Meal Prep: More Than Just a Healthy Body

Meal prep. Is it worth it? Or just a phase that swept over the health and wellness world.

Let’s break it down to show you how planning your weeks’ meals in advance can get you to a promotion, a raise, or just in a better place overall.

1. The Obvious: It Benefits Your Body

When you are planning out your meals and deciding what you want to fuel your body with every week, you have an abundance of healthy options at your fingertips. Prepping your meals for the week ahead not only allows for much healthier options compared to eating out or throwing together a makeshift meal, but it also is significantly less expensive.

Most Americans try to eat healthy, even when dining out, but with the average salad costing 11 dollars in New York City, it’s difficult. However, my average cost for a lunch or dinner is between four and five dollars when I prepare something ahead of time.

Another benefit of meal prepping is that you can focus on what specific macro and micro nutrients you want to fuel your body with for the upcoming week. If you have been feeling sick, load up your lunches with some foods high in Vitamin C such as green peppers, oranges, and strawberries.

When your body is fueled with nutrient-rich foods...

2. ...Your Mind Is Elevated

With a well prepared and healthy diet, come a variety of different mental benefits. When you give your body the energy to keep you motivated and active throughout the day, it will lead to improved work ethic because of a balanced mind.

It is proven that certain foods, lead to increased focus, concentration, and creativity in the workplace. Eating more fruits and vegetables has even been proven to increase your happiness, sometimes quicker than it will improve your health. With an increased healthy diet, you will be able to focus more on yourself and the relationships around you. Thus, bettering the relationships you have with your coworkers. Who knows, maybe one is a fellow meal prepper as well! Book club? How about meal prep club!

3. Improved State of Body & Mind Raises Productivity

Once you have decided to meal prep and to eat healthier foods, you will become more productive because you’re focusing on the most important tool in your toolbox: your brain.

Increased productivity leads to a variety of things especially in the workplace. Employees become more invested in their projects and take pride in a job well done. A productive employee has increased self-esteem on a day-to-day basis, because they are producing better work. This combination of involvement and self-confidence leads to an employee who will thrive in all aspects of their position and completes work that is truly one of a kind.

4. Companies Are Here to Help

If meal prepping is not your strength, some companies still encourage the healthy lifestyle and the benefits that a healthy diet can provide to their employees. Many tech companies are now encouraging healthy meal options to their employees.

Google provides portion control plates and color coded lunch options so employees can easily see what meals offer the best choices. Microsoft instilled a “Real Easy Wellness” label on all snacks to allow employees to see which snacks provide nutrients and which are not as healthy.

So while “meal prep” might have just been a phase, it can still make your work life a little easier, healthier, and more productive.