Meal Prep by Aliza Beer, MS RD

Health & F tness

The Marvelous Merits of Meal Prep

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

With busy schedules and a host of obligations, maintaining a well-balanced diet can be difficult. Meal preparation is a great way to be in control of the foods you are eating, and it will help make feeding you and your family much easier. The best part about it is that there is no one-way approach. Instead, meal prep allows you the flexibility to prepare meals in a way that works for you and your schedule.

Meal prep can range from making your lunch the night before, cooking certain foods in batches, or pre-cooking all your food and portioning out for the week. Some people either prepare the different components of their meals, others prepare the entire meal and even prepare the week’s meals in advance. There are so many benefits of meal prep; incorporating it into your life will have a significant impact on the quality of meals you are consuming.

The Benefits of Meal Prep

1. You will save time: If you’re cooking once or twice a week, you’ll save a lot of time than if you cooked dinner every night. If you set aside an hour or two to prepare and cook foods at the beginning of the week, you’ll only have to spend minutes (as opposed to hours) either reheating the food or using it to make a quick dish. When you don’t have to spend a half-hour or hour making dinner each night, you will have more time to enjoy doing the things you love. 2. You will save money: Today, Americans are spending much more money at restaurants than they are at groceries. When you meal prep, you can buy foods in bulk, freeze extra food for later, and spend less money eating out. It also becomes easier to price out your food in advance when you cook once or twice a week because you aren’t buying foods here and there.

Oftentimes, the grocery store can get overwhelming, and you walk out with food you may not end up using. When preparing meals in advance, approach the supermarket shop with a list, buy only what you need for the week and what fits in your weekly or monthly plan. This will save a lot of money because you won’t be throwing out spoiled foods or buying foods you won’t use. You’ll also avoid making impulse food buying throughout the week, which can be very expensive. 3. You’ll eat healthier: When preparing meals ahead of time, you learn to eat when it is time to eat instead of making poor, hunger-based decisions. Eating home-cooked meals is usually much healthier than eating foods from a restaurant where meals are filled with added sugar, oil, and calories. You know exactly what is in your food, and you’ll avoid added chemicals and processed foods. 4. Self-control: It can be very difficult to have self-control when there is a fast-food meal that can be picked up in five minutes or there’s a bag of chips you can grab. It is difficult to start cooking a well-balanced meal when there are quicker, easier, and usually unhealthier alternatives around. However, when you prepare food and meals in advance, it will become much easier to make the healthier choice. If all you have to do is reheat the meal sitting in your fridge, you will save many internal battles with yourself whether or not to just order in or eat a snack. You’ll be more in control of your food choices and notice how much easier it will be to make the healthier choice. 5. Less stress: How many times do we come home from a long day of work and feel the stress associated with making dinner? With meal prep, you’ll come home knowing you have food that either just needs to be reheated or needs to be turned into a dish in under 5 minutes. You won’t have to try to figure out what to make for dinner each night. You’ll also have a lot fewer pots and pans to clean than if you were cooking every night. During the week, you’ll only have to wash the storage containers and some eating utensils. 6. Eat more variety: If you spend some time planning out your meal prep, you’ll notice how much variety you can have. Instead of putting chicken and vegetables in the oven every night after a long day of work, you can make multiple dishes out of the foods you prepared at the beginning of the week. It will become simple to choose from different food categories and you will be able to incorporate different spices, grains, vegetables, and forms of protein. For example, if you make a big batch of assorted roasted vegetables at the beginning of the week, make a power bowl for dinner one night and use it to make a stir fry the next night. 7. Portion control: If you have trouble managing portion sizes, then food prep your meals in pre-portioned containers – you will be less likely to overeat. Portion control helps people maintain a healthy weight or lose a few pounds.

Meal prep doesn’t have to be boring. You can always add different flavors each night to the foods you prepared. There are many different ways to use meal prep to ensure you are eating a well-balanced diet. Batch cooking can be one way to prepare foods all at once, pre-portion them, and eat them throughout the week or month.

You can prepare vegetable soups by cooking them one day when you

have some time to do the preparation. Once the soup cools, spoon the soup into either individual containers for one-serving meals or larger containers if serving a family. Make a brothbased soup with lots of different vegetables so that it is easier to eat more vegetables and fiber throughout the week. Vegetable soups are very filling and can be a great compact meal with a side of protein.

Similarly, you can make several tins of seasoned chicken over vegetables (like a sheet pan dinner) and freeze them before cooking. This is a smart way to ensure a healthy meal because you can thaw the chicken throughout the day and put it in the oven an hour before you are ready to eat.

Another good idea is to chop up your favorite vegetables such as peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, carrots, and mushrooms and store them in individual air-tight containers in your fridge. Throughout the week, you can use the pre-chopped vegetables for salads or stir-fries or roast them in the oven to ensure a trouble-free meal. If you prepare at the beginning of the week, you can save a lot of time each day. Even making dressings or pre-washing lettuce early in the week can be very time-efficient.

Label the containers you place in your fridge or freezer so everything stays organized. You can keep a running list of foods you put in your freezer so you always know exactly what you have.

Cook proteins at the beginning of the week or whenever you have time, and make sure you are including lean proteins in your diet. Grill chicken cutlets, bake salmon fillets and make hardboiled eggs so you can repurpose them throughout the week and ensure variety. If you prefer your protein cooked fresh, you can prepare marinated chicken in individual plastic bags and freeze them until you are ready to serve them. This can also be done with fish as you can spice fillets and place them in the freezer. Raw fish can be in the freezer for up to 3 months and poultry can be kept in the freezer for 6-9 months.

Rice and quinoa store well and can be easily reheated in the oven or microwave. Cook your favorite grains and either eat them plain or use them in your cooking later in the week. Rice can take 45 minutes to make so if you prepare it and store it in the refrigerator, it will save you time during the week.

Discuss with your family what types of foods and meals they like and begin a weekly or monthly calendar to plan out your meals and preparation. It is important to start small when you begin to meal prep. Aim to prepare and cook enough food for 2-3 days and see how it is going. You can always make modifications that fit with your lifestyle. Start preparing the foods that take the longest to cook like grains, proteins, and roasted vegetables so you are using your time efficiently. While food is on the stove or oven, chop your fruits and vegetables and prepare any dressings or sauces.

Your diet, just like your meal prep, is personal. And what works for one doesn’t always work for everyone. Meal prep is flexible and can be tweaked to fit your needs. Having clean prepared foods or meals can ensure you are eating a wholesome diet and aren’t relying on takeout throughout the week. It saves time, saves money, ensures you are less stressed, and helps you make healthier food choices. With some thought-out planning and organization, you and your family can be eating delicious and nutritious meals all week long.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer