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Meal planning can have multiple benefits, whether it’s building more muscles or simply saving time.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This is a fraction of a quote by Silvia Veri reflecting the fundamental necessity of planning in life. Most things can be resolved through thorough planning. Organizing allows people to consider and recognize possible drawbacks and prepare solutions, decreasing the chances of these troubles arising. The sentiment, “prevention is better than cure,” is applied in situations.
By planning, people do their best to minimize errors and maximize success.
Such a principle can also be applied to people’s essentials like eating. As Silvia Veri mentions, “Planning meals increases the likelihood of eating healthy.”
When it comes to meal planning, people can ensure they prepare the proper meals at the right time and with the right amount. Essentially, this practice makes for the appropriate consumption of food. These are among the multiple benefits of meal planning. Hence, it’s no question why this is becoming a widespread habit that more people are including as a habit..
Why Are More People Planning Their Meals?
There are plenty of benefits of meal planning, but the process can look intimidating and taxing, so not everyone is sold on the idea. From how it sounds, meal planning seems like something that comes naturally. And to a certain extent, it is natural. People tend to think of what their next meals will be.
People plan their meals, whether to skim through their preferences and secure what they’re craving or to prepare a list before going grocery shopping. They arrange for a single meal, preparing everything necessary for it. However, meal planning requires a more deliberate and demanding process. It’s not only about preparing a single dish for multiple days but also for a one-time meal.
It sounds taxing to cook for multiple days in a single sitting. But there’s a caveat.
It may sound ironic, but one of the benefits of meal planning is that it’s less time-consuming. This is because this practice lumps the cooking into a single day. Instead of preparing dishes for hours on multiple days, people only have to take hours of a singular day to prepare for a week’s worth of meals.
Everyone lives hectic lives. There’s so much to think about daily without having to decide what to eat seven days a week. Instead of going through arduous preparation daily, why not lump it into a single undertaking by practicing meal planning?
What Are the Benefits of Meal Planning?
In Generations of Good Food, a cookbook by Eleanor Gaccetta, the author collates comfortable home cooking dishes anyone can prepare without constraints or too many difficulties. Without sacrificing flavor and nutrition, Eleanor shows that cooking doesn’t always have to be taxing and extensive. People can whip out a delicious meal without hours of preparation, balancing taste and time.
The same principles are also benefits of meal planning.
But what’s all the fuss about?
Saves You the Time
While preparing week-long meals in one day requires a lot of time, it will still save people time from a broader view. After all, instead of going through the whole shopping ordeal and preparing every ingredient daily, they will only have to do this once for the entire week. Some people plan meals and cook them one at a time. Planning what to cook ahead eliminates stress because the ingredients have been purchased, perhaps pre-prepared and can be cooked saving time.
Additionally, in addition to being time-saving, one of the more consequential benefits of meal planning is that it prevents people from becoming anxious. They don’t have to worry about what to eat on a daily basis because they already have every meal planned and some already prepared. It saves time not only thinking about what to eat but also in cooking every dish.
Saves You the Money
Budgeting is an essential element in every household. When people cook daily, they may overlook this factor and focus on what they want to eat. This can reflect negatively on their overall financial condition at home. Meal planning, on the other hand, allows people to create meals within a specific budget and utilize ingredients on hand. This helps them save more by limiting themselves from limiting re-purchases and limiting food waste.
Overall, the singular, most significant benefit of meal planning is its impact on people’s health. This practice has been scientifically linked to a diverse diet with ample nutrients. It’s associated with lower odds of becoming overweight and obese. Planning meals helps people achieve their healthiest conditions without spending too much. It eliminates the temptation to order costly home-delivered meals, or a run to a fast-food chain.
If you’re looking for recipes to try during your meal planning, Eleanor Gaccetta’s Generations of Good Food has plenty of them! You can get a copy at www.onecaregiversjourney.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or most online book retailers.