There’s more to meal prep than the beautiful, colorful, and meticulously organized food you see on social media. The health benefits of meal prep for men are real and include increased nutrition, less overeating, better time management, and decreased stress. For anyone unclear on what meal prep is, it’s when you plan, prepare, and (usually) cook several days’ worth of meals in advance.
Meal Prep for Men: Why It Is Healthy?
Meal prep is healthy for anyone, including men. If you’re a guy who does not have a lot of kitchen experience, no worries. You can still enjoy the benefits of meal prep with minimal cooking skills. Chances are, you’ll pick up more cooking in no time at all and boost these meal prep creds.
Better Nutrition
Some menfolk grab burgers on the way home, tear open a bag of chips, or crack open a beer when they feel hungry. These scenarios do not lend themselves to the best nutritional choices. They are like going grocery shopping when you are hungry, a bad idea.
Meal prep forces you to think through what you are going to eat and why. People who meal prep consume more fruits and vegetables and are more likely to make conscious choices about what they put in their bodies. They typically don’t go grocery shopping when hungry, either, which has the additional benefit of saving money.
By meal prepping, you cut down on the sodium and sugars found in many prepackaged and processed foods. You have a better chance of improved nutrition in general and of meeting any nutritional or dietary goals you may want to set.
Less Overeating
Meal prep for men is a smart way to ensure regular meals that keep your belly full. You can even snack prep so snacks are handy when you need them, too.
Another advantage of meal prep is portion control. You cook a sizable amount of food up front and then put it into designated containers for the next few days. Gone are the days when you’d cook a meal and eat everything, including what could have been leftovers, on the spot.
More Time for Exercise and Relaxation
Some guys spend a lot of time every day going to the grocery store and cooking or waiting in the fast food drive-through. With meal prep for men, you cook as many as three, five, or seven days’ worth of meals in the time it takes to cook one or two. There is a lot less cleanup, too. Put together, it leads to incredible time savings.
When it comes time to eat one of the meals you prepared, you just press a few buttons on the microwave or oven. No cooking and cleaning every day. You get a lot more free space to hit the gym, date, and relax.
Reduced Stress
Trying to plan meals every day can be a stressor, as can trying to figure out when you’re going to be able to head to the store during the evening commute and then cook at home. (Not to mention these times you are in the middle of preparing a meal only to discover you’re missing an ingredient and must dash back to the store.) It’s no wonder that guys just grab some fast food instead.
Also, food can get expensive quickly especially if you eat out a lot. Ditto if you buy groceries but end up not using a lot of them. Impulse purchases, uneaten leftovers, and spoiled food become much less of a problem or go away entirely with meal prep for men. More cash means less stress.
Less Anger
No one likes “hangry” people. Even the coolest guy can become a jerk when he’s hungry. Fortunately, meal prep should reduce any “hangry” incidences you have. The ripple effects are huge since anger can alienate colleagues, bosses, and loved ones, and cost people their jobs and relationships.
More Bonding
Many guys who meal prep do not do it just for themselves. They may do it for their spouse, children, parents, and others. Meal prepping together can be a bonding experience, and themes such as “Italian,” or “potatoes,” may add to the fun. Even when guys meal prep solo, it leaves them a lot more time elsewhere in the week for bonding with loved ones.
Help With Fitness and Dietary Goals
Common health goals for men include losing weight, increasing stamina, and bulking up. Meal prep helps both directly and indirectly.
Directly, it helps because you get better opportunities to make conscious choices about what goes in your body. You can customize meals to meet your goals. Another direct effect is that increased cooking skill means you’re able to do more with food.
Indirectly, the time savings mean you have more availability to, say, hit the gym or go on a run to work on your stamina for a marathon.
Improved Sex Life
Meal prep for men can even improve a man’s sex life. With less stress, happier moods, more time, and increased confidence, sex can become more fun and effective.
Longer Life
Research shows that eating meals away from home significantly increases a person’s mortality risk. In other words, you’re more likely to die when you do not eat at home. Prepping meals at home could literally prolong your life. If that is not a reason to give it a try, then what is?
Fortunately, meal prep is pretty easy to ease into. Set yourself up for success, and don’t bite off more than you can chew (pun intended). For example, focus on prepping only three meals to start with instead of seven. You can buy in bulk to save money. Take it easy, and you’re all set.
Meal Prep for Men
Meal prep saves you time and money. It can motivate you more to reach fitness goals and become healthier. Get ideas related to meal prep for men and other health tips on Rugged Standard with our grub, health, and adventure categories. Read about lifting weights, hosting dinner parties, and more.