5 Meal Prep Mistakes You Must Know

Meal prep can be a great way to ensure you are eating the right nutrients to energise your body and optimise your health. It can also make your week a lot easier to manage! No matter what your health journey looks like, preparing meals ahead of time can help you to achieve your goals.

Try to avoid these common meal prep mistakes:

Mistake 1. Not preparing food to fuel your body

This one is a no-brainer — creating meals lacking in nutrients is not what meal prep is about! You should be so proud that you’re taking steps to benefit your health, such as preparing nutritious meals, so you want to get the most out of it. 

Include foods that have the right combination of protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. If you don’t, you might feel hungry again soon after a meal, or you might disregard it altogether because it doesn’t seem appetising enough.

Mistake 2. Preparing the wrong portion sizes

Ladies, each person’s body digests food at a different rate. You need to listen to your body and provide yourself with wholesome food that will satisfy you, without leaving you feeling hungry or like you overate.

Start by preparing adequate portion sizes and see how they make you feel. Over time you will learn what the right amount is for you, depending on your health goals. Using portion-sized containers is also a really helpful way to avoid packing either too much or too little for your body and lifestyle needs.

On that note - Mistake 2A. Never prep while hungry! You are more likely to end up snacking your way through the process or over-serving yourself in the meals you prepare. 

Mistake 3. Overcomplicating meals

Don’t make it hard for yourself! The whole purpose of preparing meals ahead of time is to make life easier for you. Some people love trying elaborate recipes and getting creative. If you don’t, you might actually be putting yourself off the idea of meal prep by making the process harder. You don’t want to dread preparing meals because you are spending hours making a variety of complicated dishes. By keeping your recipes simple but tasty, it can feel less like a chore!

Mistake 4. Eating the same thing. Every. Day.

On the other hand, you probably want to avoid eating the same thing every day. Healthy and simple by no means makes it boring and this is really important to remember if you want to get into a meal prep routine. Sure, repeat the same meal a few times but generally the more you switch between different meals, the more enjoyable the experience.

Even if you generally stick to the same ingredients, mix and match the combinations. For example, if you prepare chicken, broccoli and brown rice for a nourish bowl (like my healthy winter lunch bowl recipe), you can also use the chicken and broccoli in a salad with different vegetables and some legumes. 

Mistake 5. Making all of the food in one day

Soggy sandwich, anyone? Nothing will put you off meal prepping quicker than food that tastes awful! Some food can go off quite quickly, especially foods like rice and meat, so you need to be careful when preparing meals ahead of time. 

Breaking up your meal prep time over two different days is an effective way to ensure your food remains as fresh as possible. Before your week begins, write a list of the foods you want to eat each day. Then, plan some time during the week to prepare these meals and eat the meals likely to spoil the fastest.

That’s how to avoid common meal prep mistakes!

Remember, healthy living is a journey! Finding what works best for you and creating your own routine is the key to success.

Have you ever made any meal prep mistakes?  Comment below to share them! 

Love, Kayla xx