Your health is your most valuable asset, but you already knew this, right? Staying healthy and making healthy choices should be at the absolute top of your daily to-do list. A meal prep lunch box or also known as meal prep or meal management bag can assist you in making these healthy choices a bit easier.
And yet, somehow this information slips into oblivion when it comes to your meals, and you forget how crucial food is to your health.
If you feel like I just described you, you are not alone! Many of us plan our day to the very last minute, but when it comes to food, most of us just wing it. Especially when we are dieting or testing our bodies with an intermittent fast. We seldom plan for what and when we are going to eat. I am here to tell you that meal management is the Achilles heel of your daily routine.
Millions of people across the world have started to realize the importance of meal management in their daily schedule. Many professional athletes, nutritionists, and physicians have endorsed meal management as the best way to get fit. Planning out your daily meal is not that difficult either. If you put some thought into it, you can have a healthy, nutritious and wholesome food throughout the day. Not only would you stay healthier, but you would also save a lot of money as well!
Now that we all agree that meal planning is a great idea let’s see what we need to do in order to implement it into our lives.
All you need are two things:
- the food
- something to carry the food in
Well, you got the food part covered, right? Let’s talk about the second part… how we’re going to carry this food around with us all day.
What Are Meal Management Bags?
Since you have decided to implement meal prep planning, you probably have many containers full of food for all the meals that you plan to eat throughout the day. But, there is one problem. You don’t want to carry all of these containers around, do you? You don’t want to stuff them into your bag either, I mean chances are your bag wasn’t designed to carry and keep fresh your daily food consumption.
What if there was a bag that is designed not only to carry these boxes but keep them cold so that the food stays fresh?
Well, there is.
Such bags are called meal management bags, meal prep bags, or meal prep lunch boxes. They are designed to carry all of your food containers with separate compartments designed to avoid spillage and keep the food cold.
What Are The Features Of An Ideal Meal Prep Bag?
There are some important considerations that must be taken into account before you buy a meal management bag.
Some of these are:
Material: The material from which the bag is made from is very crucial. You need a bag that is sturdy and can withstand the daily wear. The high-quality material will also make sure that your bag is not too heavy.
Flexibility: You want a bag that is flexible regarding the things that it can carry. You want a bag that can carry everything from boxes to water bottles to fruits.
Size: The size is also an important consideration. The bag needs to be big enough to carry everything you plan on taking but not a behemoth which won’t be able to carry.
Cooling packs: Much of the stuff that you want to carry in the bag needs to be stored at a cooler temperature. A bag with good cooling gel packs will keep your food fresh for a longer time so that you can enjoy it throughout the day!
Containers: Most of the bags come with their own containers. Make sure that the containers are BPA/PVC free. Also, they should be microwavable and dishwasher free.
Best Meal Prep Lunch Box On The Market (our top 3)
There are many options in the market from which to choose. Many manufacturers offer a wide variety and styles of meal prep bags. Let’s take a look at the top three best selling meal prep bags and the reasons you should get them:
1. The Six Pack Fitness Bags
These are one of the best meal prep bags out there in terms of both quality and durability. These bags perform exactly how you would expect them to. The bags are designed to be large and spacious enough to hold our every meal and supplement you plan to have throughout the day. A key selling point for these bags is the look. They are sure to attract attention to your work or wherever you carry them, and I mean it in the best possible way!
There are many varieties of six pack bags that are available. They are designed with various end users in mind from professional athletes to regular working class people.
These bags are designed with the highest grade materials. They are designed to hold anywhere between 3-6 meals and do an excellent job of keeping the food cold for a really long time.
The top selling models are the Innovator 300 (for three meals) and Innovator 500 (for five meals). These bags can carry all the food, shakes, and juices that you will need throughout your day. All of the containers are BPA/PVC free. They are microwave and dishwasher safe as well.
MORE DETAILSFeatures at a glance:
- Come equipped with 3 or 5 BPA/PVC free containers
- Can carry 3 or 5 meals depending on the model
- Two insulated side pockets to carry water or juice bottles
- Two cooling gel packs for longer cooling of food
- You can organize supplement pills, energy bars, and other stuff very easily
- Leak-proof design
- Ballistic nylon material for longevity
Price point:
The six pack bags are generally priced around $75 -100 range depending on the model that you are buying. These bags are really worth every cent as they are very well made and do the job perfectly.
