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It can be sometimes confusing when it comes to Meal Prep. However, keeping it simple and working out what works for you will ultimately ensure that you will nail meal prep like a boss. The team here at Meal Prep Australia have come together with a simple 5 step process that is super easy to follow. You can print out this informative poster and place on your pantry door or simply keep for inspiration. As always, if you have any questions don't hesitate to leave them below or email us: info@mealprepaustralia.com.au - HAPPY MEAL PREPPPING!   It is the one vegetable that everyone’s is talking about when it comes to meal prep. It is the one that has shine through as the number 1 vegetable to have in your diet to get you from average to a fitness success. So what is all the fuss about when it comes to Sweet Potato and Meal Prepping? Let's discover. Slow digesting is the number 1 reason. Once you eat sweet potato it manages to make you feel fuller for longer and therefore prevents you eating unnecessary foods. What a winner. The other advantages that the sweet potato contains is being able to stabilize blood glucose levels, being a rich source of vitamin A, B and C plus also having manganese, cooper and pantothenic acid as well. I bet know you are asking yourself is Sweet Potatoes healthier than white potatoes? When it comes to carbohydrates they do have the same amount however Sweet Potatoes have more fibre than white. Trust the orange next time you are at the fruit and vegetable aisle. Now, let’s start making this special root vegetable into a yummy meal that is tasty but also healthy. Check out this delicious sweet potato recipe, ‘spicy chicken and sweet potato meal prep magic’. Don’t forget to stick to our Mea Prepping 101 – Guidelines as well when creating this evening meal.   One you’ve become an official meal prepper, there’ really no turning back. However, it can take a little while for you to get into the habit of meal prepping. If you need an extra motivational boost - especially for the new year - then here are some steps that you must follow in order to make meal prepping a regular, integral part of your daily life.
But before we dig into the most effective ways of making meal prepping a part of your routine, let’s remind ourselves why we would want to in the first place. Meal prepping has been proven time and time again to be one of the most effective ways to monitor and control your diet - all while getting the nutrition and appropriate balance of fats, carbs and protein. 5 Top Benefits of Meal Prepping 1. Portion Control No more eating chips straight out of the bag, or not measuring out your food before you eat it. Food prepping allows you to eat a balanced, healthy diet (and yes - you can indulge every once in awhile!) without getting out of control with your portions. 2. Easy to Do Meal prepping is easy once you get the hang of it. While it may be hard to adapt to reheating your meals after you’ve cooked them, once you do adopt this healthy lifestyle habit it’s bound to stick with you. 3. It’s an “anti-diet” Meal prepping is not to be thought of as a “diet”. It’s not something that should be used just to lose excessive amounts of weight. While weight loss can be a prerogative of yours, you can also meal prep and count calories in order to gain muscle, or simply maintain you weight. Meal prepping is not so much a “diet” as it is a change in the way you structure your meals. 4. Meal prepping makes cooking a breeze The thing about meal prepping, is that it’s super easy to do and you are able to store your food in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer indefinitely. While it may be a bit of a struggle at first to not cook your meals every breakfast, lunch and dinner, it can and should be done in the interest of time. How to Incorporate Meal Prepping Into Your Life As January turns into February, and winter changes to spring changes to summer and so on, don’t let your motivation fall. Meal prepping will help you stay on track and keep you motivated so you can achieve your ideal body. Especially if you follow these methods: Science Backed Ways to Develop Habit Forming Skills This is crucial to your success. You want to develop the best habits possible so that you automatically carry out various tasks that are beneficial to you. Meal prepping is one of those tasks that should do your body lots of good. However, developing a habit is often easier said than done, and it takes a conscious effort on your part. But, it can be done. Here’s how to develop a new habit according to an interview with Charles Duhigg from NPR: “It turns out that every habit starts with a psychological pattern called a "habit loop," which is a three-part process. First, there's a cue, or trigger, that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and let a behavior unfold. Then there's the routine, which is the behavior itself," Duhigg tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "That's what we think about when we think about habits." The third step, he says, is the reward: something that your brain likes that helps it remember the "habit loop" in the future.” There you have it. Forming a habit is as easy as: 1. Creating a trigger. 2. Enacting the desired behavior. 3. Rewarding yourself. It’s that simple. How do you apply this to your meal prepping efforts? There are a variety of cues that you can use to signal your brain not to cook each individual meal and instead eat the food you have stored in the fridge. As an example, you could: ● Move your pots, pans and other cooking ware ● Place your meal prep containers right in the very front of your fridge ● Set a reminder on your alarm clock: “Eat your meal prep food!” ● Get creative. What other trigger can you set in place? From there, for the routine forming part of it (step 2), that part is easy: simply eat. Whether you reheat your meal prep food in a conventional oven, on the stovetop, or in the microwave, or eat it cold, you want to make sure the food you have allotted for yourself gets eaten. From there: the reward. While eating a snack may or may not be in your best interest according to your weight management goals, some ways you can “indulge” a little bit without food include: a positive affirmation, a glass of your favorite tea, or allowing yourself a day at the spa for successfully eating all of your meal prepped meals. The benefits or meal prepped meals are endless and are extremely effective in allowing you to get the nutrition you need in a planned, calculated way that saves you time. Make it a part of your everyday lifestyle by following the three-part process above.  Meal prepping is something that has taken the food and fitness industries by storm- why is this and how can meal prepping be so effective? Meal prepping is essentially an organised way of eating that reduces cook and preparation time, and allows you to specifically count your calories and macronutrients out as well. This works great for anybody trying to lose fat, build muscle, or simply maintain your current weight. If you haven’t already started meal prepping, there are tons of reasons why you should start today - and even more reasons why you should store your food using meal prep containers which are specifically designed to preserve your food in the fridge.
