Meal Prepping May Actually Be Sabotaging Your Diet

Portioning your weekly meals into plastic or even BPA-free containers packs some major risks. Among them is weight gain. If your Sunday nights are dedicated to meal prepping for the week ahead, you’re part of a mighty group of health nuts. The planning ahead of meals is a main tip of weight loss coaches, food bloggers and nutritionists. Indeed, meal prepping’s popularity has exploded on social media. On Instagram alone there are 5.5 million photos tagged #mealprep and 1.1 million tagged #foodprep. While perfectly portioned-out food for seven days does make for the perfect #foodporn snapshot, meal preppers are onto an idea that — at least in concept — is good for your diet, according to research. People who spend more time preparing meals are more likely to have healthier diets, according to a 2014 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. They eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. They also eat at fast food restaurants only half as often as people who only spend less than an hour each day prepping and cooking their meals. In addition, they spend less money on food. More recently, a 2017 study of 40,000 adults in France found that people who meal prepped at least a few days at a time were less likely to be overweight and stuck more closely to nutritional guidelines. The survey also found that meal prepping led to more food variety over the week. Portion control is one key way food prepping helps people maintain a healthy weight or...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news