Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health and Fitness

This one simple healthy food trick may get you to eat better more often

Make eating healthy easier

Brittney Bertagna, RN
By
Three meals in glass containers
Ella Olsson / Pexels

Struggling to consistently eat healthy food? Meal prepping, a tried-and-true method, can significantly elevate your commitment to healthy eating. It not only allows you to eat better but also aids in saving money and precious time.

Person holding a pen and filling in a worksheet
Yaroslav Shuraev / Pexels

What is meal prepping?

Meal prep is the art of preparing your meals in advance, which is great for eating healthy. The process of washing, chopping, cooking, and storing your favorite nutritious dishes requires a certain amount of planning. Preparing your meals ahead of time simplifies your daily routine, allowing you to make wholesome food choices consistently.

Recommended Videos

It’s important to keep in mind that most prepared meals require reheating and may require slightly different cooking instructions. In addition, proper food storage is crucial to avoiding illness or spoilage of healthy food. A quality set of storage containers can ensure your food is stored safely and properly. It’s important to label your containers with the date and type of food it contains.

Related

Additionally, the key to success lies in planning your meals meticulously to guarantee a balanced and nutritious diet. If you’re new to the concept of meal preparation, check out this blog post to get you started on your journey to cooking healthy meals at home efficiently, saving both time and money.

Meals stored in mason jars.
Ella Olsson / Pexels

What are the benefits of meal prep for healthy eating?

There are countless advantages to adopting meal prep in your routine, especially if your goal is to eat healthy. Having your meals ready to go allows you to significantly reduce the time required to nourish your body with quality food. With a delectable, pre-prepared meal awaiting you in the refrigerator, the temptation of takeout becomes a distant memory.

In an era of rising food costs, meal prep provides an excellent strategy for budget-conscious individuals. Planning your meals in advance empowers you to compile a well-considered grocery list, minimizing impulse purchases and saving money. Not only does this method reduce your overall time spent in the kitchen, but it also simplifies the cleanup process as you are cooking less often.

Vegetables chopped on a cutting board
Ksenia Chernaya / Pexels

Healthy meal prep ideas for eating well

Prepping a week’s worth of healthy food doesn’t have to be boring or stressful. Here are a few tips to help the process go a little smoother. 

Cook in batches

Cooking large batches of meals at once can help you save time and money. Freeze leftovers for a quick, healthy meal on another day. 

For example, you can prepare a large batch of soup on Sunday and freeze individual portions for later in the week. This means that you don’t have to cook every day, and you always have a quick and healthy meal ready at any time.

Cook from scratch

This may be intimidating for some who are just starting out in the kitchen, but when it comes to your health and taste buds, cooking from scratch is always the best option. It ensures that you know exactly what goes into your food and that it’s free of additives and preservatives. Plus, it’s a great way to save money.

For example, you could make your own hummus from scratch with chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and other seasonings. This is much healthier and cheaper than buying pre-made hummus at the store. Additionally, it takes no more time to make your own hummus than it does to buy it, so you save time and money.

Overall, meal prepping is an excellent way to save time, money, and energy while still eating healthy. By planning ahead and cooking in batches, you can ensure that you always have nutritious and delicious food on hand, no matter how busy your schedule is.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Brittney Bertagna, RN
Brittney Bertagna, RN
Brittney is a graduate of California State University, Chico, where she completed a Bachelor's degree in Business. Her…
The surprising health benefits of cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper can do more than just add kick to your meals
Cut open cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper is a type of chili pepper, often known for its spicy flavor used to add heat and kick to various foods. This specific type of pepper from a cayenne pepper plant has similarities to other nightshades, such as eggplants and tomatoes. Many recipes use cayenne pepper in its powdered form as a spice, however, the pepper in whole form is naturally long and skinny, usually between 10 to 25 cm in length.

While you may have thought of cayenne pepper as only an element to add spice to your meals, it turns out this powerful pepper offers lots of health benefits, too. But why is cayenne pepper good for you? Let's dive in to find out.

Read more
Snow is falling: These 7 workouts will get you ready for skiing and snowboarding in no time
Toning up will prevent injuries. Trust us, we know
A man skis on a clear run, with mountains and trees behind him.

As winter approaches and the snow starts to fall, skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts eagerly await the chance to hit the slopes. But before you strap on your skis or snowboard, you've got to prepare your body for the physical demands of these exhilarating winter sports. Don't worry! We'll guide you through a comprehensive eight-week exercise plan with ski workouts designed to get you in peak condition for skiing and snowboarding.

Fitness goals of ski training
Skiing and snowboarding require a unique set of physical attributes, including strength, balance, and endurance. To ensure you have a safe and enjoyable experience on the mountain, let's delve into each of these fitness goals.
Increasing strength
Skiing and snowboarding rely heavily on leg and core strength. Building strength in these areas will help you maintain control and stability while navigating the slopes. That's why you need to incorporate exercises into your routine to target these muscle groups effectively.
Improving balance
Balance is a key component of these popular winter sports, as you'll constantly need to adjust your position to stay upright on varying terrains. Poor balance can result in more falls, possible injuries, and a pretty unpleasant time on the slopes. Balance-focused exercises will help you develop the stability required for success and safety before you head to the ski lifts.
Building endurance
A day on the slopes is not for the faint of heart. Endurance is crucial for enjoying a full weekend (or even a full day) of skiing or snowboarding without getting fatigued or feeling muscle weakness too quickly. There are excellent workouts that work well at enhancing your cardiovascular endurance, ensuring you have the stamina to make the most of your time on the mountain.

Read more
The benefits of cinnamon, and why you should be eating more of it
Cinnamon tastes great, but there are a ton of health benefits, too
Ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks

Unfortunately, the foods that are really good for you are not often considered the most delicious. On the other hand, the foods that we consider to be the tastiest are often loaded with sugar and fat. While very few people would argue against the fact that broccoli has a preferable nutritional profile compared to Oreo cookies, there are still foods out there that taste great and provide many perks. There are numerous benefits of cinnamon, for example.
Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious foods that are packed with health benefits, including spices and seasonings like garlic, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. We often think of cinnamon as simply a flavorful accent to sweets like apple pie, spice cookies, and oatmeal, but cinnamon does more than just bring a scrumptious taste and aroma to your food. Keep reading to learn about the benefits of cinnamon.

What is cinnamon?
Cinnamon is a culinary spice made from the inner bark of cinnamon trees. After the cinnamon trees are cut down, the inner bark is harvested by stripping off the outer bark. The inner bark is then dried. As it dries, the bark curls into "cinnamon sticks," which are rolls of the inner bark. Cinnamon sticks are used to flavor things like tea and mulled cider and then removed before eating. Ground cinnamon is made by crushing and grinding the cinnamon sticks.

Read more