Tupperware-free Meal Preparation

Making better food choices without making it everything

You must be prepared for your meals to improve your nutrition intake. This doesn’t mean everything is pre-cooked and sitting in a Tupperware container by your side, but it requires considering upcoming meals.

You are more likely to make poor nutrition choices when you are hungry. We can’t avoid getting hungry, so the best way to avoid poor nutrition choices is to reduce the need for choice. This is where preparation becomes key.

Preparing your meals in advance is an option that works well for many people. It also saves time and money by cooking in bulk. I’ve gone down the Tupperware path and while I am unlikely to do it again, it’s simple and effective for some people and gives them back valuable time and space in their day.

Cooking a bit more food for dinner and taking it for lunch the next day is also a good option. Many people eat breakfast and dinner at home, so lunch or snacks expose them to temptation. Eating lunch out is often easier to justify because it’s just you. But while the cost seems smaller, the calories remain yours.

These preparation options ensure you have access to the right meal and eliminate the need to venture out and make food choices. However, there are also ways to improve that.

Researching good food choices at nearby restaurants and cafes allows you to be prepared when buying food. Knowing a decent salad in the mall or grilled fish from the takeaway shop can keep you on track when you are short of time or simply want to eat something different. 

This idea extends into eating out or ordering in when treating yourself. Instead of ordering too much when you get there, think ahead (you’re reading the menu anyway) to get an idea of what your order will look like. The idea isn’t to put hard limits on what you consume but to put some soft boundaries in place to avoid overconsumption for the sake of eating. 

Preparation is the key to good nutrition choices and helps to manage the weak link in food management (us). Preparing beats knowledge every day of the week. 

I know a bit about nutrition, but I also know that if I’m in town and don’t have lunch with me, I will be eating sushi. This sounds like a healthy option, but the calories (and carbs) quickly stack up when six sushi rolls find their way onto my order.

Planning ahead is picking up some fruit before visiting the sushi place and capping the order at three or four sushi rolls. The good thing about buying the fruit or something else before ordering food is that it’s already paid for, which reduces the chances of ordering the usual. 

The best way to prepare is different for everyone and it’s a good idea to try out a few options to see what sticks. You might find that meal preparation improves your life or could be the bane of your existence. 

You don’t have to start by mapping the entire week of eating. Focus on optimising lunch for a couple of weeks and then switch the focus to dinner for a period after that.

As you begin to understand what works for you, it becomes easier to commit time or effort to make it work. An hour or two of meal prep is worth saving time and money while eating better food.

Likewise, cutting back on entrees and dessert when eating out might get some attention at the table, but if it allows you to eat out frequently while managing your nutrition intake, it’s a good strategy.

Think about how you can prepare for some meals next week and give the strategy a run to see how it goes.