A lot of people struggle to make healthy dietary choices, particularly when they’re trying to put a plan together last minute. In fact, over 20 percent of American adults struggle to eat a vegetable daily. And nearly 40 percent don’t eat fruit daily.
So, how do you plan for meal prep success?
Let’s go through the top healthy meal prep ideas you need to get on the right track.
Try a Meal Plan
Meal plans are a great help for many people. That way, you’ll know exactly what you need to make and buy – no indecision!
You can take a look at this getting fit meal plan. Or, look into other options that suit your dietary needs.
Schedule Some Time
To succeed at healthy meal prep, you need to ensure that you have enough time to prep your meals every week. If you pick the right meals, you should be able to do this once a week.
A lot of people use Sunday as their meal prep day, but you can work around your own schedule. Make sure you set aside at least a couple of hours, particularly if you plan to prep for every single meal (rather than just lunch or dinner).
Find Good Recipes
It’s important not to get tired of your healthy meal prep options. So, collect a wide range of delicious recipes, so you can mix things up.
If you’re meal prepping for the rest of your family, things can get a little more complicated. Children, especially younger children, tend to get picky. So, think about foods your children tend to like, and try and adapt them to be healthier.
When you’re making macaroni and cheese, for example, you may want to switch to whole grain noodles. You can add in vegetables so that your kids are still enticed by an old favorite.
Adding in hidden vegetables is a great idea for most meal prep. For soups and stews, you can add in some blended spinach, and in a lot of cases, you won’t even be able to taste the difference.
Have a Theme
People who get tired of eating the same things day in and day out need ways to mix things up. So, creating a theme for each week’s meal prep can help get you excited about the cooking process and psyched for each meal.
You can base your theme around different cuisines – like Chinese food or Mexican food. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try regions you haven’t heard of before.
You can also base your themes around particular foods. You can choose foods that are in season, which can also be a cost-saving measure. Or, you can choose foods based on what vitamins you’re trying to add to your diet.
Try Out These Healthy Meal Prep Ideas Today
Do any of these healthy meal prep ideas appeal to you? If not, there are lots of other options out there.
Are you searching for more advice? Some of our other health and wellness articles may be helpful to you.