What does nutrition mean to you? Simply put, good nutrition means getting the right amount of healthy foods in the right combinations. Making smart choices about the foods you eat can help you to promote and maintain your good health - but when pressed for time during a busy work day, making informed decisions about what to refuel with can be a hassle.

To take the guesswork out of keeping your lunch nutritious, planning ahead can be quite handy. With a little bit of preparation, you can skip the lunch line and be sure that your meal includes all the good stuff you need to make it through the rest of the day. To get started, follow these three simple rules.

Choose Your Prep Day

Just like any chore, it’s helpful to have an idea of when you’re going to take the time to prepare your meals for the week. However, don’t make the mistake of assuming you have to fit all of your meal prep into one day. Preparing meals for too many days in advance can leave you exhausted at the end of your prep session – and even worse, you run the risk of your meals spoiling before you can eat them. So choose one or two days a week to set aside time to cook to keep your lunches fresh.

Stick to Your Staples   

Keeping lunches healthy isn’t difficult, but there are a few common factors that trip up even the most nutrition-conscious people from time to time. One way to cut down on the risk of filling your lunch box with a less-than-healthy combination is to plan your meals before you begin cooking. Simply choose a recipe or two to prepare that combines a protein, like chicken or lean ground beef, with a favorite veggie, and top off your concoction with a carbohydrate, such as oats, quinoa or rice. Voilà – lunch is prepared!

It’s All in the Container

Good storage containers are the foundation of your new meal prepping routine. In short, to be most effective your meal containers should be:

• Freezer and dishwasher safe
• Microwavable
• Stackable
• Reusable
• Clear
• Air-tight

Beginning a new meal prepping routine can seem a little overwhelming. By paying special attention to the three points above, you’ll have no trouble making sure that you have a week full of healthy, tasty lunches ahead of you.

 (Image courtesy of flicker.com)