Customer Reviews:
The customer reviews of these bags are overwhelmingly positive, especially for the Innovator series. The average customer review from Amazon is 4.5 stars, which is quite impressive.
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2. Isolator Fitness Bags
Isolator Fitness bags are most famous for their built quality, durability, and price. They offer a huge selection of meal planner bags. These bags are made from a high-quality material and made in the USA.
The most famous model of the Isobags is the isobag 3. They do manufacture a larger version of this bag that can carry six meals, called the Isobag 6. A unique selling point of these bags is their light weight. These bags are approximately 40% smaller and lighter than the competition especially the Six pack bags. That means you can pack more food without making the bag too heavy to carry around with you.
These bags feature two front compartments that fit the stackable proprietary containers to carry every meal you desire. The stackable containers are BPA/PVC free and are microwave and dishwasher safe. The bag also contains two additional insulated side pockets and two side mesh pockets for carrying drinks and water. The bags also have additional compartments for storage of utensils such as spoons and supplement pills and nutrition bars.
The strap of these bags is ergonomically designed and is very comfortable on the shoulder. One unique feature of the Isobags is that you can buy the separately sold harness and sidekick bag to convert it into a backpack of sorts!
MORE DETAILSFeatures at a glance:
- Comes in 3 or 6 meal variety with BPA/PVC free storage containers
- Can carry 3 or 6 meals depending on the model
- 27 colors and patterns to choose from
- 40% lighter and smaller than many competitor brands
- Organizer pockets for carrying utensils, energy bars, drinks and many more things
- Convertible to a backpack with additional accessories
Price point:
The Isobags are premium bags with a price point similar to the six pack bags. The three meal version comes in at around $75 on Amazon while the 6-meal version will set you back around $90.
Customer Reviews:
The customer reviews of these bags are pretty positive with the average Amazon star rating between 4.5 to 4.7 stars. The one complaint that the customers seem to have is that the bags are on the smaller side compared to the six pack bags.
3. Jaxx FitPak Bags
The Jaxx FitPak bags are designed with portion control in mind. The bag is very well designed and contains a single central compartment which can hold six containers that come with the bag itself. The bag also contains a side mesh pocket for a water bottle as well.
The material of construction is not as durable as that of the six pack or the Isobag bags but still does the job well. As these bags are designed for portion control, they feature four 2 cup containers and two 1 cup containers. The design of the bag is very simplistic with no bells and whistles.
Compared to both the six pack and the Isobags, the Jaxx bags are lighter in weight and smaller in footprint. There is an additional mesh pocket on the flap of the main compartment that can hold some vitamins or nutrient bars.
There is a single cooling ice pack that is inserted between the six containers to keep the food cool. It may not be enough for a hot day, though.
MORE DETAILSFeatures at a glance:
- Comes with 6 BPA/PVC free containers
- Four large and two small containers
- Very lightweight and simplistic design
- Mesh pocket with a shaker included in the package
- Organizer pockets for keeping utensils and supplements
- Very affordable
Price point:
The Jaxx FitPak bags are very affordable compared to both the Isobags and the Six Pack bags. With a price point well within a $50 mark, these are certainly one of the most affordable meal management bags out there.
Customer Reviews:
The customer reviews of the Jaxx FitPak are positive, and they currently hold a 4.5-star rating on Amazon. Most customers have been very happy with the design and performance of these bags. However, the bag is not for someone who is seriously into body building and needs to carry a lot of food. Most complaints regarding the bag are because of their small size.
Final Thoughts…
Meal prep and management is a great approach if you want to get more conscious about your health. Planning your meals will not only help you stay fit but also help you in achieving your specific fitness goals from muscle building to losing weight. Each of the three meal prep lunch box bags that were reviewed above are excellent for meal planning. You can’t go wrong with choosing any one of them depending on your need and budget.
Good luck with your meal preparations!