With everyone always being busy and focusing on the hustle culture to really make it big out there, with intense competition, and the need to achieve everything for the fear of being left behind seems to get stronger due to social media and peer pressure, the focus on a healthy lifestyle is something that gets easily forgotten or overlooked. Moreover, there is always the thought and assumption that eating healthy or maintaining a lifestyle to cater to incorporating good habits is an expensive one. However, with the rise of modern technology, social media, and various health focused apps, the ease of meal planning, meal prepping, and even accommodating all of it on a budget that is comfortable to everyone’s pockets, is comparatively easier to do now. Focusing on meal prepping that can fit into your hectic life to stay nourished and healthy requires a little planning and organising.
Meal Prep Benefits
More than saving time, meal prepping helps you manage not only your health, but also your money in a more efficient and convenient manner. The main advantage of meal prep is the portion control that you get to decide for yourself depending on what your health goals are. This also helps to reduce waste, takes away the snacking and unhealthy food temptations, and majorly reduces the costs of groceries since there is nothing extra that is being indulged in.
Plan Your Meals
First start by planning your week and then your meals with it. Right from making a chart for breakfast to dinner, including snacking in the middle of the day, this meal plan will help you get organised and let you know all that you need to do and buy on a weekly basis. This also helps in thinking about ways to reuse the same ingredients in different dishes planned across the week to reduce food wastage, and make the best use of everything. The easiest and fastest way to get through the planning of the meals is to make a list of the groceries you need exactly. A lot of grocery stores and apps that help with ordering fresh produce have their own offers and sales going on, which helps in bringing everything down to the budget that would make healthy eating seem easier on the pocket.
Healthy Eating With Budget Friendly Ingredients
The assumption that healthy eating requires fancy and expensive ingredients is a myth. It is very easy to include affordable ingredients everyday that adds a lot of nutrients, proteins, and essential health benefits without burning a hole in your pocket. Some of the everyday grocery items that should be a part of every list include:
- Beans and Lentils: RIght from being a protein powerhouse to including the right amount of fibre, these are not expensive and can be used in soups, salads, and even main curries
- Seasonal Vegetables: Whether you buy this in person or order it online, it is always very important to tap into the seasonal vegetables to include a more wholesome meal in your daily plan. Knowing the right time to eat a lot of green leafy vegetables, or focusing more on pumpkins during the winters, are a great way to incorporate a new variety in the daily food intake and consuming all types of nutrients that are otherwise missed
- Whole Grains: Believe in consuming whole grains in the way they should be eaten right from rice to quinoa and even oats - these are all easy to purchase, affordable, and even easier to cook and prep.
- Eggs: One of the best and and excellent sources of protein, they are budget friendly and versatile enough to be cooked in a variety of ways
Easy To Follow Recipes
Right from food influencers to apps, the internet has a plethora of videos and recipes that are easy to follow and easy to cook from. Whether you found reels on Instagram to help you, or are using fitness apps like RightLife which has a dedicated section specifically for nutrition and meal prep called EatRight for diet plans and to guide you on an overall journey to good health, keeping things simple is key. Salads to stir-frys, these healthy recipes know how to incorporate a range of different ingredients to make sure one meal brings in as many nutrients as possible.
Time To Cook For The Week
As crazy as this may sound, but actually spending a few hours of just one day a week will help you prepare your meals at a stretch. If you decide to spend a few hours on a Sunday to cook up your meal prep for the rest of the week, all you need to do is freeze them and you have one less thing to worry about everyday. Batch cooking or meal prepping for the entire week requires good storage containers that are preferably glass or microwave friendly. Another great tip is to label all the boxes with the date of when it was prepared so you know which one you need to consume first.
Meal prepping does not have to be very rigid or strict. You can find a balance for yourself in the entire process and see what works out well in your favour, and how you are comfortable in achieving your fitness goals. Adjust your grocery lists, try new recipes, add your own twists to make them more suited to your taste palate, so healthy eating does not get tiresome or even tedious. These simple and easy to follow tips help you achieve your targets and also keeps your budget in mind. Using RightLife’s guides and plans, you can stay focused, consistent, and find a healthy lifestyle easy to embrace.
