With an influx of meal delivery and pickup services popping up locally and nationwide, this blog post is long overdue. There are various types of meal services of which include:
- Portion Sized: These are meant mostly for people who need help with portion control. Most of the ones I have come across have not been based off whole foods and can be loaded with sugar and sodium. If you are a person who works out regularly, make sure you are aware of your caloric needs and are not restricting yourself in an unhealthy manner.
- Generic: Many meal prep companies offer food based off the notion of better foods and better eating habits. Once again, these meals can be loaded with sodium and sugar so be sure to check the nutrition facts.
- Based off popular diets: This may include Keto, Whole 30, Zone or other current popular diets. These typically have better standards than other meal prep services because they are based off research based guidelines. However, before you embark on any type of restricting diet make sure you talk to your health care professional.
- Cook at your home: Yes, people come to your home to cook meals for you. They base it completely off you and your family’s dietary needs so this one is customizable. You can buy the groceries or pay a fee for them to shop for you. Don’t ask me about the clean-up, because the ones I have read about don’t mention who cleans.
Regardless of which route you take with meal prep services just know that the population was not created with a cookie cutter and your meals shouldn’t be either. A four-person family should have four different portion sizes. The cost of meal prep services varies, some are local, some are online- but either way it can get expensive!
Additionally, meal prep services are not (or shouldn’t be) designed for long term use because who is realistically going to purchase cooked food for themselves (or their family) for the rest of their lives???!!
So, what do you do after you quit the meal prep service- where does it leave you?
Do you have a better understanding of how to cook and prepare foods?
The answer is no, so instead of trying to take the easy road, change your instant gratification mind set and LEARN how to feed yourself. Eating better usually begins with changing your habits so let’s start there.
I want to say that I do absolutely approve of the right type of meal service in situations where it is needed! Some families have times where sports, school, work, new baby, etc. take over every ounce of energy and meal prep could be very beneficial because otherwise it’s going thru a drive through. Just make sure you do your research and you know what you are putting in your body.
PLEASE feel free to ask for help in choosing if you have no clue what to look for or what to do.
