Why Meal Planning And Preparation Is Important

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Whether you want to lose weight, bulk up or do some serious shredding, meal planning and preparation is of major importance and goes hand in hand with the effectiveness of your exercise.

Amidst our busy lives, it’s not uncommon to take the easy route and opt for fast food, microwave meals and other dishes that just don’t make the cut in terms of nutritional value, your health and what your body goal is. Whether you want to lose weight, bulk up or do some serious shredding, meal planning and preparation is of major importance and goes hand in hand with the effectiveness of your exercise. In this post, we take an in-depth looking at what meal planning and preparation actually involves, the benefits of both and provide you with delicious options from which to choose from why not try one of our healthy meal plans for a week?

WHAT IS MEAL PLANNING AND PREPARATION?

MEAL PLANNING:

Determining which foods will help you reach your body goal, working out portion sizes for the week and shopping for those ingredients.

MEAL PREPARATION:

The fun part. Creating your delicious meals for the week and storing them in containers within the freezer.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MEAL PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Meal Planning and Preparation is essential for various reasons, such as:

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

We all know how busy our lives can get, and as we’ve mentioned, this limits the food types we consume, filling us with fat, calories and salt intake that can be quite damaging, what your body really needs is a balanced diet menu that gives you the precise calorific value and portion your body requires.

Diabetes, obesity, heart attacks and strokes are just a few of the negative consequences of a poor diet. Therefore, setting aside an hour or two once a week to prepare your week’s food not only ensures variety, but will help you control urges for that fast food treat because you’ll already have a delicious meal waiting for you at home. It also means food is one less thing you need to worry about within your hectic schedule.

THE PORTION PLAN

Not only does planning ensure variety, but also portion control. If you are sticking to a strict diet, you can cater for the number of carbohydrates, fat, protein, calories and dairy you intake on a daily and weekly basis, ensuring you don’t go over your allowance. This balanced diet meal plan will keep you on track, helping you create precise portions time and time again.

If you’re unsure where to start, keep a meal journal of the foods you like to eat, do some research into the best foods for your desired body-type and find common ground.

What Are The Benefits Of Meal Planning And Preparation?

There are many advantages of Weekly Meal Planning and Preparation, including:

YOU SAVE MONEY

It’s an obvious point, but trading in meals out and junk food for raw ingredients is always a cheaper and healthier option, not only because you can set yourself a budget, but precise planning ensures you don’t overbuy food that would otherwise be wasted.

Once you get used to your healthy food meal plan, you can buy food in bulk, garnering further savings.

STRESS REDUCED

Your physical health will be improved, but your mental health can also feel the benefits. Having a healthy eating plan and a dedicated weekly slot to prepare your meals will help add regularly to your week, instead of that constant irritating feeling a few hours after your last dish that you now have yet another meal to make. This not only saves you time but once you’ve created that initial plan, meals practically take care of themselves.

VARIETY AND CLARITY

Because you’ll be planning a week’s worth of meals, you’re more likely to choose a range of food types such as salmon, chicken, tofu and salad than the same dish over and over again. Otherwise, that would get boring and repetitive fast, wouldn’t it? Variety gives you the nutritional value you need, not to mention a tastier experience, and clarity about what other foods you could incorporate into your diet.

IT’S FLEXIBLE

You don’t have to eat Monday’s chicken and rice if you fancy Thursday’s salmon and potatoes. Mix it up. The food will keep those few extra days.

OUR QUICK TIPS FOR MEAL PREPARATION AND PLANNING

BODY BUILDING DIET:

As you’re looking to strengthen and build muscle mass, protein rich foods, such as salmon, cod, rump steak and quinoa can make all the difference.

Why not try our ‘Grilled Organic Veg Burger’, ‘Smoked Cod’, ‘Rump Steak’ and ‘Salmon Feast’ for body-building boosting beauties.

Weight Loss Meal Plan:

Losing weight while toning muscles can be aided by tuna, eggs, beef and wraps full of vegetable goodness.

Why not try our ‘Tuna’ and ‘Lean Beef Meatballs’ for scrumptious shredding dishes.

Healthy Meal Plans For Weight Loss:

A difficult task made delicious with tuna salads, mackerel, brown rice and luscious fruits such as bananas, pineapples and strawberries.

Why not try our ‘Piri Piri Mackerel’ for a tasty treat.

We can also prepare meals based on your specific diet goals, macronutrients and any individual dietary requirements.

Has any of our great meals tempted you? Click HERE to discover our full range.

Why Meal Planning and Preparation Is Important?