Many people seem to forget that eating well can significantly improve their mental health. Thoughtful meal planning can help regulate your emotions, reduce anxiety, and even support long-term mental stability (especially financially). Current research supports that family meals provide a time for families to feel connected and help children learn social-emotional skills. By planning out meals, you have more time to spend with your family, or to yourself, instead of meal prepping and worrying about all the dishes from cooking.

When your life is busy, maybe with work, school, or other priorities you may have, meal prepping can help save you lots of time. Meal prepping also contributes to a large sense of stability and routine. Poor diet is linked closely to mental health issues, and by meal prepping, you don’t have to worry about not knowing what to make before your next meal. By taking the time to plan and prepare your meals in advance, you can ensure access to nutritious, balanced meals throughout the week. This also prevents last-minute meals such as instant ramen, pizza pops, or resorting to using DoorDash. You will feel so much better about your schedule, and your body will thank you:)

For me, the biggest issue with not knowing how to meal prep originally was the amount of money I would waste on food at the store that would go bad anyway. On that note, I would like to try and have the least amount of food waste come out of my kitchen as possible. On top of this, the amount of money I ended up spending on grocery trips, wandering through the aisles, blew my mind. By learning how to meal prep, not only will you decrease financial stress, but you will also have a lot more structure to your days, making it so much less stressful come meal times.

Meal prep today, stress less tomorrow!

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How I started meal prepping

Sometimes it can be difficult to actually start meal planning. I know for myself, it was difficult to actually figure out a list of meals and groceries in order to be ready for the next week. One solution to this could be trying to meal plan for a couple of days at a time. You can begin planning around what food you have, grabbing extra items if necessary.

Start picking out some fun recipes you want to try! Choose easy recipes that don’t take too much time or effort, and be mindful of the health aspects, because it’s important to eat meals that fulfill your dietary needs. One way to start this, is by checking out the Canada Food Guide.

It is important to consider that many people have certain dietary needs and preferences. For example, people with Celiac disease have to avoid gluten, and people following a vegetarian lifestyle do not eat meat. By meal prepping, you have full control over what you are going to be eating. This means you can tailor your meals to meet your individual needs.

Here is a look at some of the online resources I used. Instagram and YouTube also provided me with lots of good meal prep inspiration, which makes me believe that it is a routine that anybody can learn.

In Summary

Eating well can significantly improve mental health. Thoughtful meal planning helps regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and even supports long-term stability, both mentally and financially. Research shows that family meals strengthen connections and help children develop social-emotional skills. By planning your meals, you gain more quality time with family or yourself instead of constantly cooking or cleaning.

When life gets busy with work, school, or other priorities, meal prepping saves time and creates a sense of stability and routine. A poor diet is linked to mental health issues, but by preparing meals in advance, you can ensure nutritious, balanced options all week. It also prevents unhealthy, last-minute meals like instant ramen or takeout.