How is Meal Prepping Beneficial? Meal prep is beneficial in a variety of ways - it’s no surprise that so many bodybuilders, fitness models and athletes heavily endorse this style of cooking and storing your food. Here are all the delicious reasons why you should cook your food up all at once and prep it out for the week: 1. Helps You Stay Focused and Disciplined Food cravings and food addictions are true things and can be hard to combat. However, with meal prepping you plan out all of your food all at once, with, what should be healthy fully satisfying foods. Focus on foods that will prevent your cravings and keep you fuller for longer periods of time. For example, many meal preppers often choose brown rice, whole grains, etc. as their carb source as opposed to starchy carbs or pasta, as these often digest faster and can lead to fatigue and feeling hungry. Set yourself up for success - incorporate foods that help you stay disciplined that help you resist cravings and urges to overeat. 2. Saves You Money This is something that’s often not considered about food prep and using meal prep containers - you are likely to save tons and tons of money as you food prep. What is this? First of all, buying in bulk is the best way to go and gives you the biggest bang for your buck. You’re likely going to be eating similar foods every day during your meal prep plan, so it allows you to pocket your cash and find better rates. Secondly, since you are sticking to a food prep counter diet, you’re less likely to eat out and splurge on excess foods and calories. Eating food from meal prep containers is a great way of avoiding eating at restaurants and eating out all the time - instead, simply bring your meal prep container with you to school, work, or anywhere on the go. 3. Maximises Your Free Time Let’s face it - cooking can be a long, drawn out process that eats up at a lot of time. You have to turn the stove, on, wait for the water to boil, then from there wait for the food to cook, and finally eat it. Doing that for two or three meals per day - each and every day - can really eat away at our valuable time. Instead of doing this process each and every time you eat, why not do it just once? Why not limit your time to once a week and boil water only one, add seasoning only once, and cook meat only once, rather than dragging out the process every day. Benefits of Meal Prep Containers Now that we have touched on why meal prepping has been such a big hit, let’s explore why meal prep containers are the best thing you can use in order to preserve your meal prep foods. Ditch the plate and plastic wrap method, and upgrade to meal prep containers. 1. Compartmentalised Many meal prep containers are compartmentalised into different portions. That way you can make it easy to make half your plate vegetables, a quarter meat based protein, and the other carbs (or, really any combination). Splitting up your food is a great way to keep it organised and fresh. 2. Preserve Food Better and For Longer Periods You’re able to preserve your food for as long as possible. As far as storing food in the fridge you have three options: 1. Keeping it on a plate, 2. Wrapping it up, 3. Or, using meal prep containers. Meal prep containers are the best way to go as they lock moisture in and keep air out. 3. Microwavable and Dishwasher Safe Microwaving your food has never been so easy - most of the plastic that is used for meal prep containers is completely microwavable. Even better, meal prep container are dishwasher safe. Easy cooking; easy cleaning. 4. Reduces Plastic Consumption Meal prep containers are made of plastic, of course. But that doesn't mean they’re not environmentally friendly. Meal prep containers are used over and over again - they’re not single use pieces of plastic. And, if needed and you’d like to discard you can always recycle them or find ways to reuse them. Make cooking and eating easy on yourself. Don’t draw the process out many longer than it needs to be. Rather than cook your meals each and every time you have to eat, do it the easy way by cooking everything up all at once. Invest in some quality meal prep containers for an easy way to get or stay fit while increasing your free time. Healthy doesn’t mean your food has to taste bad, take a long time to make, or be boring. On the contrary - meal prepping can be a great way to add some excitement to your eating routine, and is a great way of ensuring you’re getting the right amount of calories needed according to your weight goals. Your meal prep plan depends entirely