Using a meal plan can make your life easier in many ways. It can help you avoid decision fatigue, keep you from buying more food than you need, and save you time and money. Plus, it can also help you try new foods and spend less time thinking about what to eat. In this post, we’ll explore the importance of meal planning and its many benefits in more detail:

Saving Time

When you meal plan in advance, you spend less time thinking through the week. You spend less time staring at the fridge, there are fewer arguments about what to eat, and fewer last-minute trips to the grocery store. If you can buy in bulk and batch cook, then you can even freeze those leftovers for another day, which saves you a whole evening of cooking on those nights when you’re busy.

Clearly, meal planning creates less anxiety and stress, which leads to more free time for creativity, work, and play, not to mention more time to be with family and friends.

Saving Money

You’re less likely to eat out if you have meals planned and your grocery list ready, so you can just stop on the way home and pick up what you need. You also shop with a purpose, avoiding impulse buys that don’t fit in with your meal plans.

When you plan out your meals, it’s easier to use ingredients efficiently. If your meal planning includes using leftovers (it really should), then you aren’t buying as much per week since some of the food is being used from previous weeks. And when food isn’t wasted as often, it saves money and helps the environment because every ingredient is used effectively.

If anything does go bad before you can use it, most stores accept produce for composting and don’t require that it be in perfect condition for them to take back. Food packaging can also be recycled at some grocery stores or city recycling centers; check with local programs about what is accepted for recycling, which may include cardboard boxes and plastic bags (dirty ones too!).

Staying Healthy

Meal planning is a great way to eat healthily, stay within your budget, and even help you lose weight! When you plan out your meals in advance, you will be more likely to make sure the foods you are eating contain all of the nutrients you need. When you have a meal plan with balanced carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, you’ll feel more energized throughout the day.

Eating a healthy diet can also help keep your energy levels up when exercising! People who exercise frequently should plan to eat protein-rich meals after their workout as well as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. By planning what foods to eat week by week, it’s easier to ensure you get all the nutrients you need on a daily basis.

Trying New Things

Finally, meal planning is a great way to encourage yourself to try new things. Use your meal plans as an opportunity to try new recipes, cooking techniques, and ingredients. You can even discover new ways of sourcing your food. Perhaps have two nights a week where you have more time to switch up your usual pattern and experiment with a new dish, getting you and the family excited about mealtimes again. The possibilities are limitless!

Fit Five Meals, Alabama’s healthy and affordable prepped meal company, is ready to help you get started on your meal planning journey. Visit us online today.

When it comes to food, separating fact from fiction can be difficult. The internet has made it possible for anyone with an opinion on food to publish those opinions, whether they be true or false. Here are 3 of the top food myths and why they are simply not true.

MYTH: “All Carbs Are Bad”

If you had to label one food category as the “bad guys,” it would probably be carbs, right? This is the biggest myth out there, though; not ALL carbs are bad! There are two types of carbs: simple and complex. While you do want to stay away from simple carbs like sugary pastries and enriched/refined pasta, complex carbs host a variety of benefits and play an integral role in a well-rounded diet. Your body needs whole-grain, fiber-rich, complex carbs to sustain the energy it gets from protein. So don’t fall for the lie that carbs are evil. Just swap out the bad ones for the good ones!

MYTH: “Grazing Is Better Than Three Meals a Day”

You may have had friends recommend you ditch the traditional three meals a day and instead graze or eat 5 small meals a day. But is that healthy? It can be, but only if you eat something healthy such as raw veggies or protein. If you don’t do it mindfully, Consumer Reports says that snacking and grazing can do more harm than good:

“About a quarter of snackers believe it’s healthier to eat several snacks throughout the day vs. larger meals. The rationale for grazing is that it keeps you from getting too hungry and then overeating. But when it comes to weight control, there’s no clear advantage to eating frequent smaller meals over fewer larger ones. If you don’t pay attention, you run the risk of taking in too many calories, especially if your version of grazing is constant nibbling over several hours. And small meals might not truly satisfy you; you may end up eating more.”

consumerreports.org

MYTH: “Calories You Eat In the Evening Are Worse Than Calories You Eat In the Morning or Afternoon”

There’s a myth floating around that the calories you consume at night are more likely to cause weight gain than the ones you eat earlier in the day. Unfortunately, this is a lie a lot of people have fallen for. But calories don’t change identity throughout the day, they just are what they are. The calories you consume at night are the same calories you consume any other time of day. “What matters are the total calories you take in,” says John Foreyt, Ph.D.

