Meal prep is when you plan and prepare meals ahead of time so there are healthy dishes on hand when needed. 

Meal prep helps with weight loss for a number of reasons:

• Knowing what you have planned for each meal takes away the stress of trying to decide on what to eat in the moment. This is especially helpful if you are busy, tired or stressed because in these states it can be hard to focus on choosing healthy options. But if there are options available to you, there is no need to use energy deciding on, and preparing a healthy meal. 
• It can help reduce food wastage. If you plan for meals ahead of time it means you can account for the different foods you have at home, and use them before they become out of date. 
• It can save money. Eating out is more expensive than preparing meals at home. If you have meal prepped ahead of time, there is no need to spend extra money buying food out of home. Not only that but the reduced food wastage as mentioned above will cut down on the costs associated with wasted food. 
• It can lead to more nutritious choices. Since you will be deciding what to eat ahead of time you can choose healthier options to make.
• It can save time. Instead of spending 30 minutes - 1 hour each day making meals for the day, you can prepare bulk meals in one go during the week. 

Meal planning can feel like a big task, especially if you are newer to cooking. But it’s a skill that overall will help you save time, money and help with weight loss. 

Here are 5 tips to help make meal prep easier!

1. Start small

Starting a meal planning habit is no different than making any other positive change in your life. Start small and slowly build up confidence to make sure your new habit feels sustainable.

If you have never meal prepped before it might feel overwhelming thinking about making all your meals for the entire week. Instead, start by planning your meals for the following two, or just planning breakfast for the week. 

2. Meal prep ingredients, not meals

Starting a meal planning habit is no different than making any other positive change in your life. Start small and slowly build up confidence to make sure your new habit feels sustainable.

If you have never meal prepped before it might feel overwhelming thinking about making all your meals for the entire week. Instead, start by planning your meals for the following two, or just planning breakfast for the week. 

A simple way to meal prep is simply preparing different foods, and then use them in different meals during the week.

For example, you might prepare:

• Roasted chicken
• Roasted vegetables
• Bolognese sauce
• Dry slaw

From these ingredients you can make many different meals. You could use the chicken in a sandwich, in a soup, on a salad with the dry slaw or with the roasted vegetables. You could use the bolognaise sauce with pasta, in a jacket potato or in burritos. 

3. Plan simple meals

While some people enjoy trying new recipes, others may find it time consuming and overwhelming. One way to plan meals is to use this simple checklist:

1. Choose your protein. This might be salmon, egg, tofu, tempeh, lamb, beef or paneer.
2. Now choose which vegetables you’ll have with your protein. This could be roasted, boiled or raw vegetables, a salad or even a vegetable soup.
3. Next, choose which complex carbohydrates you will have. If you are following a lower-carb diet, simply choose a lower-carb option here. This might be pasta, beans, baked potato, a medium bread roll or rice. Lower carb options could be cauliflower rice, mashed cauliflower, zucchini noodles or low carb wraps.
4. Finally, make sure your meal contains some kind of healthy fat. This could be the Extra Virgin Olive Oil the vegetables are cooked in, a tahini dressing or dollop of guacamole. 

Using this formula will ensure your meals are nutritious, balanced and filling. 

4. Use frozen foods

Not only are frozen foods often cheaper and just as nutritious, they are also prepared for you. 

Fruits and vegetables are picked and flash frozen while they are ripe. Freezing retains the nutrients found in the produce, meaning the vitamins and minerals are not degraded in the same way fresh produce can be. 

Use frozen cauliflower to quickly make cauliflower mash, or frozen broccoli and peas mixed into pasta.

5. Use kitchen gadgets

While some kitchen gadgets can be an expensive waste of time, there are certainly many that can help speed up meal prep. 

• Food processor - Grind, chop, mince, puree, shred, grate, mix, blend, slice and knead
• Slow cooker - Makes bulk meals easily
• Pressure cooker - Shortens cooking time
• Mandolin - Slices, dices, and cuts
• Hand blender - Purees, chops and blends

Find what gadgets will work best for you, your budget and lifestyle. 

Manage your weight with Rosemary Health 

The doctors and dietitians at Rosemary Health have significant experience helping people to lose weight and keep it off. They are committed to supporting you throughout your weight loss journey – from the moment you first consider losing weight through to helping you maintain a healthy weight in the long term.

Our doctor-guided weight loss program takes a comprehensive medical approach to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Arrange to speak with one of our professionals here.