on you and your diet - there are lots of different combinations for you to try. Here are some of the most common meal prep recipes for you to try that are fast and easy to make: 1. Chicken and Rice Combo with Veggies This is one of the most common meal prep combinations ever. It’s a staple amongst body builders, athletes and fitness models alike.The best way to do this is by buying bulk chicken breast at your local grocery store (preferably free of antibiotics and other harmful ingredients) and steam it on your stovetop. Add some water to a pan with a touch of oil and cover the chicken. By steaming it, you’ll ensure that it cooks evenly all the way through. You can also try barbecuing and roasting it - however you prefer. Then add some rice with broccoli, green beans, etc. and voila - a perfect and easy to make meal!  2. Boiled Eggs with Vegetables and a Source of Carbs Great to start your morning off with some eggs! Instead Of going through the hassle of scrambling them every morning, try to get your protein source in by simply boiling them beforehand. Add in all of your eggs to a pot full of water, bring the water to a boil, and then let it simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. You can separate your eggs out for each of the days, or keep it all in one container and grab from it each morning (just be sure to grab a set amount each day - don’t cheat yourself by eating under or over your calorie “budget”). Eggs pair well with bread, oatmeal, or any other breakfast food you can think of. And of course - be sure to get some veggies in or some fruit.  3. Lentil, Chickpea, Legume combo for all of the Vegetarians Out There Don’t think we forgot about you vegetarians. While the stereotypical meal prep plan often involves some sort of meat, you are totally free to go meatless and cook up a plant based source of protein as well. There are tons of options to choose form: from lentils, to chickpeas, to beans - mix it up. A favorite thing for many to do is steam chickpeas or “garbanzo beans” for a couple hours on the stove so they’re nice and soft, then adding homemade tomato sauce and spices to it. For an extra crunch and added protein and omega-3’s, you can opt for some chia seeds added as well. This meal can be heated right up and served breakfast, lunch or dinner.  4. Fish or Shrimp Taco Salad This is sure to be one of the most delicious meal prep plans out there! This is a favourite for many. Cook up some of your favourite fish - go for tuna, buy some wild caught salmon when it’s in season, or go for a more mild white fish for a more subtle tasting protein. Then, fry it up on the stovetop with some olive oil, or barbecue it on the grill using your favourite rub. From there, chop up some lettuce tomatoes and peppers and add some black beans if desired. Add some lemon or lime juice with a touch of sauce and serve with a tortilla, And there you have it - an easy and delicious meal that’s also healthy and convenient to cook up.  5. Spaghetti and Meatballs Okay… this may not be the most healthy option on the list, but with a couple tweaks it can definitely be made into a filling meal full of high quality protein and carbs. Rather than opting for normal spaghetti, try to go for a while grin spaghetti, which is more complex and leaves you fuller longer. For the meat, look for a low fat percentage meat, or use chicken if needed. Pick out your favourite sauce, or make your own on the stovetop using fresh tomatoes. Add the noodles, meat and sauce together and you’ve got a great meal that is paired wonderfully with salad.  The combinations and recipes for meal prep containers are virtually limitless. For more tips and tricks, and other ideas be sure to visit some of the following websites for even more inspiration, such as on Bodybuilding.com and Beachbody.com which have tons of other great meal prep plans.Be sure to invest in a meal prep container and get to cooking up your favourite meals and recipes.
 There’s meal prepping - then there’s healthy meal prepping. Be sure to know the difference and shop for the ingredients that are best for you and your weight management goals. For many people who are slightly intimidated by the process of meal prepping, this is a great introduction for you. This will be a brief guide that covers all the tips and tricks you need to know in order to become a successful meal prepper. Really, there are three main components of meal prepping. The first is shopping, the second cooking, and the third preparing and mapping out your calories. Let’s dig in!
