Make meal prep easy

The prospect of meal prep may seem overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be.  

Dr. Sandra Palavecino, who cares for patients at TidalHealth Medical Weight Loss & Bariatric Nutrition in Seaford, says the containers and baggies really aren’t necessary.  

Meal prepping, rather than making last-minute decisions about lunch, is something that can help people stay on track with their health or weight-loss goals.  

“You’re committing to a plan that you’re going to follow the next day, and that is so empowering,” Dr. Palavecino said.  

Pack for the week 

Rather than separating each meal into its own container, Dr. Palavecino said those who have a refrigerator available at work can bring a cooler of food to store there for a few days.  

She recommends bringing frozen protein and vegetables for lunch separately rather than the premade meals, as the separate items generally include far fewer ingredients and are less processed. People can also buy the protein ahead of time to keep meals less processed — for example, rotisserie or barbecued chicken.  

Next steps 

The next step can be cooking for meal prep. Dr. Palavecino said you can plan to cook extra dinner to have leftovers to take to work the next day. However, this involves planning — buying and preparing more food rather than hoping someone will eat less than usual. She also recommends making meals in the crock pot or air fryer. 

Be sure to set reasonable, attainable goals when it comes to making an adjustment, and take it day by day, she said. For example, you don’t have to go from the habit of eating out daily to never eating out again.  

“Don’t try to change yourself 100 percent on Day 1,” Dr. Palavecino said.