We've reached the last segment of the Healthy Living series and, this time, we're going to be tackling the stigma around ramen and frozen pizzas associated with university students and replacing it with Meal Prep!
Our lifestyles are so hectic at university. With the added responsibilities of adulting on top of our studies and trying to maintain a social life, nutrition can get lost. Some might cook. Some might buy food. Some may forget to eat. Some may binge. Everyone is different but it is important to find balance to ensure that you get all your nutrients.
That's where meal prep can help!
Benefits of meal prep:
1. Save money.
2. Save time.
3. Save your health. ;)
These benefits are obvious but HOW TO MEAL PREP is the question. Here are my top tips to get you started:
1. Start small.
With any habit that you are trying to build, start with one small change.
For example, if you find yourself not getting up in time to make breakfast, prepare breakfast in advance. Whether its overnight oats or pancakes or cereal or honestly anything that you enjoy that is nutritious, make sure that you have it prepared for the next day.
2. Plan
Meal prep is all about planning. At first it might seem to take a lot of time, but that’s ok. You are only just getting started. It will take some time to figure out what works for you. I would say it takes 3-4 hours to plan, cook and clean for a week. That might sound like a lot but hear me out.
Let’s say you buy 2 meals a day.
Think about the time it takes to decide what you want to eat and the time it takes for you to get the food (whether you walk to Tesco to buy a meal deal or order something on Deliveroo). This is variable. But let’s just say it takes 30 mins. That comes up to 7 hours a week!
How to plan?
1. Get a list of all your favourite foods.
2. If you don’t already know how to make them, find simple recipes online.
Now meal prep can vary. It really is up to you! Some like to do 7-day meal preps. Some like to split the week and do 2 meal preps. And some like to do 4-day meal preps and wing the rest of the week (me 😂). It’s all about trying new things and finding what works for you.
3. Pick the dishes that you want to make.
4. Make a grocery list with all the ingredients that you need and some snacks (e.g. fruits, popcorn….).
Never go grocery shopping whether online or at the store without a list! You will waste time and end up buying unnecessary things.
5. Make the dishes and divide it into meal prep containers
Don’t you get bored eating the same thing?
For a 7-day meal prep, yes! But I do a 4-day meal prep and so my other days are flexible.
Here’s an example:
And I do like the meals I prep, so I don’t mind the monotony.
But one thing you can do to shake it up is to meal prep with friends and exchange with each other.
As I’ve said over and over, it’s all about trying new things! It’s all up to you and what works for you!
Hope you all stay safe and well!
By FITGYAL2021
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