Meal planning can be a chore. You may be tempted to order in or go out to eat, but a meal delivery service might help you eat portion-controlled entrees, especially if you’re an active person. Fuel Meals is a one-stop meal service that markets toward people who want to “fuel their 6 a.m. workout” and help them meet their “fitness goals.” If you want to gain lean muscle through working out, especially while focusing on body recomposition or losing weight, this service may be a game changer.
Fuel Meals offer ready-made, pre-portioned meals you can heat in minutes. The website allows people to explore the menus with the nutritional information front and center. There are many meal delivery options on the market, so read our Fuel Meals review to see if this is the right meal delivery service for you.
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider.
Key product features
What you should know
Fuel Meals are geared towards people with an active lifestyle who want to track calories and macronutrients to fuel intense workouts.
- Our tester felt full after eating the chicken quesadilla and the bison burger.
- The lowest price per entrees is $7.11, which is when you purchase 20 meals per week on Fuel’s performance plan.
- Fuel Meals are great for active individuals who want to amp up their protein intake or lean into a low-carb diet.
How do Fuel Meals work?
Fuel Meals provides ready-made breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bulk proteins like chicken breast, Atlantic salmon, and turkey meatballs to help active people achieve athletic goals like muscle gain. These meals require little work other than heating them in the microwave for about three minutes. The food is freshly made, not frozen, which means there are no artificial preservatives in the meals.
The meals are packed with protein, plus veggies and healthy carbs. Some Fuel meals have as much as 60 grams of protein. (1) “These higher protein meals will make it easier to reach daily goals, whether it be RDA or higher for active individuals,” explains Victoria Burgess, PhD, CSCS, CISSN.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that active individuals consume 0.35 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. That’s up to 60 grams of protein for a 165-pound person. (2, 3) However, some athletes may require even more protein, especially when aiming for weight loss, ranging from 1.6-2.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. Active individuals who are aiming for weight loss can maintain their muscle mass with a high-protein diet. (4)
“Even amounts up to 2 grams per pound has been found to be safe and beneficial for lean mass gain and fat mass loss.”
Victoria Burgess, PhD, CSCS, CISSN.
Fuel Meals contain between 370 and 660 calories, which may be helpful to kickstart a calorie deficit or fuel a busy, active lifestyle. The amount of calories your body needs changes throughout your lifetime and varies by gender and activity level. The FDA generally recommends that active women consume 2,000-2,400 calories a day and active men consume 2,400 to 3,200 calories a day to maintain overall health. (5) While Fuel Meals should be sufficient for many active individuals, they may not provide enough calories for some. “Including snacks throughout the day can help bridge that gap,” notes Burgess.
Most Fuel Meals contain 600-800 milligrams of sodium or less, though some are much higher. General Tsos turkey meatballs contain 1,290 mg of sodium, while the buffalo chicken pizza contains 1,550 mg. While some active individuals may need to replenish sodium lost through sweat, the FDA generally recommends keeping your daily sodium intake under 2,300 milligrams per day. (6)
Specs
| Starting price | $7.11 |
| Shipping cost | Free with subscription; $9.95-$39.95 without a subscription |
| Shipping area | All 50 states in the U.S. |
| Meal type | Fresh, prepared meals |
| Number of meals per week | Seven to 20 meals per week or every two weeks |
| Meal plans | Best sellers, performance, weight loss, muscle gain |
| Cancellation options | Online |
Fuel Meals plans
Meal plan options include performance, muscle gain, weight loss, and best sellers. You can order seven, 10, 14, or 20 meals per week or every two weeks. Individual entrees start at $13.95, while breakfast meals cost $12.95. If you order 14 meals per week, you’ll get a 10% discount; if you order 20 meals per week, you’ll receive a 15% discount which brings your per-entree price to $7.11 (under the performance plan). The more meals you buy, the higher the discount. Some of the cuisine styles offered by Fuel Meals include American, Chinese, Italian, and Mediterranean.
