Best Meal Delivery Services for Athletes

Many people think that the hardest thing about being at the top of your game as an athlete is the training – which is half true, however, what many people don’t realize is how difficult it is to maintain and meet the dietary needs for your discipline alongside keeping up with your training schedule and having a normal life.

Athletes spend most of their time training, competing, or just trying to re-energize ready for the next day and have minimal time or effort to put into cooking food for themselves. However, without the right food they won’t be able to perform as best as they can, so how do they do it?

Some pro athletes may have a personal chef who cooks every meal for them, but many athletes will use a meal delivery service that provides numerous nutrient-specific meals suited for their dietary needs.

If you need to get your nutrition in order and start prepping for the performance of a lifetime, then you’ll need to keep on reading to find out the best meal delivery services for athletes. 

1. Trifecta Nutrition 

Trifecta is one of the best convention options for athletes out there, allowing you to pick the meal plan you want based upon your dietary needs e.g vegan, clean, or keto, pick how many meals you want each week and have them delivered to your door for free. 

Not only this but the food comes neatly portioned and packaged individually so you can take them to training with you and easily heat them in the microwave or the oven. 

For those following stricter macro-based diets, you can even build your own meals to perfectly suit your dietary needs with the a-la-carte option. 

Trifecta also takes into account the crazy schedules of athletes and allows them to skip weeks or go bi-weekly to fit with their training and competition schedules.

The food stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 10 days and can even be put in the freezer for 6 months, great if you have meals leftover from the week. 

The delivery days for Trifecta are unfortunately limited to just 2 days – Friday and Saturday. However, Trifecta delivery couriers will leave your meal box at your door or with a neighbor if you’re still at training and will be good for up to 7 hours until you arrive home. 

Pros:

• Flexible food options – Weekly meal plan or build your own meals option
• Versatile diet options – Vegan, veggie, keto, paleo, and clean diet plans available
• Free delivery – Saves you a ton of money
• Option to skip weeks  – Works well with athletes schedules

Cons:

• Delivery limited to 2 days – May not suit everyone’s schedules

 

2. Fresh n’ Lean

Regardless of what kind of athlete you are, Fresh n’ Lean will have a meal plan that will suit you, whether you’re keto, paleo, vegan, or if you need a protein-rich diet or you’re in the middle of bulking season. 

The service offers healthy, nutrient-specific yet delicious meals that’ll leave you feeling excited for what you’re having next instead of the usual repetitive meals of the common chicken, rice, and broccoli. 

You have the flexibility of choosing one of their meal plans or choose from the A La Carte options to cater the meals to your specific dietary needs. 

Not every athlete has the time to eat a full meal during a busy training day and that’s why Fresh n’ Lean have made healthy snacks that athletes can graze on between sessions to refuel. 

Shipping is always free with your delivery but will then only be delivered on Friday or Saturday. You can pay an additional charge to have your box delivered on a more suitable day. You can even change your delivery address to a hotel that you’re staying at for your training/competition. 

Each meal is served in vacuumed sealed trays which are perfect for putting in your training bag and heating up at lunchtime when you’re out of the house. However, if you grab lunch at training or have it provided for you then you also have the flexibility to only choose breakfast and dinner options in your plan.

Pros:

• Delivered when you want it – Flexible to your schedule
• Lots of diet choices – Suits a variety of athletes
• Flexible meal plans – Build your own or follow a weekly plan
• Portable portions – Comes in a sealed tray to take to training

Cons:

• Charge for preferred delivery – You have to pay extra to pick your delivery date

3. Territory Foods

Territory foods are another great option for athletes seeking to have an optimum nutrition plan. They offer varied meals suitable for different diet plans such as keto, low carb, plant-based, etc so you’ll be able to find something that suits what you need. 

You can order as many 18 meals each week and can personalize by ingredient or dietary requirements. The menus are rotating and there’ll be 50+ meals to choose from each week so you’ll never get bored of what you’re eating day to day.

Each meal states the calories and the macros inside so you’ll be able to stay on track with your nutrition and hopefully optimize your athletic performance. 

You have the option to choose once or twice weekly deliveries, which is great if you eat more than 3+ meals a day and will need a top of food throughout the week.

You can choose a recurring delivery, which replaces your order automatically each week and saves you 5% each time, or you can choose a one-time delivery if your schedule varies each week. 

However, one negative, is that Territory does not deliver to all states across the US at this moment, so you’ll need to double-check before ordering.

Delivery times and days will also vary depending on where the delivery location is. 

Pros:

• Rewarded for loyalty – Get 5% off each delivery with a recurring plan
• States macros and calories of each meal – Ideal for strict athletic diets
• Can deliver once or twice a week – Keeps food fresh 

Cons:

• Doesn’t delivery all across the US – Limits the people who can order

4. Diet-to-Go

Diet-to-Go is more of a generic healthy eating meal delivery service but it is still well suited for athletes. They have four meal plan options which are as follows, Balance, Balance-Diabetes, Keto-Carb360, and Vegetarian. They are all calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced to keep you on track and allow you to reach peak performances.

You also have the flexibility to customize your meal plans for the week if there’s something you don’t like or if they contain any allergens. 

If you live in certain parts of the US, you’ll have the benefit of being able to pick up your box from a location at a time and place that’s convenient for you. Those not in those areas will have the box delivered to their front door.  

Boxes are shipped on Mondays and will take 2-4 days to arrive depending on your location, however, a tracking number is provided so you can keep tabs on the location of your box. If you live in the local collection areas, you can pick your box up on Tuesdays and Fridays.

If you’re out of town for training or competing, then you can choose to skip a week as long as you do it before the cut-off deadline. 

If you subscribe to their newsletter, you’ll also get 15% off your first order, who can say no to that?

