When I first learned about meal prepping, I thought that only professional bodybuilders did it. At the time, I saw meal prepping as a boring way to stay in shape. Sure, you were tracking your calories and macronutrients (less so your micronutrients), but the point was clear. Cook the food, portion it, eat it, and repeat. This concept seemed farfetched for someone who had just started his weightlifting journey. I told myself that one day I will do it. The reason? Well, if the best did it, that means that it works. However, it would take many years of inaction to finally realise the potential of meal prepping.
The idea of meal prepping sounds daunting. It truly does. There are many reasons for not doing it. In my case, I would say there were three. First, it wasn’t a priority. Secondly, I didn’t know where to start. And thirdly, I lacked the discipline to do it. This self realisation is retrospective. However, I believe that most people can relate to one or more of these reasons. So, why did I start meal prepping?
Why Do I Meal Prep
The main reason for why I started meal prepping was because I was unhappy with my progress at the gym. I wasn’t getting stronger, nor did I look the way I wanted to. For many years, I trained and ate as I saw fit. There was no real methodology behind what I was doing. As such, my results were not impressive, nor were they consistent. I had lost my visible abs, felt unathletic, and was genuinely questioning my lifestyle choices. I wasn’t sure if being plant-based was working for me, and I thought maybe I was operating sub optimally because of my diet. Nevertheless, I took a step back and assessed my situation. I realised that there were errors that I had to address before I made any conclusive decisions. So, I started to analyse what I was doing.
I understood that the biggest controllable in this situation was my food intake. I was not eating enough protein, and nor was I limiting my caloric intake. This meant that I wasn’t eating enough protein to facilitate muscle growth, and the excess calories I ate hindered any weight loss. Understanding what I was eating, and how much, was key in tackling this issue. As such, it was important to devise a plan on how to attain the required nutrients without compromising on taste and affordability.
Meal Prep or Prepped Meal?
The first thing that came to my mind was joining a meal prep service. This sounded appealing at first because there are many options out there. One that I was particularly interested in was allplants. The reason for this is that allplants is a plant-based company. So, I gave them a shot. After trying 5 meals, I can confidently say that their food is very delicious. However, I quickly realised that this wasn’t for me. I personally wanted to be in full control of the food that I ate. Additionally, I do think that spending time cooking my food enables me to take ownership of it. This means that I am proud of the food that I cook, but also conscious of what I’m having. Most importantly, after running a cost analysis of both options, meal prepping turned out to be the cheaper option.
Below is a breakdown of the cost and macros of my typical meal prep, per serving. I will usually have these meals twice a day for 3 days (6 containers). For the rest of the week, I will either cook, have leftovers or eat out. I’m currently thinking if I should up this to 8 containers. However, my weight has been the same for almost a year, with significant strength and muscle increase. Thus, I can confidently say that I’m on the right track.
| Ingredient | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fats (g) | Calories (kcal) | Cost (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tofu (organic) | 37 | 2.5 | 17.5 | 326.5 | £1.75 |
| Black Beans | 8 | 16.3 | 0.9 | 125 | £0.25 |
| Quinoa | 5.25 | 22.35 | 3.3 | 147 | £0.43 |
| Bell Peppers (organic) | 0.6 | 3.3 | <0.5 | 19 | £0.35 |
| Broccoli (organic) | 4.3 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 40 | £0.38 |
| Total | 55.15 | 47.55 | 22.8* | 657.5* | £3.16* |
Cost Saving
As you can see, these are some serious meals right here! In terms of muscle building, 55g of protein per meal is very good. This rivals even some non-vegan high protein meal prep services. I also think that the caloric value is quite good, which is suitable for my dietary needs. In terms of price, meal prepping is unbeatable. I’ve yet to find a meal prep service that offers a cheaper price than this. For context, here are 3 meal prep services and their offerings (plant-based option):
Simmers: 31.64g of protein, 702.4kcal, £6.99 (£69.9 / 10 meals)
Lions Prep: 18.83g of protein, 443kcal, £7.72 (£46.30/ 6 meals)
allplants: 19.7g of protein, 429.8kcal, £7.93 ( £45.74 / 5 meals)
Note: There are other brands out there, like Meatless and Planthood with very strong offerings. However, the point remains.
In terms of price, protein and calories, meal prepping absolutely takes the lead. This is not even close. Additionally, meal prepping can involve the use of higher quality ingredients as well. After doing my research, I learned that typical meal prep services don’t use organic ingredients unless stated otherwise. The reason for this is because they would have to charge customers more because of increased costs. As such, you will have to narrow your search if you’re looking for higher quality ingredients. Moreover, meal prep services are more restrictive than meal prepping. Although they provide various options in terms of meals, they don’t give you the choice of playing with the ingredients. This means that portion sizes can change from normal to large, but you can’t add an extra ingredient for example.