Fuel Meals will base your order on the previous week’s order, so if you’d like to change the meals, you can do that on the website before Saturday at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Discounts
Fuel Meals offer discounts for any buyers, but also for the following people:
- Current and former U.S. military
- Military spouses and dependents
- First responders including law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services
- Federal, state, and local government employees
- K–12 and university teachers and staff
Fuel Meals also has a loyalty program where you can earn points to use towards your next purchase. If you refer a friend and they spend $65, you get 6,000 rewards points, which adds up to more savings.
Fuel Meals packaging
Fuel Meals are fresh, not frozen, and will arrive at your home in a recyclable cardboard box with ice packs. Each prepared meal comes in microwave-safe containers and are vacuum-sealed to stay fresh. If you’re not going to eat them right away or by their expiration date, you can freeze the meals for later.
Shipping
The company preps meals and ships every Monday and Wednesday. Shipping generally takes 1-2 days. Delivery choices are weekly or every two weeks. Shipping is free if you have a subscription; without a subscription your shipping cost will fall between $9.95 and $39.95, depending on your location. When you sign up for a subscription, you will be charged each week. You can pause, skip a week, or cancel at any time. Got a question? Contact Fuel’s customer service on their website.
Who are Fuel Meals best for?
Fuel Meals are geared towards active people who want to prioritize high-protein meals even when they don’t have time to meal prep and cook. These meals may help you get the optimal macros to keep your energy levels up during your workouts and help you reach your fitness goals.
Our experience with Fuel Meals
Our tester tried the chimichurri steak, chicken quesadillas, bison burger, crispy buffalo chicken, and homestyle meatloaf. She said they tasted okay, not great, but noted it’s hard to beat the convenience when you’re short on time. She was mostly full after eating her Fuel Meals, but would’ve liked more veggies or a sauce with some of the meals she tried. Our tester thinks the meals would taste better heated in the oven, but then you’d have to remove the meal from the microwave container and put it into an oven-safe dish; and cooking would take longer, up to 25 minutes.
What customers are saying
Fuel Meals has 54 verified reviews on Trustpilot, and almost all are five stars.
“The meals are of very good quality and variety fit in well with a busy life. The menu is changed regularly so keeps things interesting and not mundane. Would recommend.”
Ellie, Trustpilot
Fuel Meals has three reviews on Better Business Bureau, and they are negative.
“A few days before delivery they send an email to make changes or skip that week’s order. I tried to skip this week’s order but they said it was too late. Even got an email yesterday asking if I wanted to change the order before it was packaged and shipped. Why is it possible to change the order but not skip the order since it wasn’t even packed yet?” says Brian C.
We’ve featured Fuel Meals in:
Compare Fuel Meals
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| Fuel Meals | Daily Harvest | Trifecta | Factor | Nutrisystem | |
| Rating | |||||
| Starting price per meal | $7.11 | $6.79 | $13.79 | $10.99 | $9.86 |
| Delivery area | All 50 states | Continental U.S. | All 50 states | Continental U.S. | Continental U.S. |
| Delivery cost | Free with subscription; $9.95-$39.95 without a subscription | $9.99 | $9.99; $49.99 for Hawaii and Alaska | $10.99 | $9.99 |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh | Frozen | Frozen | Fresh | Frozen |
Fuel Meals vs. Factor
Both Fuel meals and Factor offer fresh, ready-made meals you can quickly heat in the microwave. Fuel Meals cost $13.95-$16.95 for entrees while Factor costs $11.49-$13.99 per meal. Factor also offers add-ons like juices, smoothies, protein shakes, energy bites, and desserts, whereas Fuel strictly offers individual meals or proteins sold in bulk.
When we tested and evaluated Factor, we found they offer a wider variety of meal plans, including chef’s choice, vegan & veggie, keto, calorie smart, flexitarian, and protein plus.
But Fuel Meals appears to offer more protein in each meal, on average. At the time of writing, the meals on Factor’s protein plus menu contain 30+ grams of protein—much less than the 38-60 grams in Fuel Meals. Factor’s meals also contain 350-900 calories, compared to 660 calories for Fuel Meals. So while Factor may be better for individuals with higher caloric needs, Fuel Meals may be better for people with higher protein needs and those looking to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass.
