The practice of meal preparation involves preparing meals to eat later. Often, fully-cooked meals that have been prepared in advance are kept in Tupperware containers that are labeled and dated, so they can be eaten with no hassle.
There are many benefits of meal prep. For instance, it can help you stay organized, reduce the time it takes to make meals, standardize food portions, eat healthily, and save money.
Meal prep can also be a beneficial practice for people who are trying to lose weight or maintain a diet that helps to build muscle. Seeing as meal prep can be helpful for most people, why is it that most people fail to do it? Let us find out.
Lack of Time
One of the primary reasons people often fail to meal-prep is due to a lack of time.
We live in a fast-paced world, where work, family, and social commitments seem to suck the time out of our days. So, the thought of spending extra hours on a Sunday afternoon preparing meals for the entire week can feel overwhelming.
However, if you feel you have a lack of time, remember that by spending only one day a week prepping your meals, you can save time every other day of the week.
Furthermore, you do not have to prepare meals for every single day – therefore, you can cut down the time it takes to prepare. For example, you could dine out once a week or have gourmet food delivered to your door via a service like Factor.
Motivation Wanes
Many people jump into meal prep with a lot of enthusiasm and motivation. However, as time goes by, maintaining that same level of interest becomes less easy. When the novelty wears off, many people find it hard to stick with the routine.
One way to combat this is to try new and exciting recipes and flavors each week.
Planning Problems
Meal preparation needs planning, such as deciding what meals will be prepared and getting all the ingredients together in the correct quantities, which sometimes involves having to make trips to multiple grocery stores.
For those not accustomed or wired for such meticulous planning tasks, meal prep can turn into an intimidating chore rather than a time-saving and enjoyable activity.
Skills Shortage
Another reason some people do not embrace meal prep is that they lack adequate cooking skills to diversify their meals week after week. Serving up boring meals repeatedly is sure to result in a loss of interest.
But remember: culinary skills can be learned. You could watch cookery T.V. shows, follow recipes in cookbooks, learn about specific diets – such as paleo, watch online cooking tutorials, or even enroll in a course at a local brick-and-mortar educational establishment.
Space Constraints
Some people find it challenging to meal prep due to limited kitchen space or not having a large enough refrigerator or freezer. However, you can still work with what you have. You could also invest in an additional refrigerator and keep it somewhere other than your kitchen, such as in the garage.
The Fear of Waste
Some people fear that prepping too much food ahead of time could lead to waste if plans change or meals are skipped unexpectedly.
But as long as you stay organized, you can avoid wasting food.
Unrealistic Expectations
Sometimes, people get frustrated with meal prep because they fail to meet the unrealistically high expectations they set for themselves initially. When reality does not match their expectations, discouragement sets in. In turn, that can lead them to abandon the practice altogether.
To prevent that from happening, simply do not set high standards. You can always learn how to expand your culinary skills. And remember, meal prep should not be a chore. It should be a fun activity.