How a meal prep bag can improve your life
Neat meal preparation
Regardless of the kind of food you want to take with you, a meal prep bag makes it easy to pack and store it. The bags typically come with some neat compartments and leak and spill-free containers, which offer a more organized and safer way of preserving your lunch.
You will save money
Eating healthy does not necessarily have to be costly, especially if you have got a meal prep bag. Take advantage of your meal prep bag and carry home-made food with you on your trip, or even to work. This means you will be spending less money on eating outside at lunchtime at work, which is usually expensive. Basically, a meal prep bag helps you to save money.
You won’t waste food
We know there are many times in the past you have had to throw away your food that got spoilt before you got some free time to eat it at work. Do you remember how bad you felt? Well, a meal prep bag can help you avoid such ugly situations. Since a meal prep bag will help preserve the freshness and warmth of your food until you are ready to eat it, there is no chance of your food ever getting spoilt again.
Helps you to avoid rush and harmful diet
When you have a meal prep bag that helps with your activities, there is no chance of you rushing onto food joints to consume unhealthy meals. Since a meal prep bag stores food at its optimal temperature without affecting its taste, you can easily plan when to eat your food without being concerned about spoilage.
It teaches you the art of portion control
Probably the most beautiful thing about having a meal prep bag is that it teaches you to stay balanced. Packing your meals in different containers keeps you from reaching for more. Essentially, it teaches you portion control, which is vital if you want to consume the appropriate amount of nutrients and lose weight. While you can still give yourself a treat from time to time, keeping a tab on the amount of food you’re consuming is important.
Features to consider before buying a meal prep bag
Meal prep bags are important for a healthy lifestyle. Apart from helping you to store your food, these bags are also essential to stay healthy as they prevent you from consuming junk food at work or wherever you go.
While choosing the right meal prep bag for your needs can be a challenging task, below is a guide about some things you need to take into consideration when looking for the best meal prep bags to buy.
Insulation
Keeping your meals properly insulated is the main function of a meal prep bag. Whether it is a warm item or a cold one, they must be able to retain the right temperatures from storage time to consumption time. At least, a good meal prep bag has to keep your food fresh for four hours. However, keep in mind that insulation system doesn’t depend solely on the kind of bag you buy, but on the containers as well.
Store your food only with a bag that has proper insulation mechanisms, preferably one with EPA foam or PEVA lining. There are bags that preserve meals using nylon, but we don’t recommend such. While the nylon layer actually insulates the meal, it can’t really sustain it for long periods.
On a similar note, if the meal containers are made with durable materials and feature a great airtight mechanism, another layer of insulation is added to your food.
Dimensions
Before opting for a meal prep bag, it is important to understand exactly what you need, especially when it comes to the dimensions and sizes. If you intend to be taking your meal prep bag to work, it wouldn’t be ideal to be carrying a super-large meal prep bag that can even double as a traveler bag. While most meal prep bags are simple and compact, there are some exceptions which are made for a different kind of people like gym enthusiasts or travelers. Such bags will be perfect for storing multiple boxes to preserve food for a whole day.
You also need to take the size of the containers into consideration. While some boxes feature portion control systems, some do not. If you are always conscious of your health or you are on a diet plan, we recommend you to choose a model with portion-controlled containers like the Fit & Fresh JAXX Quilted Meal Prep Yoga Bag.
Handles and straps
The handles and straps that comes with the bag are another important consideration you need to make before making an order. How exactly do you want to carry your bag? On your back? Over your shoulder? Or you want to carry it in your hand? Obviously, the straps and handles must be included and they must be sturdy enough so that they won’t tear too easily. The Secura Large Insulated Cooler Lunch Bag and the Fitmark Box Meal Prep Insulated Bag are two models with excellent straps.
Weight
It is also important for a prospective buyer to consider the weight of the meal prep bag. Since these bags are actually designed for on-the-go usage, we don’t think it makes sense to go for a model that is heavy, considering the fact that you’re likely to carry other things apart from the food.
Besides, the bag will become much heavier after it’s have been filled with your meals, so you have to keep the weight down as much as possible. You could consider lightweight options like the Hango Insulated Lunch Bag, the North Coyote Insulated Backpack or the Outdoorwares Cooler Bag.
Materials used
The materials used to construct your meal prep bag can affect many other factors, the biggest of them being portability and durability. For instance, despite the fact that a plastic meal prep bag may be ideal for movability as plastic models are often foldable, it’s durability may be questionable. You have to ensure that the material used to make your meal prep bag is perfect for your needs and wants.
Extra features
There are also some additional features you have to factor in when looking for the right meal prep bag for your needs. First of all, you need to consider the design, and make sure it’s produced with convenience and comfort of the users in mind. The truth is that the compartments on some bags are not easy to access, so you must avoid such bags.
You should also check if the bag comes with multiple pockets as they are often useful for storing your essentials. Also check the quality of zippers as some bags often come with low-quality ones, which may start giving you problems from the very first day.
Who and when will benefit from such a bag most
While those who often stay at home may never have any need for a meal prep bag, there are some people who need it more than anything in the world:
Fitness enthusiasts – Fitness enthusiasts are probably the biggest beneficiaries when it comes to meal prep bags. Like we’ve already mentioned earlier, these bags help users to eat healthy, and eating healthy is one of the most important elements of staying fit.
Busy businessmen – Businessmen who are often going on long road trips will also enjoy using a meal prep bag a lot. This is especially true if such a businessman doesn’t like eating outside or enjoys eating home-made meals as he can easily bring home-made food along on his trips and eat healthy wherever he is.
Schoolchildren – Meal prep bags will also significantly benefit schoolchildren, allowing them to eat healthy, home-made meals during lunch time at school. Parents are also beneficiaries as they can rest easy knowing their wards are not at any risk of eating unhealthy meals at school.
Campers – Campers, hikers, and outdoorsmen in general will also derive a lot of profit from meal prep bags. With such bags, they can easily prepare and preserve the food they will eat throughout the day.