As a bodybuilder, nutrition is important, but you may not have the time to prepare and cook healthy meals. Bodybuilders have specific dietary needs to build muscle and keep in top physical condition - meals that are high-protein, low-fat, and low-carb.
Luckily, you have two options when you are considering meal delivery services. You can opt for bodybuilding meal prep services which send you a meal kit and you do the cooking or bodybuilding pre-made meals where all you have to do is heat it up.
Many meal delivery companies cater to those who have specific dietary goals such as losing weight, improving nutrition, or controlling diabetes. However, not all meal delivery services are the same when it comes to ingredients and variety.
So, is it possible to choose a high-quality, affordable bodybuilding meal delivery service that gives you the nutrition you need? We say yes!
Fresh n’ Lean - High-quality ingredients and an A La Carte option
HelloFresh - Variety of recipes and affordable pricing
Diet-to-Go - Best meal variety for a bodybuilding meal delivery service
Click here to see four more bodybuilding meal delivery services
We examined different bodybuilding meal delivery services to find the one that would best meet your needs whether you are in the bulking or cutting phase. We focused on three criteria to determine the best bodybuilding meal delivery services.
Meal plans – meal plans should have variety and the ability to customize. There may be times when your focus is on bulking up, and you may need more protein. Other times you may need to skip a week. A quality bodybuilding meal delivery service must be customizable and flexible to meet your changing nutritional needs.
Ingredients – as a bodybuilder, your body needs meals with high-quality ingredients and nutritional value. There’s no room for processed foods. Ideally, ingredients would be as clean as possible, so you have the highest level of nutrition.
Affordability – You want a bodybuilding meal service to be affordable. There may be times when you want to change your service or add extra meals or snacks. So, you want your bodybuilding meal delivery service to be affordable and flexible.
What I Liked:
High-quality ingredients including certified organic
A La Carte menu, allowing you to order extras or purchase foods in bulk
Free shipping on orders
Ability to exclude specific ingredients from recipe choices.
What I Didn’t Like:
You have to call to make changes like skipping a week.
Not as much variety in meals as other services.
Fresh N’ Lean specifically caters to people who are active, and it seems like a perfect match for a bodybuilding meal delivery service. They offer several meal plans that meet bodybuilders’ nutritional needs such as Protein +, Keto, and Vegan, and all meals are made for you. In addition, their ingredients are organic, gluten-free, and GMO-free.
Although they have less customization than other services, they do offer an A La Carte menu that allows you to purchase food in bulk or order extra proteins or snacks. They also offer the option of excluding specific ingredients, which is something that other services do not offer. Meal plans start at about $7.53 per meal, which is a bit more expensive than other bodybuilding meal delivery services, but they do offer free shipping.
What I Liked:
Variety of meal plans available such as Meat & Veggies, Veggies, and Pescatarian
Flexibility to skip weeks; no long-term commitment
High-quality ingredients with some gluten-free, dairy-free, or nut-free recipes
Price per meal ranges from $7-$10.
What I Didn’t Like:
Can’t order single servings: Options were limited to 2 or 4 servings per meal.
Although you can customize recipe choices, you cannot exclude specific ingredients.
With Hello Fresh bodybuilding meal prep services, you get a variety of meal plans such as Meat & Veggies, Veggie, and Pescatarian. You can order up to four recipes per week for 2 or 4 persons. Their service is subscription-based, but you are able to skip weeks or cancel the service easily.
Each week, you choose recipes that meet your meal plan and dietary preferences, and they will ship you the ingredients and instructions to create your recipe choices. HelloFresh has a variety of meal options, with some customization available. They focus on high-quality ingredients that provide the nutrition bodybuilders need, with some options for people who have strict dietary requirements such as gluten-free or dairy-free. With plans ranging from $7 - $10 per meal, Hello Fresh is one of the more affordable bodybuilding meal delivery services.
What I Liked:
A large menu of recipes to choose from
Can request substitution meals for items within the plan you don’t like.
Can add preferences such as ‘No Seafood’ and choose favorite meals
Offers different calorie counts for men & women.
What I Didn’t Like:
Diet-to-Go does not offer gluten-free, kosher, or vegan meal plans.
Does not always include high-quality ingredients.
Diet-to-go is a bodybuilding meal prep service that does all the cooking for you. You can choose 2 or 3 meals a day for 5 or 7 days a week, and all meals are pre-prepared for you; all you need to do is heat and eat. One distinction they make is they offer different calorie counts for men and women. Plus, you can choose from four different meal plans, and they have a very large menu to choose from.
They do allow you to substitute meals within the plan and offer the opportunity to not include seafood if that is your preference. While their menu has a lot of variety, they do not offer gluten-free, kosher, or vegan meal plans. They focus on healthy ingredients, but they may not always be organic. Their prices range from $8.57- $12.57 per meal and you can pause or cancel deliveries easily.