Shopping Guide For Meal Preppers: When it comes to meal prepping, most meal preppers are after saving money in addition to losing, gaining, or remaining at their target weight. Meal prepping can be an extremely cost effective technique to buying groceries, and because you are often buying in bulk and saving money, you can often invest in higher quality ingredients that you once thought were too expensive. Here are some tips on how to shop in order to maximise your success as a meal prepper:
Tips and Tricks on How to Cook as a Meal Prepper: Cooking as a person who meal preps is an art - there are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare your meals. While meal prepping is extremely easy, and for the most part you can cook as you normally would, because of the fact that you are leaving it in the fridge for up to a week there are a few important things to note:
How many calories you eat and the types of food you ingest depends entirely on you and your weight management needs. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to keep half of your plate with vegetables, a quarter with a source of protein, and the other quarter with a carb, with olive on top to get some healthy fats in. Here are some resources for planning out your calories:
These are just a few tips on how to meal prep. If you’re new to meal prepping, this should serve as a great introductory guide, and if you’re a pro food prepper, I hope you walk away with some fresh new points on meal prepping.  We’ve all likely heard of BPA before - we’ve heard it’s found in some plastic water bottles and other plastic containers, and we know that it can leach into water. But there’s still a general lack of knowledge about BPA and how it can affect the human body. To start off, let’s define what BPA means, according to the Food and Drug Administration:
“BPA is a chemical component present in polycarbonate plastic used in the manufacture of certain beverage containers and most food can liners. BPA-based plastic bottles are clear and tough. In cans, BPA-based liners form a barrier between the food and the can surface that prevents corrosion of the can and migration of metal into the food. People are exposed to low levels of BPA because very small amounts may migrate from the food packaging into foods or beverages.” According to the United State’s Food and Drug Administration Program, they have found BPA to be safe according to many different studies. However, there are often many concerns that are raised with the FDA and they are often not trusted by many Americans due to controversies surrounding the meat industry, antibiotic use, etc. that is permitted in our food. As with most things and scientific findings, the results are not completely conclusive. There are several other studies that also find BPA to be harmful, and the FDA has been under scrutiny for denying those claims - particularly due to the fact that they are accepting money from lobbyists in order to push their product and BPA products on consumers according to an article on Mercola’s website: “Since they stand to lose the most if BPA is taken off the market, this isn’t surprising, but the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also issued an official announcement last year to reaffirm BPA's safety. After a four-year long review of 300 studies, the FDA concluded that "BPA is safe at the current levels occurring in food." The agency also stated, "the available information continues to support the safety of BPA for the currently approved uses in food containers and packaging."4 It is beyond irrational to conclude anything other than this verdict is more than likely a result of lobbying and the revolving door between the FDA and the chemical industry. There is damning evidence against the use of BPA—particularly in food-related products that is being ignored.” Potential Health Hazards of BPA? It’s better to be safe than sorry - why use a product that has no clear founding and that may cause some serious health defects. Your body's a temple, treat it as such. It’s important to not only plan out your meals and meal prep, but also to ensure no toxins are leaching into your system. Here are some of the ways BPA may affect you:
Clearly these are some pretty hefty health concerns. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. It’s best to look for meal prep containers (and all of your other containers as well - from cans to plastics and virtually anything else that contains food and water) that are free of BPA. BPA products have been increasing due to popular demand, so you should be able to find some great BPA free meal prep containers on the market. Better yet - it’s highly recommended to use glass storage containers. Glass has been around for hundreds of thousands of years and has stood the test of time, whereas these different formulations of plastics available on the market are still pretty fresh and have been manufactured rather than existing naturally. Final Thoughts on BPA According to the FDA, BPA is fine. However numerous studies are coming out in opposition to this and stating otherwise. It’s your health in your hands - do your part and make sure you are providing your body with nothing but the best. By meal prepping and using containers, you are already making a step in the right direction. Just be sure to continue that progress and don’t let the health risks of BPA affect your body. When shopping online or at the supermarket for meal prep containers, always make sure you buy a BPA free plastic container, or better yet: go with glass. Choosing a meal prep container is important - make sure you choose a quality one that preserves your food and keeps it fresh without adding any more toxins to your body.  There’s a saying when it comes to bodybuilding and staying fit in general.
