The 6 best bodybuilding meal prep delivery services of 2023

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A quick look at 6 of the best bodybuilding meal prep delivery services:

• Best for different diets: Trifecta
• Best for higher calorie meals: Factor
• Best for meal customization: Icon Meals
• Best for plant-based diets: Sprinly
• Best for variety: Freshly
• Best for no meal prep: Snap Kitchen

A person might find it convenient to subscribe to a service that delivers a set number of meals each week. Companies offering these services often claim their meals provide a nutritious and easy alternative to cooking.

Below, we explore in detail some of the top meal delivery services for bodybuilders. We also look at alternatives and nutritional considerations for these athletes.

What to look for

When choosing a meal delivery service, research is important. A person can consider the following factors:

• Are the meals fresh or frozen?
• How many meals can a customer order each week?
• Does the company rotate its menu regularly?
• Does the service offer meals for different diets and tastes?
• Is the service cost-effective? Are there additional costs for add-ons and delivery?
• Are reviews generally positive across various sites?
• How flexible is the subscription? Is it easy to cancel at any time?

Meal delivery services vary, and it is worth considering the benefits of different options. A person might prefer prepared meals or meal kits, which include recipes and ingredients to prepare and cook at home.

Some top options

Below is a list of some of the best meal delivery services for bodybuilders.

Best for different diets: Trifecta

• Meals: Clean Eating, Paleo, Keto, Vegan, or Vegetarian meal plans
• Menu: Changes weekly
• Price per meal: from around $15

Trifecta says it offers macro-balanced meals that are all high in protein and low in calories.

The company’s five dietary plans are:

• Paleo
• Clean Eating
• Vegetarian
• Vegan
• Keto

Each plan includes options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a person can add entrées if they require.

Trifecta’s menus change weekly, and some examples of its meals include:

• salmon and wild rice
• oatmeal walnut bake
• Korean beef bulgogi
• crispy tofu skillet
• turkey bacon cheddar frittata

Trifecta also offers an à la carte menu. A person can select precooked ingredients and make a meal at home.

The following table describes the average nutritional information in Trifecta’s meal plans.

Pros and cons

Trifecta’s meals are free from soy, gluten, dairy, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The company’s meals are also reportedly low in sugar.

The company also says it uses sustainable ingredients and packaging to reduce food waste and its carbon footprint.

However, most of the meals are 500 calories or under. People who require more calories may prefer to use a different service.

Pricing and cancellation

The vegan and vegetarian plans start from $99.99 per week, with the rest of the plans costing around $110.99 per week.

When purchasing a subscription, people can choose from 5 or 7 days a week. Meal options include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a third entree. Choosing all options for 7 days a week costs around $415.

Customers can cancel at any time, and there is a 7-day money-back guarantee. The company does not offer a free trial.

Best for higher calorie meals: Factor

• Meals: high protein, paleo, keto, low calorie, or plant-based
• Menu: changes weekly
• Price per meal: from around $11

Factor rotates its menu options weekly, with meal plans to suit various diets.

Bodybuilders may prefer Factor’s high protein, paleo, keto, low calorie, or plant-based meals. A person can filter their search on the company’s website by these categories.

Some example meals include:

• sage chicken with butternut squash macaroni
• black bean and rice enchilada bowl
• cilantro-jalapeño pork chop
• Indian-style vegetable rice
• Peruvian shrimp bowl

The following table describes the nutritional information of the example meals.

Pros and cons

Most of the meals have a higher calorie count than other services on the market, which may suit those who require more calories per day.

Factor also offers a 20-minute consultation with a registered dietitian for all customers.

However, there is no full meal service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so a person may need to supplement Factor’s meals with other options.

Pricing and cancellation

A person can choose to have 4–18 meals delivered per week, starting at around $11 per meal. The cost per meal reduces if people order in bulk, while shipping is free.

To cancel a subscription, people must call Factor’s customer service number or email the company with their full name and registered address.

Best for meal customization: Icon Meals

• Meals: lean, build, chef boxes, or custom meals
• Menu: changes weekly
• Price per meal: from around $5.50

Icon Meals offers gluten-free meals that it claims are clean and lean with a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables.

It primarily caters to the following diets:

• low calorie
• low fat
• high protein
• dairy-free

Some example meals include:

• big chicken Philly cheesesteak
• beef pizza
• Diablo shrimp
• salmon, saffron rice, and green beans

The following table shows the nutritional values of these example meals.

People can choose either 12 or 24 meals per week. Icon Meals divides its boxes into breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals.

The company offers other products, including protein coffee, protein butter, sauces, and seasonings.

People can also buy ingredients in bulk by the pound to cook or reheat at home.

Pros and cons

Icon Meals allows people to customize their meals by choosing from 11 different proteins and 13 sides. People can also decide to replace certain foods with lower-carb alternatives.

However, there is little choice for people who would prefer not to eat meat protein. Currently, Icon Meals only offers one protein option for vegetarians and vegans.

Pricing and cancellations

Custom meals begin at around $5.50 per meal, and boxes cost around $10.63. The company offers one-time purchases and a subscription. Shipping is not free.

Icon Meals does not detail its cancellation policy.

Best for plant-based diets: Sprinly

• Meals: 6, 12, or 18 meals per week
• Menu: changes weekly
• Price per meal: from around $16 per meal

Sprinly offers plant-based meal boxes. Most meals use organic ingredients, are gluten-free, and are low in sodium. The company only uses extra virgin and cold-pressed olive oil or toasted sesame oil in its dishes.

Some meals on the menu include:

• mac and “cheese”
• pesto pasta
• vegetable tikka masala
• sesame crusted tofu

Pros and cons

The company states that it does not add any sugar to its meals. Additionally, Sprinly only caters to plant-based diets, which means that those who do not eat meat may find a wider menu choice than with other services.

