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Workout Meals

Workout Meals

Workout Meals Services have gained a lot of popularity – whether it’s trying to reach health goals such as muscle building or weight loss or simply eat healthier around increased exercise regimes, we’ve found the best options in Australia and have compared the services to provide the necessary details to make the best choice for you!

By
Rose Fenasse

Written by

Rose Fenasse
Clinical Nutritionist

Rose is a nutritionist who believes nutritional approaches should be flexible and sustainable for the long-term. Rose’s approach to nutrition is evidence-based and integrative, as she understands her scope of practice and sees value in working alongside other health professionals to compliment her clients most effectively. Rose is passionate about ditching diet cultures and focusing on label-free living, whilst educating clients on how to create healthy and flavour-packed meals. She has a comprehensive understanding of shaping nutritional interventions, meal plans, dietary analysis, whilst coaching clients around ditching diet cultures and embracing all foods without the associated emotional fears often seen with dietary changes. Rose stays up to date with current research looking to science and evidence-based nutritional medicine whilst continually studying to broaden her scope.

Edited by
Alex Hamlin

Written by

Alex Hamlin
Certified Nutritionist

Alex Joy Nutrition supports busy individuals with health goals, offering holistic nutrition guidance to reduce stress and foster balanced, healthy habits. Specialising in empowering high achievers, Alex emphasises a preventative and management-focused approach to health. As a clinical nutritionist, Alex provides individuals with tools and education for taking control of their health. She advocates for optimal nutrition as the cornerstone of wellness, employing a food-first approach complemented by holistic treatments. With evidence-based practices, Alex offers personalised guidance to help individuals reach their health goals, prioritising health at the forefront. In health content creation, Alex delivers concise, informative, and engaging material rooted in evidence-based practices, educating, inspiring and guiding others on their wellness journey.

Updated October 1, 2024
Fact checked Fully qualified and expert nutritionists have reviewed and checked this content to ensure it is as accurate as possible at the time of writing.

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What are Workout Meals?

Workout Meals will differ in purpose from provider to provider, essentially the meal delivery service caters to work out specific goals or needs. These needs could differ person-to-person or from exercise loads – whether someone is looking to gain muscle, fuel appropriately to optimise performance or refuel after exercise to meet nutritional requirements – there are plenty of reasons to look into Workout Meal Services.

Nutritional demands and exercise will differ based on gender, weight, age, type of exercise, length of exercise, health status or pregnancy (NRV, 2021). 

It is important to consult with a trusted health professional before making any dietary changes. If you are interested in learning how to identify what ingredients are in your workout meals read our “How to Read a Food Label in Australia” guide to teach yourself this essential skill.

Do Workout Meal Services only cater to weight loss?

Vegan

No, they don’t just cater to weight loss exclusively there are plenty of reasons to purchase weight loss meals such as muscle gain, optimising performance through nutrition, healthier eating and so many more reasons!

If you are wanting to specifically focus on weight loss check out our comparisons.

Which Workout Meal Service is the cheapest?

Workout Meals offer the most competitive starting meal price from as low as $8.95. They currently deliver to most locations in Australia, users can check via their postcode on the website.

EAT BCM have meals starting from $9.50 and offer delivery across Sydney Metro, NSW, ACT, VIC and lower QLD.

My Muscle Chef is a great option to consider with meals starting as low as $9.55, they also offer delivery to most areas in Australia with stockist options in many areas.

What are the Pros & Cons of Workout Meal Services?

low carb meals pros and cons

Workout Meal Pros

  • Cost-Effective - Workout Meal Delivery options are a cost-effective alternative to buying bulk ingredients especially for those needing higher calorie or higher nutrient specific meals.
  • Back-up meals - Workout Meal Services are a great option to have in the fridge as a backup meal if you need them for busy days or nights. They are even a great alternative to have in the freezer for emergency meals reducing the need for take-away.
  • Meal plan and meal service combination - For those wanting to follow a meal plan specific to their workout requirements companies offering Workout Meal Deliveries can meet both of these requirements in one service.
  • Specific to needs - Consumers can choose meals to meet their workout goals or needs i.e. higher calorie, higher protein, higher carbohydrate etc.
  • Reduce food wastage - Having meal services cater to consumers exact needs reduces potential food wastage as everything is prepared and proportioned for the consumer. This eliminates the need for consumers to buy ingredients or more of an ingredient than necessary.

