Meal prep: five tips for a conscious, healthy diet

Meal prep is all about planning ahead and preparing food in advance. It's good for both your wallet and your health, helping you eat a conscious, sustainable diet.
05.11.2025 | 2 minutes reading time
Author:
Valentina Diaco

If you’re already in the kitchen, why not pre-cook for the whole week? This time-saving trick will enable you to eat a healthy diet despite your hectic everyday life. Pre-cooking is suitable for any meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. These five tips will help you make it work.

1. Make sure you have enough storage containers

Successful meal prep involves pre-cooking for the next two to five days. So you should make sure you have the requisite number of storage containers for each meal. If you prepare the three main meals in advance, you'll need two or three Tupperware boxes per day. It makes sense to have different sizes.

2. It's all down to planning

Before you reach for your wooden spoon, you should plan carefully. That means deciding not just the number of days you want to prep for, but also precisely what you intend to cook. A balanced meal will include seasonal vegetables as well as healthy sources of protein, carbohydrate and fat.

This is what a balanced plate looks like

According to the Swiss Nutrition Society, a balanced main meal should contain at least vegetables or fruits, a source of carbohydrate and protein. You can supplement fats with things like nuts or chia seeds. You'll find a clear presentation of the individual food categories and the corresponding foods (In German, French and Italian) here.

3. Compile a shopping list

Once you've decided what to cook, you write a shopping list. What ingredients do you already have in the kitchen? What and how much do you still need to get?

4. Make systematic use of the fridge and freezer

After you've cooked the meals, you should leave them to cool briefly before putting them in the fridge. The cold extends the shelf life, but this depends heavily on the ingredients used. You can freeze the excess portions and enjoy them at a later date.

5. No time to cook? No problem!

Healthy salads can be prepared quickly. It can be helpful to trim the vegetables after shopping or during meal prep so that the ingredients are always at hand.

Don't have a meal prep idea? In the video, Lazaros Kapageoroglou, CEO of Kocheria, shows how to prepare a quick and healthy salad with beluga lentils. More recipe ideas can be found in the Benevita app.

Nutrition advice by phone from santé24

Santé24 offers nutrition advice by phone on things like diet in the event of illness or after surgery, food intolerances and diseases of the digestive system. The advice includes recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet as well as support with weight loss and nutritional issues.

Get advice by phone now. The service is free of charge for SWICA customers. Find out more.

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