However, Sprinly only offers six options per week. People who prefer more meal variety may wish to order from another service.

Pricing and cancellations

Every week, Sprinly offers six new choices that subscribers can choose from. People can opt for six, 12, or 18 meals per week, ranging from $109 to $289 per week.

People can cancel their Sprinly account by going to their account settings. People must delay or cancel their order by Thursday 11:59 p.m. EST.

Best for variety: Freshly

• Meals: Purely Plant, Signature Collection, and Freshly Fit
• Menu: changes weekly
• Cost per meal: from around $9.58

Freshly offers a menu of 44 meals that change weekly. People can choose from Purely Plant, Signature Collection, or the Freshly Fit meals.

Within these four main categories, people can choose from the following meal options:

• gluten-free
• dairy-free
• carb-smart
• lower calorie

Some of the available meals include:

• seared beef brisket and BBQ sauce
• coq au vin
• coconut purple rice porridge
• chimichurri Rojo seared steak

Pros and cons

Freshly offers a wide variety of meals that are suitable for a range of dietary requirements.

However, the company processes all of its meals in a facility that handles wheat. This may make the service unsuitable for those with a severe gluten allergy.

Pricing and cancellation

People can choose between 4–12 meals per week, which costs from $50. Freshly charges $9.99 per delivery.

To cancel, people must navigate to their account settings. People can also delay deliveries for up to 3 weeks.

Best for no meal prep: Snap Kitchen

• Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Menu: changes seasonally
• Price per meal: from around $11.34

Snap Kitchen offers a weekly subscription delivery service. All menus change seasonally.

The company offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.

Some example meals include:

• peach BBQ brisket with loaded cauliflower
• romesco steak with charred broccoli
• herb chicken with Mediterranean sauce and green beans
• deviled egg salad

Pros and cons

Snap Kitchen offers fresh, never frozen, meals that its chefs prepare. People do not need to prepare or cook any ingredients.

However, there are no vegan meals, and the company does not offer many options suitable for different dietary requirements, such as keto meals.

Pricing and cancellations

People can choose either 6 or 12 meals per week. A weekly delivery begins at $82.99. The company offers free delivery.

Snap Kitchen states that people can pause or cancel their subscriptions at any time.

Bodybuilding meal kit comparison

The following table compares the services in this article.

Alternatives

A person might instead prefer to have meal kit deliveries each week. These kits contain preproportioned ingredients and simple, quick recipes that they can modify.

Anyone with questions about what to include in their diet might benefit from consulting with a registered dietitian. These health professionals can help design a customized diet that may improve athletic performance and help with safe weight gain or loss.

A bodybuilder should find a registered dietitian who specializes in this area or is familiar with a bodybuilder’s daily dietary requirements.

Find a 7-day bodybuilding meal plan.

Nutrition for bodybuilders

Bodybuilding is a unique sport with its own set of challenges. Bodybuilders do not undergo assessments of their physical performance but of the symmetry, muscularity, and definition of their bodies.

The three phases of bodybuilding include:

• the muscle-gaining phase, or the “off-season”
• the phase of dieting and otherwise preparing for a competition
• the competition

When planning their diet, a bodybuilder should focus on macronutrients — carbohydrates, proteins, and fats — and calories. Older research from 2004 indicates that the diet should contain these three macronutrients in the following percentages:

• 55–60% carbohydrates
• 25–30% protein
• 15–20% fat

During the off-season, a bodybuilder should increase their caloric intake by about 15%.

A 2014 review provides more detailed guidance, indicating that a bodybuilder should consume:

• 15–30% of their calories from fats
• 2.3 to 3.1 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass per day
• their remaining calories from carbohydrates

Research from 2019 shows that bodybuilders should consume slightly more calories during the off-season and gain about 0.25 to 0.5% of their body weight each week during this period.

Because the dietary needs of bodybuilders change throughout the year, it is important for meal services to allow them to select different meal plans and skip deliveries accordingly. Additionally, other athletes may have different needs.

Learn about the best meal delivery services for athletes.

Frequently asked questions about bodybuilder meal kits

Here we answer some common questions about these services.

Are frozen bodybuilding meal prep delivery services less healthy than fresh ones?

Research suggests that the nutritional content of frozen fruit and vegetables is at least comparable with — and occasionally higher than — fresh fruit and vegetables. However, the beta carotene content is lower in frozen vegetables.

Are bodybuilding meal prep delivery services suitable for muscle gain?

Bodybuilding meal prep delivery services may be suitable for muscle gain so long as they provide the macronutrients a person requires.

Research suggests that bodybuilders should consume a diet that is 55–60% carbohydrates, 25–20% protein, and 15–20% fat.

Additionally, when building muscle, bodybuilders should eat around 15% more calories than is typical. For example, a person who usually eats 2,000 calories needs to consume a diet of around 2,300 calories per day.

Are there any foods you should avoid when selecting a meal prep delivery service for bodybuilders?

People may wish to avoid foods that are high in fat when selecting a meal prep delivery service for bodybuilding. Additionally, individuals may wish to ensure they avoid meals with low carbohydrates and very low or high amounts of protein.

Summary

Various services deliver full meals or meal kits designed for bodybuilders and other athletes.

The best choices for bodybuilders offer a variety of high protein meals featuring high or low amounts of calories to accommodate a person’s bodybuilding phase.

Meal delivery services can be convenient, but they can also be expensive and unsuitable for certain individuals. Anyone looking to save time and money might also consider planning meals weekly to reduce trips to the store or cooking in big batches for easy-to-reheat meals.

Before choosing a meal delivery service, check for reviews on multiple websites. Online bodybuilding communities may also have recommendations and give honest reviews of these services.