Workout Meal Cons

  • May lack variety or excitement around meals - Eating prepared workout meals may become boring for the consumer eventually leading to a lack of excitement around mealtime and ordering. Depending on the consumer's workout meal goal or requirement there may be a lack of variety around recipes or flavours.
  • Lack of customisable options - For those with food intolerances, allergies or following special dietary requirements you may find difficulty finding a provider which caters to your needs.
  • Workout Meals still may need tailoring to meet your specific need - You may find Workout Meal services cater to the more common population wants i.e. weight loss, muscle gain. If you are an athlete following a specific requirement for your sport such as pre-training nutrition or recovery nutrition a meal service may not be suitable. You may find you can use these meals as a base to build off and add to.
  • Convenience and Time-Saving - Workout meals are the ultimate convenience and often a great addition for those needing to be time conscious, leaving more time for consumers to work out! It can be a great alternative to making work lunches or for those busy dinner times post-work-out.
  • Doesn’t educate consumers nutritionally - Although meal services are convenient, they don’t teach consumers about nutritional benefits or optimising meals to meet their workout demands. Instead, it is a timesaving and mostly thoughtless process besides choosing your recipes and flavour preferences.

Key factors when comparing Workout Meal delivery options

When choosing the right option for you, consider the following factors:

Intended use or goal of the meal

It’s important to know what your goal or health focus is before purchasing a meal and understanding if that meal service is going to assist to achieve this. For example, if you are looking to gain muscle ensuring your meal requirements meet the level of exercise you are doing to achieve said goal.

Macronutrients

Understanding the three main macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fats) and the requirements around fitness goals and requirements. The requirement of macronutrients is dependent on energy levels and the amount of exercise you’re doing. When an imbalance occurs in macronutrients health issues can occur such as deficiencies. For example, for those with high outputs of exercise such as endurance athletes their carbohydrate requirements will be higher than most gym-goers.

If you are interested in learning more about macronutrients and how they contribute to a well-rounded diet read our guide “Are Macros Important for Weight Loss” to help you out.

Price points or bundled options

Weighing up meal services based on prices and bundle options is an important financial incentive especially for those requiring higher volume meals or frequency of meals based on their exercise output.

Energy Requirements

Depending on the workout meal you choose will determine the energy density of the meal. Many meal services will allow consumers to choose low calorie, high calorie or added extras to meals based on consumer’s needs.

Workout Meal Services FAQs

Many services allow consumers to elect for high calorie or lower calorie meals, however, preprepared meals that are chosen from menu’s may not be fully customisable.

Some meal services allow consumers to buy or add additional protein or carbohydrates to meals.

Many workout services cater to dietary requirements or preferences such as lactose and gluten-free options. For those with allergies or other dietary requirements, you may need to speak directly with the provider to seek out specifics.

Food 4 Fitness specifies if consumers have any dietary requirements, they offer a selection of customisable dietary options to select from. Food 4 Fitness meals are also available in stores within selected locations around Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide.

There are a few options that cater to vegan workout meals such as:

– My Muscle Chef
– Workout Meals

– Foober

My Muscle Chef has gained a lot of popularity for its delicious and multipurpose meal service. There are many options to choose from with My Muscle Chef including a menu consumers can choose from as a one-off buy or meal plans based on specific active goals such as calorie control, muscle gain and a performance plan. Even though they cater to most workout goals there is also the availability for consumers to build a custom meal plan based on the quantities and volume they need. There are over 80 meals to choose from including snacks and sides using their menu builder on site.

