time spent, to lower stress levels and more success eating healthy. Having a plan and food on hand will prevent you from making poor, hunger-based decisions when they arise and can cut down on the amount you are eating out. Taking control of your diet and the foods you’re eating is one of the best ways to make sure you achieve your goal to eat healthy in 2019. If you want to improve your health this year, contact Dedication Health today. Our concierge doctors in Chicago can help you achieve your healthy New Year’s resolutions. Call Dedication Health at 847-986-6770.