The methods of meal prep can be traced back to the professional cooking industry - designed to maximize productivity in restaurant kitchens.
In the age of neoliberalism, where productivity is paramount and one's reality and circumstances are seen as an extension of their own work and will, meal prep is an appealing form of consumption. Meal prep proponents advocate the technique, saying it will save time, save money, gives you control, keep you energized, and helps you lose weight. Almost universally, meal prep's goals diverge from the realm of pleasure, instead focusing on productivity and efficiency. While the characterization may sound harsh to leftover-lovers, the emphasis on strategy typifies the larger frame and messaging surrounding meal prepping: individualism and productivity. In a Facebook post, Prepared Nutrition, a meal prep service in Louisiana, clarifies the difference, calling meal prep "a strategic cooking method that allows proper portion control over a set period of time," compared to leftovers, which are "pieces of uneaten meals, typically the portions of the meal that no one wants to eat."
Meal preppers are quick to distance themselves from leftovers, though. Starting in the early 1900s, refrigeration systems became popular among those in the middle class, facilitating the mainstreaming of leftovers as we understand them today 1. In the 1800s, techniques like pickling, smoking and salting helped humans preserve food for later use. The uninitiated may view meal prep as creating leftovers, which has been around for nearly a hundred years. & amp amp amp amp amp amp amp amp amp lt img src="" alt="" /& amp amp amp amp amp amp amp amp amp gt Google search frequency for "meal prep" since 2004.