Why it's important to meal plan

Meal planning is a key part of healthy eating, and for good reason. When you know what foods are going into your diet on a regular basis, it's easier to stick to healthy eating patterns. Here are a few benefits of meal planning that can help motivate you to get started.

1. You save money. When you eat at home rather than going out to eat at a restaurant, you save a lot of money. Eating out is expensive! A meal at a restaurant with an adult beverage can easily cost you $30 or more for one person! That doesn't even include the cost of your meal or dessert! With meal planning, you can plan your meals ahead of time and then simply prep and chop the ingredients as needed to make the meals. This takes a lot less time than eating out!

2. It helps you eat healthy. Planning ahead helps you to be more aware of the food you're eating and what went into creating that food. It's easy to grab a burger for lunch without thinking about how it was made or what ingredients were used to make it. But when you plan ahead, you have time to think about the food choices you make and make healthier choices as a result.

3. It saves time. If you've ever gone to the grocery store without a list, you know how overwhelming it can be to go to the grocery store without a plan. There are so many different aisles filled with so many different things to choose from! Plan your menu for the week ahead of time and then shop for everything you need in one trip. This will make your trip to the store a lot more efficient and less time consuming!

4. It helps prevent food waste. One of the biggest challenges of meal planning is trying to resist the urge to buy things that you may not need or may not end up using in the next two weeks. By creating a meal plan and grocery shopping with a list, you are much less likely to waste the food you buy, and you're more likely to use everything that you buy in your meal plan. This will help reduce waste and save some extra cash as well!

5. It makes cooking less stressful. When you have a meal plan in place for the week, it makes it much easier for you to plan your meals and cook them in a timely manner. It also takes the stress out of trying to figure out what to make for dinner each night of the week! Less stress, more fun!

These are just a few of the many benefits of meal planning! By taking the time to create a meal plan and stick to it, you will be saving time and money in the long run! And the benefits of meal planning really go way beyond just the money you save at the grocery store - it also has a positive impact on your health and overall wellbeing.

Meal planning may not be easy at first, but it gets easier with practice. Plus, once you get the hang of it, it becomes kind of fun!

So what are you waiting for? Try meal prepping today!