10 Benefits of Meal Prepping
We’ve all seen them - the photos of countertops covered in food containers, colorful and perfectly portioned meals inside. Meal prepping has become a popular way of planning and preparing meals.
It can be as simple as writing out a menu before grocery shopping each week, or as involved as preparing your weeks’ worth of meals in one or two days. Either way you choose to meal prep, there are benefits that make the extra time worth it.
Here are the top 10 benefits to meal prepping and using a meal prep delivery service like Pure Plates:
1. Save time during the week
By front-loading your personal meal prep on the weekends or using a meal prep delivery service, you can save hours during your week that would have otherwise been spent prepping, cooking, and washing dishes. How much time during the week do you spend thinking about food, worrying about what to eat, cooking, or waiting on delivery orders? Using meal prep delivery services help you save even more time during the week - all you have to do is place your order online and wait for the meals to show up on your door stop. You can save time by having as many pre-prepared meals and snacks as you need or want.
2. Eat more healthy meals
One of the main appeals of meal prep is that if you prep healthy meals, you’ll eat healthy meals. By prepping healthy meals, you are guaranteed to have a nourishing and nutritious meal waiting for you, and won’t need to depend on vending machines or ordering food that is likely to be higher in calories, saturated fats, and sodium. Pure Plates makes all of their meal prep delivery options healthy, with local, in-season ingredients and without preservatives, added sugars, and excess sodium. Balanced prepped meals that include lean proteins, healthy carbohydrates and fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables are a great way to make sure you’re eating healthy all week long.
3. Takes the guesswork out of eating
Meal prepping helps take the guesswork out of eating because you plan and prepare your menu ahead of time. There are different ways to meal prep, so you can cater your prep to your needs - use the same ingredients to make different dishes, or enjoy your favorite dishes every day. Either way, you aren’t left wondering “what do I want today?” - you already have healthy, ready to eat options waiting for you!
4. Weight management
Many people use meal prep for weight loss and management. It’s also a popular method amongst the fitness community, as meal prep allows you to keep your calories and macronutrients in the range you need to meet your personal goals. And you can even stick with your goals using a meal prep delivery - Pure Plates allows you to tailor your meals according to your calorie and dietary needs, whether you’re keto, diabetic, looking to gain muscle, or want to lose some weight!
5. Save money
Meal prepping helps save money in a number of ways. For instance, by planning your menu ahead of visiting the grocery store, you’re less likely to make frivolous purchases. By buying only what you need for your meal prep, you’ll spend less money in the long run. You’ll also save money by avoiding unnecessary trips to the vending machine at work, or ordering in.
6. Quicker and fewer grocery trips
The average shopper spends about 60 hours per year in the grocery store. By coming up with a meal prep plan ahead of time, you can shave those hours down by knowing exactly what you’re looking for in the store. You can also avoid extra shopping trips during the week by getting what you need on the first trip, and avoiding the feeling of “dang, I forgot to get tomatoes!”
7. Prevent food waste
How many times have you thrown out fruits or vegetables because you simply couldn’t get to them in time? Food waste is a major problem in the United States, and can be remedied by food prep and food prep delivery! Prepping meals means using up what you buy before it can go bad, and finding creative ways to use different ingredients! Pure Plates helps alleviate food waste by delivering fresh, local produce on your schedule, so you never have to worry about buying ingredients you won’t get to use!
8. Prevent food boredom
Meal prepping can help you avoid eating the same every day by giving you the power to design exciting and tasty menus that you look forward to eating. Meal prep delivery services like Pure Plates allow you to customize your menu and pick from their assortment of meals and snacks, so you don’t have to eat the same pasta dish every single night for dinner.
9. Eat seasonally
Eating in-season means eating produce that is fresher, tastier, and often more nutritious than out-of-season foods that traveled long distances to reach your grocery store shelves. Meal prepping allows you to enjoy more seasonal produce because you can design your menus around what is readily available at the moment. Pure Plates sources products in-season whenever possible, too, so your meal prep delivery also lets you enjoy seasonal favorites and their added nutrition!
10. Save your energy
Cooking can be exhausting for a number of reasons, and after a long day it's the last thing many of us want to do. Having prepped meals ready to go can save precious energy when you’re sick, super busy, or just don’t feel like taking the time to cook.
Meal prepping is what you make it, and meal prep delivery services take the convenience and benefits of meal prepping a step farther by allowing you to pick your meals, set back and relax, and enjoy healthy, nourishing meals designed to meet your goals with Pure Plates.