{"id":4379,"date":"2017-04-30T10:06:36","date_gmt":"2017-04-30T17:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/?p=4379"},"modified":"2021-01-20T15:26:21","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T22:26:21","slug":"meal-prep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/meal-prep\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple Way to Upgrade Meal Prep & Eat Healthier in Less Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201c<\/span>What do you want to eat?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On the surface, it\u2019s such a simple question. And the answer has endless possibilities. But the simplicity combined with the variety is the exact reason why this question stops you in your tracks and makes meal prep — and deciding what to eat — feel much harder than it should.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can keep you standing still in long cereal aisles, staring at a restaurant menu, or sitting for in front of a blank page that\u2019s supposed to be your grocery list. <\/span><\/p>\n

The point of meal prep is not to be perfect. It\u2019s to make it easier for you to be imperfect.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The time you spend thinking about what you want to eat is considerable. Add it up across your lifetime and it probably feels like a lot of wasted time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Making matters worse, these choices literally wear you down\u2014and make you more prone to bad decisions. After all, willpower is an exhaustible quantity.<\/a> Studies show that the same is true of sound decision making. Researchers have found that the more decisions a person made, the less self-control they had.<\/a> Psychologists call the phenomenon \u201cdecision fatigue.\u201d <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t think you\u2019re a willpower weakling for falling victim to this. The phenomenon runs true for even the most trained of minds taking on their most common tasks. For proof, look no further than this analysis of parole board decisions.<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers found that the judges were more likely to rule in favor of a parolee on two occasions: <\/span><\/p>\n

1) earlier in the day, or <\/span><\/p>\n

2) nearer to a meal. <\/span><\/p>\n

As the day wore on, judged drifted toward automatically choosing the easier decision: rejecting the application. <\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re not a judge, but each day, three times a day or more, you\u2019re making judgments about what you should eat. And you know what happens when you run out of energy and start looking for easy answers: It\u2019s\u00a0drive-thru. Or a vending machine. Or a\u00a0bag of nachos in the cupboard because it\u2019s right there. And hey, pizza is a vegetable, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

Look, when it comes to healthy eating and meal prep, less is more. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean less food. In fact, sometimes the problem that\u2019s holding someone back is that they aren\u2019t eating enough\u2014not enough calories to build muscle, or not enough protein, or not enough healthy fat to feel full. Coaching clients<\/a> are often surprised to find out that they can eat more and get leaner. <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

No. What we mean is less thinking. <\/span><\/p>\n

What if you could make healthy eating or meal prep so simple it was almost reflexive? Then you could give your body exactly what it needs, spend a whole lot less time worrying, and enjoy the results\u2014both at the table (with delicious meals) and at the beach (hey look, abs!). <\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is you can simplify the meal prep and planning process. Start saving time today by using these tips to declutter your grocery list (and your brain), and make it easier for you to choose the meals that are best for your body (and taste buds). <\/span><\/p>\n

Break down recipes into simple blocks<\/h2>\n

When meal prep consists of choosing which recipes you want to eat out of a 500-page cookbook, the process is undeniably overwhelming. Here\u2019s the thing: You don\u2019t have to pick a new recipe for every single meal. Instead, you can follow a formula that hits on all of the macronutrients you need\u2014and does so in a format you like. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take stir-fry, for example. It really only has four elements: <\/span><\/p>\n