Finally, I have seen advertisements and claims from meal prep services saying that they’re cost savers. But is this true though? According to the Living Costs and Food Survey, the average spend per person per week on food in the UK is £41.11. Compared to the figures above, I do think that this is exaggerated.
Time Saver
Meal prep services offer a convenience that comes at a price. This price is not affordable to everyone. In my opinion, the time that you “save” by ordering a meal prep service is not actually worth it. If you can easily afford it and dread cooking then fair enough. However, if you just dread cooking then, tough luck. Even if you decide to buy ready meals from the supermarket, you’re still likely to spend more money than on cooking your food. So, you might as well just learn some basic cooking skills.
For example, my meal prep is very simple. I split my meal prep into two days. I’ll do one part on Saturday and another on Sunday. On Saturday, I’ll cut my tofu, broccoli and bell peppers, season them, and chuck them in the oven. On Sunday, I’ll cook my beans and quinoa, and portion everything equally. All together, this should take me around 2 hours. Funny enough, most my time meal prepping is actually just the food cooking. So, I can do other stuff in the meantime until the food is ready. Since I only make one meal type, this process is quite easy. If I made different meal types, I do then believe that I would spend more time on this. Would this time increase be substantial? Probably not. I’m saving a lot of time every week by not cooking my food, which is a win.
That being said, I will cook food for myself during the week when I feel like it. Meal prepping gives me the freedom to decide if I want to to eat something else. Ultimately, there is food waiting for me, so the choice is mine.
Waste Saving
If you have a problem with food waste, then meal prepping is an amazing choice for you. I used to have an issue with buying a lot of food and then having to throw some of it because it expired. The feeling of having to throw edible food is the absolute worst. However, since I started meal prepping, my food waste has significantly dropped. The nice thing about meal prepping is that you can make enough food to last you a certain time. This means that you use a specific amount of ingredients that suits you, and as such, you have enough meals to feed you throughout the week. This also works if you join a meal prep service because you can choose how many meals you get. The issue here is that you don’t know exactly how much food was wasted in the cooking process unless you asked.
I reduce my food waste because I know how much I eat, and how to cook and store my food. However, this isn’t the case for everyone. Too Good To Go surveyed 2,000 people where they revelead that 33% of meal prepped food is thrown away because people forget about them. Additionally, the study showed a lack of awarness around the best way to store food. This is an issue because we don’t always receive storage instructions for our food. Despite this, we can easily consult resources like this guide by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to verfiy the best storage method for our food.
Should you meal prep?
Is meal prepping for everyone? Personally, I think it depends. The reason I started meal prepping, as mentioned above, is because I had a fitness goal in mind. Meal prepping allows me to be in control of my food, which I believe is a blessing. In my opinion, I see this as a step closer to achieving better overall health. Additionally, I wanted to free up time during the week so that I can do other things. Meal prepping has helped me gain back precious hours where I can focus on things that matter to me. This sense of freedom enables me to also be in control of my sleep as well. Coupled together, I’m well on track to achieving my ultimate fitness goals.
Does this sound like you? If yes, then I think that you should give meal prepping a shot. One big advice that I can give is to research what foods will benefit you. Depending on your fitness goals, you might be eating different things. If you’re trying to bulk, you will eat more calories. If you’re trying to lean down, then you’ll have less of them. Ideally, you want to make sure that you’re getting enough protein as well to maintain/facilitate muscle growth. As such, do your research beforehand. There are many resources online about this, so you’re really just a Google search away.
When should you not meal prep? Well, if the above doesn’t resonate with you, or if you just don’t care enough. In this case, I would still recommend meal prep services if you can afford them. They’re the next best thing in terms of maintaining health and fitness. However, if you like cooking daily meals and have the time for it, then crack on. In the end, it really comes down to two things. Spending time doing what we want, and being in control of our food.
Conclusion
In the last year that I’ve been meal prepping, I learned so much about food, nutrition, training and discipline. Before I committed myself to meal prepping, I made sure that my food will provide me with good fuel for my body. I also wanted to keep it simple, and most importantly tasty. Meal prep services are very good at this because they offer tasty food, for a price. Nevertheless, I knew that taste is an important component that I could easily manage. And after a few reiterations of my recipe, I’ve nailed a consistent balance in flavour that I’m happy with.
However, the thing I’m most proud of from meal prepping is the discipline that I built. I’ll be honest, there are times when I just don’t feel like doing it. Sometimes the laziness kicks in and I can’t be asked. But, I still do it. I do it because I know it’s good for me and my long term goals. Meal prepping keeps me grounded and focused. It allows me to stay grateful and appreciative. I chose to do this, and I have to follow through. In the end, meal prepping works for me, and I’m very glad to be doing it.
Anis