You know how they say, “you are what you eat?”
Well, this applies to what we put in our bodies and how we prepare it.
Our diets are important, and improper diets can wreak havoc on our mental health.
But what’s the best solution in that case?
The answer: meal prep of course!
Meal prep is great for your physical and mental health, and there are so many added benefits to meal prep that you can enjoy. What are they? Read here to learn more.
What is Meal Prep?
Meal prep is something you’ve probably heard from a bunch of fitness pros. It’s the concept of preparing food for the week. This is usually done beforehand and you make meals for every day, and every meal you have.
For example, you might prepare breakfast foods, some snacks, or even dinners you just throw in the microwave and heat up. Meal prep is great for a variety of reasons.
Meal prep is a great way to reduce stress for starters. It also helps us stay nourished and energized throughout the day. You don’t need to use meal prep just to lose weight either. You can use this to also reduce stress and also eat better foods. Besides, to support the process of turning food into energy, medical experts are recommending using supplements such as Gundry MD Energy Renew. You may learn more details here.
If you find yourself snacking, or hitting the carbo-loaded foods, then you should definitely consider meal prepping. There is even science behind this. Nutritional psychiatry for example looks at the relationship between what we eat, and of course how our bodies feel.
When we eat good foods that regulate our appetites, it improves our moods, reduces our pain, and improves our mental health.
What you eat is very important for how you feel, since a diet that’s loaded in sugars and carbs isn’t a sustainable one, and with the spikes and dips in our blood sugar, it can make us feel depressed and anxious.
But what can meal prep do for your body and mind? Why’s it so good for your mental health.
We’ll go over this here.
Reduces Stress
Preparing your meals before the week starts is a good way to reduce stress. If you hate thinking about what to cook, then you should try meal planning.
When you don’t meal prep, you probably will grab the first thing you can find, which isn’t always the best thing for you in terms of energy, or even your wallet.
It also reduces the time you spend looking for food. It’s right there, and it saves you the worry of making sure you have the ingredients, and instead it’s all there and ready for you.
Saves You Money
If you’re stressed about money, you need to meal prep. When you don’t meal prep, chances are you’ll be spending more money eating out. And that accumulates over time.
Some people end up spending over a hundred dollars a week on eating out, sometimes more. And the foods they make are usually loaded with sugars and carbs.
But, with meal prep you have an idea of what you’re going to eat there, so you can have healthy foods that are of the highest quality. This can also tighten your budget immensely so you’re more in control of your money, and your happiness.
Improve Your time Management
One of the biggest reasons people get stressed is their lack of time management. People will say they’re “too busy” to meal prep. Everyone is busy, but ironically, meal prepping allows you to have more time to do other things.
Think about it, when you put all of your foods on a list, make them, and have them ready for the next day, you’re not running around like a chicken with your head cut off, right?
It actually pushes you to eat healthy so you’re not irritable nor tired, and you’re eating full, rich food.
It doesn’t always take that much time either. Sometimes it takes a few hours, but think about it, if you spend 2 hours preparing the food, and then grabbing and heating them up throughout the week, it kind of saves you time right?
It’s all right there, and it does make you feel more in control, since you’re planning your time, and improving the management of time as well.
It Pushes You to Eat Healthier
Meal prep pushes you to eat better.
If you’re always stuffing your face, you’re going to gain weight. Weight gain puts pounds on the body, elevates your blood pressure, puts you at risk for diabetes and heat disease, the whole nine years.
Meal prep pushes you to eat healthier so you’re not just stuffing your face with burgers. It pushes you to eat cleaner, so you’re not scrambling to look for food to eat.
There are many benefits to eating whole foods especially if you’re trying to eat healthy. If you eat good food, it contributes to overall bodily health, improves the gut health, and other parts of this too!
Improves the Mental Game
Finally, it improves the mental health game. If you’re not mentally prepared to handle the week, you’re going to get stressed out.
But what if you could prepare ahead of time so that you can handle the mental challenges that you face? That’s what meal prepping does.
When you’re constantly eating better, you start to focus on eating better. You start to crave less sugary and fatty foods, and you’ll fall into the routine of eating better. It then becomes easier to choose healthy foods for you.
It also teaches you balance, improving your chances of controlling portions, allowing you to have more energy. This builds confidence within you, makes you stronger, and happier too.
So don’t be afraid to prepare beforehand, since it can improve your life.
Might Not Be for Everyone
The problem with meal prep is that it’s not for everyone. That’s because plenty of people try, but there might be other psychological factors in the way.
If you struggle with depression for example, you might not feel motivated to take care of your meals for the week. If that’s the case, you might want to see if you have depression.
You can go to https://www.mind-diagnostics.org/depression-test/ to find out more information and take a test to see if you have depression, and what you can do about it as well.
Marie Miguel Biography
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with Mind Diagnostics.org. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression