If you’d asked me a few years ago what meal prep was I’d have probably responded with “It’s simply prepping your meals.”
At face value that is a true statement because it reflects what meal prepping really is about but when you take a deeper look at what you can actually accomplish you’ll realize meal prep is a lot more than just that.
Here’s a better definition I found courtesy of Fit & Fresh:
“Meal prep is the act of planning, preparing and packaging your meals and snacks in advance, typically with the intention of clean eating or portion control.”
I love that definition because it makes specific mention of the purpose – clean eating and portion control.
As most people will rightfully tell you, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to meal prep.
What matters most is YOUR purpose.
The idea of prepping your meals ahead of time is great but at the end of the day the reason why you’re doing it is very important.
I’ll be the first to admit committing to any kind of meal prep is difficult whether it’s your first time or not.
With busy schedules and so many other things fighting for your attention it can be really tough.
Purpose is what helps keep us on track.
If you’re meal prepping just because it “seems” like the right thing to do then you’ll easily lose steam and willpower when things don’t go your way.
So whether it’s just one meal or meal prepping for an entire week, you should understand why you’re doing it and why it is important to you.
For that reason I think here’s an even better definition of meal prep: