People engage with meal prepping for a host of different reasons, from the most common goal of maintaining a consistent nutrition regime to losing weight, managing intolerances or simply making dinner less of a hassle.
Whether this is done by planning in advance or the simplicity of meal prep services, prepping is a great way of having both variety and structure in your diet, particularly if you have a habit of grazing or having inconsistent portions that do not match how you consume energy during the day.
However, there is a less common reason why someone may opt for meal prep, which is that the joy of food and eating has been lost.
Meals are an obligation to be consumed to ensure that you can keep going and complete your fitness goals, but that relationship with food can be as unhealthy as eating too much.
If eating becomes a chore, sticking to a meal plan can be difficult and you can end up under-eating or sometimes eating too much, but it can be solved if you understand where the root cause of this tempestuous relationship with food comes from.
Try Mindful Eating
Sometimes known as slow eating, mindful eating is taking a much slower and more meditative approach to food.
A common root cause of a fractured relationship with food is not so much the ingredients themselves but the context for when these meals are eaten.
If you work in an office then you may eat at your desk, and no matter how nice a sandwich is, if you eat it quickly in between meetings, it will have an effect on how you connect food to yourself.
Instead, try to do the opposite. Eat in the moment and savour each bite, noticing the textures, intertwining tastes and how it affects the different functions of the body.
Sometimes, it can be the key to resetting your relationship with food and bringing back a love of flavour.
Look For Foods You Have A Connection To
We are empathetic creatures by nature, and we often create connections between our senses, our memories and our emotions. This is why something as simple as the smell of rain or the sight of snowfall can trigger dormant nostalgic memories.
A lot of food inflames multiple senses at once, such as the sticky marinade sensation on your fingers, the searing smell of a grill, the taste of something basic you associate with childhood and the sight and sound of a popcorn bag growing and popping in a microwave.
Think back to your favourite foods when you were younger and try to remember all of the aspects you associate with them. Ask yourself if you can find something that can capture that memory or whether you can replicate it yourself in your kitchen.
Consider Portion Sizes
Everyone needs the energy from food delivered a little differently. Some people have a single meal a day, others have two plus healthy snacks to keep their energy up, whilst others still could have up to eight small meals a day if they are on a particular bodybuilding plan.
Sometimes that means the problem with food is not so much what it is but when you are having it, and consider a change in routine in your meal plan.