Not everything you read or hear about food is true! Double check and make sure the food “facts” you’re being fed are true.

Known as the most satiating macronutrient and a great immune system and metabolism booster, protein plays a critical role in a healthy diet. Most people know that chicken, beef, and seafood contain protein, but let’s take a look at 5 foods you may not realize are actually high in protein!

1. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great source of probiotics, but seeing as every 100-gram serving contains 10 grams of protein, it’s also a great source of protein! Although Greek yogurt is usually eaten as a breakfast food, you can also use it as a replacement for sour cream, put it in smoothies, add it to muffin mixes, or mix it into mac n cheese.

2. Nuts

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly protein option, add nuts to your shopping list. Peanuts contain 26 grams of protein per 100 grams and almonds contain 21 grams of protein per 100 grams. If you’re allergic to almonds, you can eat sunflower seeds or sunflower butter instead. When the budget is tight and you need to cut back on meat and plant protein, nuts and nut butter are great alternative protein sources.

3. Pumpkin Seeds

Did you know that pumpkin seeds contain 19 grams of protein per 100 grams? Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of several critical vitamins and minerals. In fact, 1 cup of pumpkin seeds contains:

• Vitamin A: 1.9 ug
• Riboflavin: < 0.1 mg
• Niacin: 0.2 mg
• Vitamin C: 0.2 mg
• Folate: 5.8 ug
• Calcium: 35.2 mg
• Potassium: 588.2 mg
• Iron: 2.1 mg
• Magnesium: 167.7 mg
• Zinc: 6.6 mg
• Phosphorus: 58.9 mg
• Copper: 0.4 mg
• Manganese: 0.3 mg

4. Cheese

Say cheese! Cheese is one of those fun proteins, easy to slip into a variety of meals and snacks. When it comes to protein, there are two kinds of cheese that stand out. Part-skim mozzarella contains 24 grams of protein per 100 grams and parmesan contains 36 grams of protein per 100 grams. If you’re sensitive to lactose, you can still get some of your protein from cheese, as there are some amazing lactose-free cheeses on the market now such as Cabot Cheddar Cheese.

5. Hemp Seeds

Hemp seeds might sound too “crunchy” or may even make you nervous. But hemp seeds offer a host of health benefits. According to WebMD, “Hemp protein comes from the cannabis plant and is an excellent source of plant-based protein. Hemp seeds don’t contain any cannabidiol (CBD) or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound found in marijuana.” Hemp seeds are safe to consume and are an excellent source of protein, containing a whopping 32 grams of protein per 100 grams!

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, eat healthier, or build muscle, incorporating more protein into your diet doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Get Fit Five Meals today!

Meal prep services have grown in popularity in the last several years, and it’s not hard to see why. Here are 4 benefits of having a meal prep service handle some of your meals.

Time-Saver

Think about how much time you spend preparing meals. Some meals are easy to make, others (the more healthy ones, usually) can take an hour or more to prepare! That doesn’t include all the time it took to shop for ingredients, clean up, etc.! When you invest in a meal prep service, it saves you time in the kitchen and at the store. Just think, you could have a fully cooked, healthy meal on the table in less than 5 minutes!

Cost-Effective

Fresh, home-cooked meals are, no doubt, the most cost-effective meals out there. But who has the time or energy to cook all of their meals at home? Unfortunately, hitting a fast-food restaurant or grabbing a frozen meal to pop in the oven when you get home from work feels like the cheapest option in the moment. But the dollars you spend on those grab-n-go meals can add up fast, and they are rarely filling, causing you to snack later and spend even more money.

One of the best aspects of a meal prep service is how budget-friendly it is. When you pay for a ready-made, healthy, fresh meal, you avoid impulse buys and cheap “filler” meals. This is much easier on your wallet in the long run.

