Meal Planning for Beginners

Meal indecision can be tough. Whether you want to improve your eating habits, save time and money, lose weight, or just simplify your life a little bit, meal planning might offer solutions to these problems.

Planning your meals is the perfect way to start your journey to a healthier version of yourself. Changing your lifestyle to a healthier one shouldn’t be too complicated; meal planning is all about creating quick and healthy meals while leaving you more time to focus on things that matter to you.

Food plays a key role in your well-being and one of the many benefits of prepping your meals is that you not only start eating healthier, but you’ll see a positive impact on your overall mood, energy levels, gut health, and more.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Stick to your favorites

While meal planning gives you the chance to try new recipes, sticking to things you already like might be a good start. The first step is to find your favorite recipes and add the ingredients to your grocery list for the week.

Also, don’t forget to include seasonal produce on your list. Remember, you can easily update your list for the vegetables and fruits that are in season.

Take the time

Planning your meals will save you not only money, but in the long run, you’ll save a lot of time. Start by determining your staple products before going grocery shopping. Your staples might be rice, potatoes, chicken, meat, onions, veggies, or pasta. Once you have done that, start writing your shopping checklist, and stick to your list. You’ll spend less time in the store and you’ll have more time for cooking and prepping.

You can turn meal planning from a daunting task to an enjoyable experience by finding what works best for you. Decide on a style that works for you. Some people like to prep food weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Remember, there’s no right answer here!

Invest in buying some food containers

Now that you’ve taken the time to prep your food, what’s next? A common mistake is not investing in good food containers. Food containers can be your new best friend in the process of learning how to meal prep, and they can keep your food fresh longer.

Another benefit of having the right containers is portion control. For example, if your container is too big, your servings will also be too big. A simple solution is to buy containers of different sizes.

Finally, be patient with yourself. Like any other healthy habit, meal prep will require practice and time. If you stick with it, though, meal prep can be your best ally in improving your diet and your lifestyle.

Happy meal prepping!