8 Reasons to Adopt Meal Planning in 2018

The world is fast evolving into 24-hour economies. In fact, with our busy lifestyle, making meals at home has become a thing of the past. The long commutes, due to traffic and having to manage both office work and home, can be challenging. Additionally, the presence of convenience stores and fast food restaurants opening up on every corner has made it easy to eat outside. The result is more and more people are making poor food choices. The good news is that this can be reduced by meal planning in advance.

Having a plan makes it easy to follow through with your commitment to healthy living, because it removes the need to make a decision. Not to mention, indecisiveness derails your progress by a huge percentage.

Here are eight reasons why you should plan your meals in advance.

Saves you money

When you plan your meals, it is easy to make a grocery shopping list from the plan. Having a shopping plan will prevent you from impulse buying random unhealthy food when you go to the store.¹ Who knows: you may get discount prices in some stores by buying in bulk.

It also saves you money that you would have used to order costly last minute takeout.² In addition, there’s less spoilage of groceries, since you have track of what you have in the house, and wouldn’t buy extra that would go bad in the fridge. There’s also less chance to discard pre-planned meals, unlike groceries that may go bad because you forgot about them in the pantry.³

Lastly, having healthy meals also saves the money you would use for hospital visits caused by unhealthy lifestyle.³ Use the savings to treat yourself to a spa treatment or save up for end year vacation.

Saves your priceless time

Your time is precious. It can’t be retrieved. A few decisions, once a week, eliminates the need to make a decision later, and a wrong choice for that matter.³Having a grocery shopping list saves you time when you go for shopping, instead of going shelf to shelf trying to remember what you don’t have in the house or deciding what to have for dinner.¹

Having a weekly or monthly meal plan made up makes it easy to just shop once in a week or two, rather than daily. Furthermore, once you buy the groceries, you can prepare some food in advance that you will just need to warm up and store in the fridge. Imagine making a week’s meal using the same time you would make a single meal.

For instance, freeze-dried berries and fruits make a quick breakfast on the go. Similarly, freeze dried veggies and beans can be prepared quickly after a long day at work. In fact, you would just need to rehydrate the freeze-dried fruits and veggies, and voila! your salad is ready.

Prepare two or three meals during the weekend and have them when you get at home, when you’re tired from work. It helps to split up food into serving portions that would be enough for your family.²Freeze meatballs, marinated chicken, soups, and reheat them when you need a quick meal.

Helps you to make healthy food choices

If you decide what to eat at the last minute, chances are that you’ll choose to eat out. Buying food gives you power to control your caloric and sodium intakes since your not in control of the ingredients.²Having a plan puts in mind the right food combinations when you’re not pushed by hunger and tiredness to choose an unhealthy meal. Moreover, when you plan your meals at the beginning of the week, it is easier to have a healthy meal available.

Meal planning eases your burden, especially if you are going to have a busy week ahead. You won’t need to drop into a convenience store to pick a bag of fries or a burger.¹ Furthermore, when you shop while hungry, you’ll most probably pick junk food.²It helps to build your willpower to follow through with what you have set out to do. You can follow your meal plan and stay on track to getting the body you always wanted.³

Better nutrition for you and your family

Home-cooked meals are always nutrient dense and have fewer calories, salt, and fat compared to takeout or ready-made food.¹You’re in control of all the ingredients, including spices. In fact, they also have fewer additives and preservatives. You can even buy organic food that is most nutritious.²Planning your meals on time helps you to plan for well-balanced meals throughout the week or month. Likewise, you get to choose a variety of foods.¹

Again, you cater to your individual nutritional needs. For a hypertensive person, they can take a low sodium diet and a diabetic low glycemic diet. Better food choices will reduce the chance of your craving junk foods like cakes and cookies.²

There’s less chance to have cheat meals

While it is okay to have can cheat meal once in a while, lack of a meal planning compels you have more cheat days. This becomes a habit and can make you gain weight. When you plan your meals, there’s a high chance that you’ll stick to the plan and commit to it.

Reduces the chance to overeat

Good news if you want to lose weight. Having proportioned meals in advance reduces the opportunity to overeat.² When all you have to do is reach out to the fridge and get your pre-packed meal and heat it up, emotions are thrown out of the window, and you cannot control your choice of food or how much you should eat. You eat what’s in there – no more, no less.³

Reduces stomach issues

Bloating, acidity, and other digestive issues can be caused when you have untimely meals, when you don’t plan in advance. Excessive periods of hunger may result in a lot of acids produced in the stomach. Plan your meals in advance and reduce the chances of getting bloated or having acidity.¹

Gives you peace of mind

Imagine not having to wonder what to prepare for dinner. I know that thought plagues your mind throughout the day – from balancing your sanity at work, to rushing to school to pick your kids, to running to the store at midnight just because you realized a crucial ingredient is missing.

You don’t need to wonder what to cook for dinner after a tiring day at work. Save yourself the stress and have a meal plan. After all, you can reuse a week’s meal plan and even use the same grocery list. Just start with a week’s plan or a two; this is enough to have all the variety for you and your family.²

At first, it will seem tedious to sit down and write down what to eat, especially if you’re a person who lives by the one day at a time rule. In light of all the benefits above, take this crucial step, make your meal plan, and forget making food choices based on emotions and convenience. Don’t forget to check out our freeze dried fruits and veggies. They’ll surely fit into your meal plan and save you time and money.