Protein an important nutrient that is responsible for a lot of functions in the body whilst providing structural integrity and repairing/ building muscle (Berg, Tymoczko et al. 2002).

Consuming adequate protein and essential nutrients post-exercise can optimise recovery lowering the muscle protein breakdown, encourage muscle growth and restore glycogen stores.

Dietary Guidelines suggest 10-35% of our energy needs should come from protein, a high protein diet is estimated to have protein values of over 35% (Marta Cuenca-Sánchez 2015) (Samuel 2014).

High protein meals may be more suited to those with higher energy output and demands.

Pre-workout nutrition is highly valuable and important to optimise to get the most out of training sessions and performance. Some benefits from optimising pre-workout nutrition include:
– Hydrate and fuel bodies adequately for the exercise output ahead.

– Maintain quality and the intensity of the session for longer.
– Control appetite and avoid digestive upsets by fuelling properly
– Meet body composition goals by fuelling adequately

(SDA, 2021)

Again, this is a very individual preference and will differ from person to person. Some people may find they don’t tolerate much in their stomach going into a big training session, whereas others heavily rely on eating before a workout. It’s important to familiarise yourself and practice with foods before big or important exercise events to avoid any upsets.

Ideally, you want to lean into a rich carbohydrate source to kick start your energy stores and opt for low fibre – moderate to high fibre sources can cause digestive upsets. Foods that are higher in fat content take too long to digest and may cause stomach upsets too (SDA, 2021).

Supporting the body post-exercise is important to replenish and refuel the body appropriately after exhaustion. It also is an essential part of meeting specific health or composition goals such as muscle gain. When adequate recovery is achieved through nutrition the body can:
– Refuel energy stores
– Repair & grow muscle
– Adapt and optimise training sessions
– Support the body’s immune function (SDA, 2021).

Everyone’s requirements will differ as will their preferences or what feels right post-exercise. For some their appetite might be more heightened than others, or others may struggle to comfortably consume food post-exercise. For these reasons, there may be an element of trial and error to figure out what works best for you post-exercise.

Ideally, foods post-exercise should contain a protein source to repair muscle, a high-quality carbohydrate source to refill muscle stores and a fluid to rehydrate effectively. A very common example of an easy and reliable post-exercise nutritional option is a protein shake or a smoothie as they tick all the above boxes regarding refuelling, repair and hydration but they can also sit easier on an uneasy stomach or for those that may not have as sharp of an appetite post-workout (SDA, 2021).

A, H. and K. T (2015). “Mg, Zn and Cu Transport Proteins: A Brief Overview from Physiological and Molecular Perspectives.” Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology 61 Suppl.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26598820/


Berg, J. M., et al. (2002). “Protein Structure and Function.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21177/


Cooper, G. M. (2000). “Signaling Molecules and Their Receptors.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9924/


Cooper, G. M. (2000). “The Central Role of Enzymes as Biological Catalysts.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9921/


J, H. (2006). “The role of albumin in fluid and electrolyte balance.” Journal of infusion nursing : the official publication of the Infusion Nurses Society 29(5).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17035887/


Koh, J. M. a. G. (2020). “Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss.” J Obes Metab Syndr. 2020 Sep 30; 29(3): 166–173.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7539343/


NRV (2021) . Nutrient Reference Values – “What are Nutrient Reference Values?”
https://www.nrv.gov.au/introduction


Sports Dietitians Australia (2021). “EATING & DRINKING BEFORE EXERCISE”.
https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/factsheets/fuelling-recovery/eating-drinking-sport/


Sports Dietitians Australia (2021). “RECOVERY NUTRITION”.

https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/factsheets/fuelling-recovery/recovery-nutrition/

Search and compare wellness and health delivery services in Australia including meal kits, ready to eat meal delivery, vitamin subscriptions and much more at Wellhub. All content and information on this site is provided by qualified Australian nutritionists to ensure accurate representation of all products reviewed. Learn more about our expert team here.