Planning and preparing meals ahead of time can conserve time and energy, assist in weight loss

Planning and preparing meals ahead of time can be an easy and accessible way to work ahead and conserve time throughout the week.

Janet Anders, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Fitness Plus in Cape Girardeau, says there are several different approaches a person could take toward meal prepping, such as making weekly menus, preparing several lunches or dinners at the beginning of a week or utilizing boxed delivery options like Blue Apron, Freshly or HelloFresh.

"I think it depends on the person as to what's going to work best for them," she says.

Anders says time and money are particular components to consider when deciding which meal prepping option is best.

"I think if you have a plan in place, just like your finances or like your vacation plans, they tend to go smoother and you tend to not fall off the wagon, so to speak," she says. "You're not tempted to drive through someplace maybe to get something to eat. Â… I do think that if you have a plan in place then you're more likely to select healthier options."

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Having meals prepared beforehand can lead to a level of accessibility and ease that lends little room for making excuses or breaking a diet, Anders says.

"If you have all that in place and you've got the healthy items, it's one less excuse you have to not use them," she says.

Anders says meal prepping is almost like keeping a food log or journal.

"There are two ways you can keep a food log, the first one is you write everything down as soon as you eat it," she says. "But the second way is really just meal planning, so you plan out your meals, and as long as it's on your meal plan you're able to eat it."

This often helps ward off temptation from overeating or splurging.

"We always say, 'If it's not on your meal plan, it's not something that you can do a BLT,' or a bite, lick and taste, with," Anders says.

There is an array of blogs and video blogs available to help assist those looking to get into meal planning. Anders says her favorite resource is SNAP-Ed (https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/), a website through the Department of Agriculture that can help people on a budget create meals based on their lifestyle, budget and how many people live in the home.

"It's extremely cost efficient, but they've got lots of tried and true recipes," she says.

One common misconception Anders says she hears is that eating healthy has to be more expensive than the lifestyles people are used to.

She says people often eat more than a single serving of food, which can drive up costs, but also consumers are looking for too much variety in their meal choices. Rather than having six different breakfast meals every week, Anders suggests finding a few items to rotate regularly to keep costs lower.

To keep planning stress to a minimum, Anders recommends starting small.

"I think a lot of people struggle with trying to do their entire week, breakfast, lunch and supper and snacks, and while that's good, some people may not have time to do that," she says.

She recommends starting with a list of family-approved dishes, and then tweaking the meals to be healthier or tailored for the family's specific needs.

Along with SNAP-Ed, there are a number of websites to help personalize meals and plan grocery lists.

Anders suggests Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters (http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/), a page that shows when all fruits and vegetables are in season and when they will be most cost efficient to purchase throughout the year.

Anders says frozen fruits and vegetables are viable options when certain items aren't in season.

"They actually might be cheaper or they might be on sale, and you might get a fresher experience, more nutrient density," she says.

Anders says choosemyplate.org is a good baseline because it allows for plugging in different meal options to provide a calorie estimate.

"While they're going to look at an overall well-balanced plan, people might have more specifics, and that's why it's almost cost effective to meet with a dietitian so they can do those things for you, but you could get a calorie level started there," she says.

Depending on the person and if they have a weight loss goal, Anders says people who cut back their calorie intake too drastically may not see any weight loss.

"Depending on the foods you select, and again, if you can find some things that you enjoy and maybe look outside the box, you can actually eat quite a big volume of food for very little calories and you can put that as part of your meal prep," she says.

And in terms of fad diets, which some people use along with their meal prepping plans, Anders says individuals often don't consider their personal medical history and how their diet could affect their overall health.

"A lot of times it can cause further problems down the road," she says.

In that case, she suggests speaking with a registered dietitian or expert to develop the best dietary plan.