Healthier than Fast-Food

Convenience often comes at a cost. Nine times out of ten, the cheaper the meal is, the less healthy it is too. It’s so easy to hit the drive-through line just so that we can call dinner done, but these unhealthy meals can cause weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other diseases long-term, so is the convenience really worth it?

Being busy is a part of life, so when you need to outsource a meal or two each week, you should be able to do that guilt-free. This is why meal prep services are becoming so popular because you can have a filling, healthy meal ready for your family in minutes.

Less Effort

When you make meals at home, you have to make shopping lists, meal plans, go to the store, put the groceries away, meal prep, and then clean up after each meal. We’re exhausted just thinking about it!

When you get a meal prep service to do the work for you, you’re investing in yourself. Instead of slaving away over a stove or washing a bunch of dishes, you can play with your kids, finish that house project you’ve been working on, or spend some quality time with your spouse. Less effort going into meal prep means more energy to do the things you love.

	DINING OUT	COOKING
TIME	~1.5 hours Per meal	~1 hour Per meal	~90 seconds! Per meal
COST	~$14 + tip Per meal	$8 Per meal	~from $8.50 Per meal Additional % savings with plans
EFFORT	Travel time, parking, wait time, meal prep and service	Planning, shopping, preparation and cook time	Dietitian curated meals delivered to one of our convenient locations

A meal prep service that saves you time and energy, is cost effective, and provides your family with healthy meals (hint hint: we do!) is a win all around. Fit Five makes it possible for you to eat healthy without breaking the budget.

Take a peek at this week’s menu to see what we mean!

Being mindful of what you’re putting into your body is a key aspect of wellness. Here are 3 healthy habits you can implement in order to maximize your nutrition.

Eat Balanced Snacks

If you want to maximize your nutrition, start with your snacks. So many of us grab a cheese stick or munch on an apple and call it a snack, but the best snacks include lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and some healthy fat. Here are some well-balanced snack ideas:

• Apple slices with almond butter
• Celery sticks with hummus
• Pineapple chunks with cottage cheese
• Orange slices with mixed nuts
• Pear slices with string cheese
• Mixed berries with greek yogurt
• Avocado with tomato and low-fat mozzarella cheese
• Hard-boiled egg with zucchini sticks
• Healthy beef jerky with apple slices 
• Canned salmon with edamame
• Whole grain toast topped with turkey breast and avocado
• Red bell pepper with guacamole
• Dark chocolate and almonds
• Natural peanut butter with celery sticks
• Sugar snap peas with ricotta cheese
• Dried fruit with sunflower seeds
• Sugar-free beef jerky with cheddar cheese slices

Find Healthy Replacements for Foods You Crave

Making simple swaps can really maximize your nutrition. You want to make the most of the calories you’re consuming! A big part of that is eating foods that fuel and satisfy you instead of causing blood sugar crashes and unwanted weight gain. Craving a candy bar? Opt for a protein bar that is low in sugar. Reaching for a bag of chips? Eat some popcorn or chickpea chips instead! Making a sandwich for work? Use whole grain bread instead of white bread. It might not seem like a big change, but over time, those choices can really pay off.

Lower Your Stress Levels

What does stress have to do with nutrition? Plenty! Studies have shown that stress can lead to binge eating unhealthy foods and, in turn, cause weight gain. Web MD says:

“Do you tend to feel much better after having sweets or carbs? There’s a reason: These foods tell your brain to release a chemical called serotonin, which boosts your mood. That’s why cakes, cookies, and French fries are often called “comfort foods” — but the comforting feelings don’t last long. Soon after you eat these treats, your blood sugar will drop (or “crash”), and you’ll be tired and shaky.”

When you take active steps to lower your stress levels, you are able to develop healthy eating habits as well. Exercising mental self-care doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, either! Getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night, lowering your caffeine intake, or going on a 10-minute walk outdoors daily are all great ways to lower your stress levels and avoid unhealthy binge eating.

If you want to maximize your nutrition, start small. Making too many big changes all at once makes it more difficult to stick to those healthy habits long term. So pick something simple that you know you can keep up with. You might be surprised how quickly you see a difference!

For more information contact us today!