Prospre: Meal Planner
Meal plans based on macros
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November 23, 2023
Life as a college student is one of the most exciting and challenging experiences that you will have. The excitement of learning combined with new friends and blossoming independence is a recipe for growing into the best adult you can be. However, healthy growth isn’t just about new experiences and getting to class on time. Building healthy habits that include fitness and nutrition goals is essential for maintaining your health later in life when you’re not as young and resilient. Find out how to successfully create easy meal plans for busy students to save you time and money while improving your health along the way.
The first step in meeting your goals is setting them. Without knowing where you want to go, you will likely never get there. Begin by evaluating your current state of affairs. Set some small, reachable goals for yourself. Make plans for your health that include fitness and nutrition goals so you can use those to drive your meal planning.
Science says that vigorous working out at least three to four times a week for at least 30 minutes is sufficient exercise for most people. However, health researchers also recommend that people get at least 30 minutes of active resting exercise each day. Between classes, homework, and social obligations, you may not be hitting the mark for all your vigorous and active resting exercise. A small but reachable goal to start with may be to get at least 15 minutes of walking in each day. You can count the steps on your phone or smartwatch to monitor your goals.
Everyone learned about the food pyramid in grade school. While some things have changed, much has stayed the same but become more specific to the individual. Begin by setting goals to eat more green vegetables and then broaden it to include more colors. As you advance in your nutrition planning, you can track your macros for gains or weight loss, depending on your personal goals.
Student meal planning in college is the best way to make sure that you reach your nutritional goals. Not only can you build your shopping list around your plan for the week, but you can also use it to budget for the month. Budgeting for food costs is an important life skill for adults.
Depending on what your goals are, you need to plan meals with two different objectives in mind. The first is to attempt to meet your nutrition and fitness goals, and the second objective is to accommodate the schedule and limitations you have to obtain and prepare the food you need. Not everyone has a full-sized fridge or an oven in college; many students only have access to a mini-fridge and a microwave. Consider these parameters when planning meals.
Whether you have a full kitchen or not, plan easy meals that you can prepare in little to no time. Save more advanced recipes for special occasions or every other weekend. While it is important to increase your culinary repertoire as you grow, your budget and planner will thank you for keeping food prep short and calculated during the busy week.
No one is contesting that your time and money are limited as a college student. Moreover, your health often takes a back-seat to studying and getting piles of homework completed. A meal plan for busy students helps you stay healthy while you exercise mental stamina in your courses.
Rather than having to stop by the cafeteria or order pizza and then wait for delivery, meal planning has you covered for the whole week. Pick one day and time, such as Sunday afternoon when your schedule is less demanding, and set up your meals and snacks for the entire week then.
Vending machines are highway robbery. Campus fast food is overpriced. Delivery takes forever and costs more than you have to spend. A better plan is to order what groceries you can store and use for the week and pay to have them delivered. This way you can do homework or rest while someone else does the shopping. Delivery saves you from spending money on a ride-share or a bus, as well as dealing with the hassle of dragging the bags back to your place.
Mid-year finals usually coincide with the cold and flu season. To help protect yourself from this dubious combination, maintain your health with nutritional meal planning all semester long. Rather than miss study sessions or, worse, have to reschedule the final for the harder retake, you can be sure that you’ll be at your all-time best thanks to healthy and easy meal prep.
You can find easy recipes with limited ingredients by downloading the Prospre macro meal planning app. Step-by-step instructions and detailed nutritional information can help you make the food you need to meet your dietary goals with limited time and resources.