5 Reasons You Should Be Meal Planning

We’ve all said we’re going to give meal planning a try, but how many of us actually follow through with it?

Meal planning sounds like a whole ton of effort that results in restrictive eating habits, but that’s far from true? On top of making us feel super-human organized, there are many financial and health benefits associated with meal planning. Here are my top 5 reasons!

5 Reasons You Should Be Meal Planning 

1. Save Time

Goodbyeee to standing in front of the fridge wondering what to throw together for a meal. Instead of spending a good 10 minutes staring into the depths of our fridges, we already know (1) what’s in there, and (2) what we’re going to do with this for lunch (and dinner). 

2. Save Money

By planning meals ahead of time, we’re not only saving money by eating in, but also on our grocery budget. Meal planning doesn’t just allow us to walk into the supermarket with a list, but it also allows us to take into consideration the weekly sales at our local supermarkets, which can have a significant impact on our bottom line. Particularly by incorporating fresh meats and produce that are on sale into our plans!

Did you know that at restaurants we pay almost 5x the cost of the meal if we made it at home? 

3. Make Less Decisions

Ever suffer from decision fatigue? There are at least 21 different mealtimes in a week, plus snacks. That is a lot of decisions to make. By meal planning, we can make many of these decisions at once by using double recipes & using leftovers for later in the week. Another benefit of meal planning is we also have decisions in the supermarket – there’s a list! 

4. Be Eco-Friendly

Meal planning is eco-friendly? Yep! Meal planning helps reduce our food waste and encourages eco-friendly behaviour. By planning meals ahead of time, taking into consideration what’s in the fridge & what needs to be purchased there is not only a reduction in foods that are just tossed out because someone forgot to eat them, but also By evaluating what in our fridge, and what we need to purchase during meal planning, we can reduce the foods we’re tossing out and limiting the food we buy “just because I might use it this week”. 

5. Eat Healthier and Support Your Nutrition Goals

By planning meals in advance, we are less likely to impulsively swing through our favourite fast-food chain or order Uber eats for dinner, because we already know what is going to be on the table tonight. Meals prepared at home generally tend to be more nutritious than meals we typically eat at fast-food, take-out and pre-packed foods. Additionally, by taking the time to plan out our meals, we can identify eating patterns and preferences that we didn’t know we had! 

Not sure where to start with meal planning? Check out this articleto find tools to help you along the way, or book a consultation today to help you get started!