Eating healthy and exercising go hand in hand when trying to achieve fitness goals. But what if you don’t have the time to cook a delicious and healthy meal every evening?
Currently, over 12,000 people, a month search for ‘meal prep’ in Australia, and 2,500 people search for ‘meal prep ideas’, so it’s clear people want to know how meal prep can help them.
A  dietitian at ready-to-heat delivery service, YouFoodz has shared why meal prepping can help you achieve your fitness goals, even when you don’t have a lot of time.
“I’m a big advocate for meal prep,” Hannah Gilbert the Senior Director of Product Development at YouFoodz said.
“Modern lifestyles mean we often have little time to cook a nutritious meal in the evening but it’s important that we have healthy meals throughout the week and that’s why meal prep can be so beneficial.”
According to Gilbert, the top three reasons why meal prep can help you achieve your fitness goals:

Meal prep helps with planning your nutrient and calorie intake

“If you’re keeping a close eye on your calories and nutrients then meal prep allows for greater control. Measuring your weekly breakfast, lunch, and evening meals means you are aware of how many calories you’ve eaten, the amount of protein you’ve consumed, and if you’ve had your five vegetables and fruit a day. 
“In order to meet your goals you may be just looking at what you’re eating each week which is why you can batch-make delicious, healthy, and protein-packed meals days in advance and have a week’s worth of dinners ready to heat in the evening.”

Have ready-made meals straight after your gym session

“Meal prep also means you can spend more time at the gym, and less time at home cooking afterward, so where you’re saving 30 minutes, why not add the time onto the treadmill? Or take an exercise class?”

Meal prep allows you to be creative with your healthy eating

“Sometimes people are put off by healthy eating because it doesn’t scream “delicious meals”, however, it can be the exact opposite.
“Meal prep gives you the time to be creative with the recipes you try, and allows you to make healthy eating, tasty.
“Healthy eating also includes the carbs you love (think pasta, noodles, potato).
Meal prep allows for measurement and moderation, meaning you can batch cook a healthy pasta dish, or stir-fry whilst also sticking within your daily calorie intake.”