What may bother many people is that it's hard to control the amount of food when they cook if there is only one person having meals, with the food being either too simple or too wasteful. In this case, meal prep can be a better choice to deal with it.
Meal prep is a popular eating pattern in the field of fitness. Owning strict dietary requirements, fitness-loving people will prepare foods for the next week in advance according to the prescribed recipes. These foods may be refrigerated or frozen, and then be taken out and reheated when it's time to eat. One of the advantages of meal prep is that it is the most convenient way to help you maintain a balanced diet in compliance with your own plans instead of eating as one pleases. And meal prep can also be paired with fresh vegetables which are easy to cook so as to diversify your meals.
Compared with being prepared and served right at the table, it is inevitable that the nutrients of food would be destroyed in the processes of storage and heating. However, as long as we handle and preserve food in the proper way, the shelf life of food can also be prolonged. When preparing the ingredients, we need to clean and dry them, and store them in vacuum seal canisters, with the raw and cooked foods being separated to avoid cross-pollution. Use vacuum sealers, a good assistant in the kitchen, to seal tightly to keep away from dampness and being tainted by other odors.
As for the choice of food in the meal prep, first of all, we ought to make sure that there are plenty of carbohydrates like quinoa, brown rice, potato, corn and pumpkin to provide a constant feeling of satiety on the training days. Proteins, such as chicken breast and lean beef, can be properly seasoned to ensure the taste. And leafy greens don't need to be chosen because they are more likely to produce nitrites than other kinds of vegetables. Hence, it is better to choose root vegetables, including broccoli, purple cabbage and asparagus.
Meal prep is a relatively healthy and convenient way for fitness people and others who are busy with work. If being good at selecting foods and preserving them in suitable packaging, we are able to keep a well-balanced diet and enjoy great life satisfaction.