10% of the results happen in the gym, while the other 90% happens in the kitchen. If you want a great, sculpted body, you need to watch what you eat - one of the best ways to do so is by controlling your calories and counting them out with food prep containers. In fact, according to a study in Men’s Fitness, those who meal prep are much less likely to eat less fast food and more fruits and vegetables. Meal prep is crucial - it’s not just a fad, it’s a process that many serious bodybuilders and athletes live by. If you don’t already have meal prep containers for bodybuilding, then you definitely need to invest in some. Ultimately, what it comes down to is that meal prep containers allows you to cook all of your food at once, and store it in the containers inside of your fridge to be reheated later. This takes all of the guesswork out of the equation, since it’s common practice to measure out your calories and macronutrients beforehand. This is one of the many reasons why the author of the popular nutrition blog, “The Dashing Dish” has raved about the benefits and convenience of meal prepping, stating: “[She has] found that the best possible way to live a healthy lifestyle and have healthy and delicious meals all week long is by meal prepping once for the whole week.” There you have it. If you want to make losing weight or bulking up, or simply maintaining your goal weight a reality, the best way to combat craving and monitor your daily caloric intake is with meal prep containers bodybuilding packs. More specifically, meal prep container body building packs will help you:
How to Choose the Best Meal Prep Containers Bodybuilding Packs Not all meal prep containers for bodybuilding are created the same. In fact, some can speed up the spoiling of your food and make it taste even worse because of excess moisture trapped inside the container. The food containers that you want to buy must be high quality and they are best if designed specifically for food prepping, rather than your average tupperware container. In essence, these are the things that must be checked off your list when searching for the perfect food prep container:
If you can hit each of these points, then you will have a great meal prep container for bodybuilding that is sure to provide you with just the right amount of calories and nutrients that you need. Food prepping is addictive once you start - especially if you have the right supplies and meal prep containers bodybuilding packs. Let us know in the comments below why you like to meal prep, and share some easy recipes.  If you have been on Instagram lately or follow any health magazines, it won’t take you long to find something on meal prepping. Meal prep has become a health craze. Essentially meal prepping allows you to calculate your calories and macronutrients all at once to provide you with nourishment throughout your week. It’s fast and easy, and also can save you money. And most importantly - it keeps you on track for your weight management goals. Whether you are hitting the gym and want to bulk up, or doing cardio throughout the week and want to lose fat, or simply want to maintain your healthy weight and lifestyle, then planning out your meals beforehand allows you to do so effortlessly.
What are the Advantages of Meal Prepping? As previously covered, meal prepping makes eating a balanced meal easy - no matter your current state and physique goals. There are several pluses to meal prepping, which is why it’s gained so much traction in the online world and fitness industry. If you haven’t considered meal prepping, here is why you have to give it a go: Saves You Money: Meal prepping involves buying in bulk and often times eating the same thing, or similar items, day in and day out (that’s not to say you can’t have variety - you can sneak different foods into your prepped meal plans. For example, you can substitute chicken with lean beef or turkey, etc.). So, by buying in bulk, cooking it all at once and storing it in meal prep containers, you are going to save big bucks in the long run. Additionally, this prevents you from eating out since you can take your meals with you to work, avoiding the need to spend extra money. Cuts Back on Cooking Time: Cooking is very much a waiting game, and can eat into some valuable time within our days. After all - time is money as it’s said. In America, we pride ourselves on being fast cookers and eaters, spend just 30 minutes cooking each day - the least of any developed nation (LiveScience).That’s why meal prepping is so great - the cooking process can be done on one set day. Whether you choose to plan and cook your meals every 4 days or weekly, the cooking time is reduced. No more waiting for the water to boil nightly, or the chicken to cook - it’s all done in one big batch, eliminating wasted time. All you need to do is pop it in the microwave or eat it straight from the refrigerator, eliminating cooking time. Hit All of Your Macronutrients: The thing about meal prepping is that they are often designed to best suit you and your caloric needs. If you are trying to build muscle and trim down on fat, you can make nearly half of your containers of meat or fish, as well as legumes and plant based proteins (i.e. chickpeas, quinoa, lentils, etc.). This takes the guesswork out of the equation and allows you to get exactly the right types of calories you need. Or, if you have a big training week, you can add more carbs - it’s very simple to adjust and customise your eating plan so it works specifically for you and your fitness goals. Precisely Count Calories and Avoid Excess Snacks: This is one of the main advantages of meal prepping. You are able to calculate exactly how many calories you need and adjust your food to me that intake. Meal prepping makes it easy to make the correct portions of food that you need throughout the day. This eliminates the needs of excess calories as well. Now, you don’t have to worry about counting the calories at each meal since they will be planned out for you in advance. Just be sure to avoid eating excess calories, as they can throw your allotted number of calories off. Meal Prepping 101: How to Meal Prep the Right Way Calculate your daily caloric needs (you can do so online, here). Then subtract or minus from that number, depending on whether you want to gain or lose weight. If you don't have nay already, buy meal prep containers that store your food in the fridge or freezer. Cook all your food at once. Steam that chicken, shop those vegetables - get creative, and choose a meal that best suits your needs. Store it in the fridge and reheat for each meal. Voila! It’s that simple. In our modern day and age, we are all often short on time, money and it’s often easy to be tempted to pig out with grocery stores stocked full of food and restaurants - now, you can make eating healthy easy for you. If you didn’t know anything about meal prepping before, this meal prep 101 article should give you a great foundation for you to start with. Experience the health craze for yourself - it’s likely not going anywhere anytime soon. It’s as simple as cooking your food up in one batch based on your calorie needs, and storing it in meal prep containers. Try it out! |
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