Pros:

• Delivery and Pick-up options – Ultimate convenience for busy schedules
• Option to skip a week – No weekly commitment 
• Customizable meals – Ideal for picky eaters

Cons:

• Shipping fee – Weekly shipping cost of $20 for your plans

 

5. Mighty Macros

Many athletes will track macros instead of calories, so Mighty Macros will be a good fit for those trying to maintain a perfect macro-based diet. They have four plans, including Weight Loss, Sculp, Perform, and Gain, all of which could be used throughout the season of an athlete.

The meals are made fresh-to-order and have a shelf life of up to 7 days in the refrigerator. The food is delivered in insulated boxes with ice packs, which will stay cold for up to 8 hours from delivery, so if you’re out at training, then your food will be waiting for you on your doorstep without it being ruined. 

As of right now, you can’t add or remove ingredients from the meals but you can filter out any ingredients you’d ideally want to avoid on the menu page. 

Mighty Macros know athletes have busy schedules that’s why no cooking is required for their meals. Simply heat them whenever and enjoy them at your convenience – you won’t even need to do any washing up. 

Each meal comes in a microwave-safe and sealed container which is easily portable for training sessions or event traveling

Unfortunately, Mighty Macros is not delivering to all areas of the US as of right now, but they are quickly expanding so just enter your zip code on the website to see if they deliver to you. 

Pros:

• Each meal is sealed in a microwaveable safe container – Convenient for travel
• Allows you to remain strict with your diet – Accurate macros with each meal
• 4 different meal plans – Suitable for all athlete disciplines 

Cons:

• Not a national service – Limited to certain areas of the US

Buyer’s Guide

Delivery / Collection Option

When looking at a meal delivery service, make sure that the company has good delivery options. Some companies may allow you to pick up the meal box in person if you live close enough, saving you the cost of delivery to your home. However, most will not offer this service, so you’ll need to get it delivered to your home.

Most companies will offer free delivery or a discounted delivery fee when you spend over a certain amount, so look out for that when ordering on the site.

You’ll need to look into what days these services are delivered so you can see if it fits your schedule. Some may only be delivered on two days of the week, whereas other services are more flexible and will allow you to pick the most convenient day for it to be delivered.

This is important as you’ll want to be there to collect your food box so it can be put in the refrigerator straight away. However, these meal boxes often come with cooler bags inside to keep the food fresh even if it’s left outside for a few hours. 

Always double-check that the meal delivery service delivers to your location as you’d be surprised at how many don’t deliver to places like Hawaii or Alaska. 

Dietary Requirements

Not every athlete eats the same thing and not every athlete has the same dietary needs to keep up with the vigorous training that they do so the meal delivery service should cater to your specific dietary requirements.

If you need to eat a high protein diet to help your muscles recover and grow throughout your training and competition, then you’ll need to find a delivery service that highlights the macronutrients of each meal so you can pick one that suits your macro needs.

Vegans, vegetarians, or anyone else that follows a specific diet will need to make sure that the meal delivery service they choose provides suitable options for their diet. 

Most, if not all companies will have an option to filter out meals or food options to factor in allergies.

Versatility

Athletes normally maintain a stricter and healthier diet than the average person, meaning the foods they are allowed to consume are more limited. If you’re someone who gets bored of eating the same thing continuously, then you should aim to find the meal delivery service that has the most versatility and rotation when it comes to the meals. 

Some companies will have the same meal options every week and you’ll only have to select the ones you want from the list, whereas other companies may have different meal options to keep things interesting and so you don’t get sick of eating healthy. 

Versatility can be a bit more difficult for vegans and vegetarians when it comes to meal delivery services for athletes, as most do try to cater towards a high protein which is normally in the form of having meat with every meal. 

Portability

Athletes spend a large position of the day, if not every day, training for their sport, therefore the majority of the day will be spent away from their home and also away from the kitchen. 

This is why portability is such an important factor when picking a meal delivery service as you’ll want to make sure all the meals are packaged well enough to be transported in a kit bag or backpack until you get to training.

Portability is important for athletes who like to bring their food when they’re traveling or competing so they don’t go off track.

Shelf Life

Another thing to look into is how long a shelf life the meals will have in your refrigerator. As these meal delivery services are normally done on a weekly rotation, all of the foods should be able to last nicely in your refrigerator for the full week without going bad. 

Flexibility

Athletes’ schedules are here, there, and everywhere, especially during competition season, meaning they could be away from home competing in a different state for half of the week or even a full week.

Therefore, flexibility is something you need to look for with a meal delivery service. Most companies will offer the option to skip a week of the service, just in case you won’t be home and then it’ll return to the normal service once you return. 

Most companies will also provide the option to pick how many meals you’d like to order each week, for example, if you’ll be away competing for half the week, you can just order half the meals that you would usually so nothing goes to waste.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HelloFresh good for athletes?

HelloFresh is a good meal prep service that will allow athletes the opportunity to prepare and cook their meals at home without the need for grocery shopping or spending hours preparing. They have versatile dietary options like vegan and keto and also allow you to pick how many people you want to feed, so great for athletes who have their own families.

What do pro athletes eat for dinner?

What a pro athlete eats will vary from athlete to athlete, however, most athletes will have a lean protein source like chicken or fish, accompanied by a small portion of healthy carbs like potatoes as well as lots of nutrient-rich vegetables like broccoli.

What are good lunch options for athletes?

What an athlete eats for lunch will depend on their training schedule, some may find a lighter lunch is necessary so they don’t feel too fatigued and weighed down whereas others may need something more carb-heavy to refuel them after the grueling morning workouts/sessions.

Some common lunch ideas are a lean meat salad with rice, lean protein, and grilled or steamed vegetables, or even a burrito wrap with some lean chicken, avocado, beans, and lots of veggies inside.