What I Liked:
A large menu of recipes from which to choose
A ‘Customize It’ feature to swap out or order extra protein on select recipes
Offers in-store meal kits in some locations
Affordable prices and easy to skip a week or cancel
What I Didn’t Like:
Does not offer organic or allergy-free meal plans.
Can’t order single servings: Options were limited to 2, 4, or 6 servings per meal
Home Chef is a bodybuilding meal delivery service that offers you plenty of options to keep meal plans affordable. Plus, it offers different choices for you to be able to keep meal delivery services within your budget. Although they have different meal prep services, they do not always have high-quality ingredients, and they do not offer organic or specialty diet meal plans.
Still, you can set your preferences to foods that you want to avoid. They do offer options such as the “Customize It” feature where, at additional costs, you can make substitutions or add extras. In some locations, they also offer some in-store meal kits in partnership with local grocers.
What I Liked:
A large menu of recipes from which to choose
Ingredients for recipes include all prep work done
Allows you to swap out protein
Affordable prices and easy to skip a week or cancel
What I Didn’t Like:
Does not offer organic or allergy-free meal plans.
Can’t order single servings - options are limited to 2, 4, or 6 servings per meal
Fresh and Easy bodybuilding meal delivery service is the child company of Home Chef. And just like Home Chef, there are no specialty meal plans such as Keto, Paleo, or gluten-free. However, you can choose dietary preferences such as Carb Conscious or Calorie Conscious as well as specific foods to avoid.
You can also customize your protein when you select the recipes. With the Fresh and Easy meal kits, the recipes come oven-ready, with all the prep work done. So, all you have to do is assemble and cook. This variety of options and meal plans makes Fresh and Easy able to fit most budgets.
What I Liked:
Ready-made, dietitian-designed meals
Good selection of add-ons
Smoothies and juices for an energy kick
Meals are delivered fresh
What I Didn’t Like:
No customization options
Limited variety for vegetarians and vegans
With over 35 ready-made meals each week and a good selection of add-ons, Factor can make following a restrictive diet easier.
Its large menu caters to several diets that may appeal to bodybuilders, such as keto, high protein, or low calorie. And, if you feel in need of a fancy meal, there are several Gourmet Plus options each week.
Lastly, Factor makes it easy to stick to your chosen diet all day long with its menu of breakfasts, keto-friendly desserts, smoothies, and other add-ons.
What I Liked:
Gluten-free
Free app to track macronutrients
Premade meals you just need to heat
Non-GMO, organic ingredients
What I Didn’t Like:
You can’t choose your meals (a chef picks for you)
You can’t customize individual meals
Trifecta offers several meal plans for weight loss and bodybuilding diets, including keto, paleo, Whole30 Approved, and others. No matter which plan you choose, you’ll get ready-made, nutritionally balanced meals that are calorie- and portion-controlled.
Once you’ve chosen your plan, you can then decide how many meals you want each week (between seven and 21 servings) and the meal types (breakfast and/or entrées).
While customization is limited, you can also select two ingredients to exclude from your meals based on allergies or preferences.
So, is it worth using a bodybuilding meal plan delivery service? It is certainly a good option, that comes down to the menu and its customizability, the quality of the ingredients, and affordability.
If you’re looking for consistently high-quality ingredients and the ability to customize your menu, you can choose Fresh n’ Lean because they have many options for performance-focused athletes like you. Similarly, Trifecta offers high-quality ingredients and diet-focused meal plans. But these are some of the more expensive plans.
If you are looking for more affordable options, you can choose other bodybuilding meal delivery services such as HelloFresh. The service offers a variety of choices, but you may not be as able to customize a menu as much as the pricier bodybuilding meal delivery services.
Varied and Customizable Meal Plans | High-Quality Ingredients | Affordable | |
Yes | Yes | No | |
Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | No | |
No | Yes | No |
Fresh n’ Lean offers the most opportunity for customization and focuses on using high-quality ingredients. In addition, they offer an A La Carte Menu that allows you to add extras or purchase food in bulk. The meals are pre-made, so all you have to do is heat them up.
Home Chef offers the cheapest starting price per meal $6.99, and, with lots of variety, it would be an excellent choice. Another interesting fact is that they are the parent company of Fresh & Easy, which expands the options you have. They also offer customization, but those extras can add to the cost.
Fresh n’ Lean offers free delivery for their bodybuilding meal delivery service. Also, while Home Chef does have shipping fees, in some locations, they do offer in-store meal kits at local partner grocers.
All the bodybuilding meal delivery services have subscription plans, but none have long-term commitments. Also, all the vendors we reviewed offer ways to cancel the service or skip weeks. On the other hand, Fresh n’ Lean’s A La Carte service allows you to order bulk products without signing up for a subscription meal delivery service.