How helpful are meal prep services and are they right for you?

Meal prep service companies have been popping up, and maybe they are nothing more than super trendy packaging, fancy social media, and over priced bland food you can do yourself. On the other hand, maybe they are a highly effective healthy food service that noticed the problem our society was having in providing healthy meal options…and offered a solution for it.

I used a meal prep service for well over a year and I absolutely loved it. It made the entire process painless and incredibly easy to follow. I am happy to write this blog with full confidence I believe everyone, no matter your walk in life or goal, can benefit from a prep service. I used Prep Shop in Markham, and they are unique because you don’t have to buy a package from them or “subscribe” to their service per month. You can buy individual meals if you are wanting to bring a packaged lunch for work, or you can customize each meal and order 5 meals from them per day. They are versatile, but I have heard not all prep services work this way. If you are curious, you can easily try prep shop for a week no strings attached and see how it works for you.
We are an extremely busy society, and when you are trying to juggle work, house/home duties, kids schedules, your own schedule…then your fitness and overall health and vitality. Staying on top of your grocery shopping and prep is what can make or break your results. If you are not organized, it’s very difficult to stay on plan. When you are not on plan, you are eating what is convenient and you may be spending more money than intended. On top of this, when meals are not prepped and ready to go, you will graze and snack on foods that are usually satisfying for cravings but not nutritious, until your meal is ready.
Prep services are fantastic and they can fit into your budget if you take the time to make room for it. It’s not the cheapest option, but buying meals out or letting food go bad in the fridge is more expensive. Sometimes it’s nice to not think about what you need to cook, how to cook it, when you are going to shop for it. With a prep service, all you have to do is eat. If you are constantly skipping meals, eating out when you didn’t plan on it, letting food go bad in your fridge, never being organized week by week and being very inconsistent with your prepping, and overall are NOT getting towards your goals due to diet..then try a prep service out.
It’s not about staying on that prep service forever, but it can be something that will get your feet wet and hopefully free up some time for your workouts so you have a chance to get on track and on that fitness train. It can help focus your mind on taking things one step at a time. Instead of cooking and shopping you are working out and eating. On top of this, when they are portioning and cooking the food for you, there is less temptation to double up portions or graze on what you are cooking. The food is highly nutritious and delicious, and sometimes people are not the best cooks or the most creative. Sometime’s…its best to leave some aspects to the professionals. It’s not that every meal has to be crazy elaborate, (I personally believe plain jane is the best, save elaborate meals for dinners out) but prep services make each meal purposeful and personal.
A great place to use a prep service is when are need to go away on a business trip, conference, road trip, or a vacation. Most gas stations, hotels, or on-the run centres have microwaves the public can use to heat up a meal. If you do not see yourself taking meals with you on a trip or conference, then ordering the meals for the week you come back from your trip could be a better option. This way you arrive home, all of your meals for the week are ready to go for you. Sometimes after a trip things can really unravel, it might be nice to have healthy meals in your fridge so you don’t have the option to de-rail.
At the end of the day, starting a new fitness regime can be very stressful when you are also trying to fit in your workouts and your other priorities. When it’s new it can be overwhelming, so leaving some elements of the program to a professional service can be a smart way to get you started on the right track. Once you are on that fitness train, you can start adapting your own meals and may be able to wean yourself off the service. It does not have to be a ride or die relationship, but ultimately if you are not cutting it on your own the get help. Or else your results will suffer and any extra effort is ultimately lost.