Factor also offers a free 20-minute consultation with an online dietitian to discuss your nutrition goals, which is not offered by Fuel Meals.
How we test meal delivery services
Signing up for a meal delivery service like Fuel Meals can help you eat nutritious meals when you’re busy. Delivery services can also provide meals that meet your macronutrient needs. People buying Fuel Meals likely prioritize their macros by getting high-protein meals to keep them full and energized during strenuous workouts.
Not every meal delivery service is a great fit for every person. That’s why Fortune Recommends™ aims to personally test every meal delivery service we review. Our goal is to provide unbiased, honest feedback to help you pick the right service for you.
Here’s why you can trust our meal delivery reviews.
Every Fortune meal delivery review features:
- In-depth analysis by testers and/or authors who are certified nutritionists and/or registered dietitians
- Testing for portion/ingredient accuracy, taste, and freshness
- Fact-checking and reviewing by qualified experts
At times, we may feature meal delivery services we haven’t yet tested. Until we can try them, we examine each service’s cost, meal variety, nutrition breakdown, and customization options. We then update our reviews once we’ve tested them to highlight everything we liked and didn’t like.
You can read our full meal delivery service testing methodology here.
Testing criteria
Meal choices—30%
A meal delivery service should provide numerous healthy, nutritious options for every meal of the day. It should also give you as much authority as you want over what you order. Here’s what we take into account in our meal choices rating:
- Multiple options
- Substitutions
- Guidance
- Label transparency
Food quality—30%
We aim to match you with companies that use delicious chef-designed recipes and have the dietary firepower of nutritionists and/or registered dietitians behind them. Here’s what goes into our quality rating.
- Flavor
- Healthiness
- Freshness
- Portion
Value—20%
Meal delivery services run the gamut in price, but what you receive should feel reasonable for what you’re paying. Here’s what we factor into a program’s value rating:
- Fair price
- Multiple quantity options
- Customization
Customer experience—20%
We want to ensure that your experience with a meal delivery service is a positive one. We pay attention to packaging and how easy the meal is to prepare. We contact customer service representatives ourselves and review sites like Trustpiot and the Better Business Bureau to see what other customers have to say.
- Packaging
- Ease of preparation
- Reviews
- Customer service
FAQs
Are Fuel Meals worth it?
We think Fuel Meals are a convenient way to get adequate nutrition, especially if you opt to order 10-20 meals per week to save money. The website allows you to browse the menu before you commit to buying, which is something we appreciate. And the more meals you buy, the more money you’ll save per meal.
Are Fuel Meals good for athletes?
Fuel Meals are marketed for athletes who are looking for high-protein and low-carb meals to help them reach their fitness goals. For athletes who like to cook, you can buy proteins like chicken or salmon by the pound as part of your meal planning.
Are Fuel Meals fresh or frozen?
Fuel Meals are always fresh, not frozen, and made to the order at the beginning of each week. If you’re not able to eat them all in a week, you can freeze them for later.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
Our experts
Victoria Burgess, Ph.D., CSCS, CISSN
Victoria Burgess earned her Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance from Concordia University Chicago and holds her NSCA CSCS and Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN). She is an adjunct professor in the Human Performance and Nutrition department at Concordia University Chicago & Parker University, where she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level courses.
Pete Nastasi, CPT, CSNC
Pete Nastasi is a NASM-certified sports nutrition coach, personal trainer, and the owner of N2 Nutrition and Performance. Pete helps individual clients achieve their sports performance and weight-loss goals through a personalized approach centered around diet optimization, easy-to-follow workout routines, and healthy lifestyle habits.
Jessica Coulon
Jessica is a contributing editor and writer who specializes in fitness, health, nutrition, and science content. Previously, she was an editor for Popular Mechanics and Bicycling, where she covered pro cycling news, wrote how-to guides, and tested all the latest and greatest bike gear. She was also a regular shoe tester and contributor for Runner’s World. You can often find her skiing or riding her mountain bike, and racing with the F1RE female enduro team.
Lily Moe
Lily is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor with over seven years of experience in health media. As a former Fitness Coach, Lily’s editorial prowess has largely focused on fitness, nutrition, and weight management. She has also spent a fair share of time in testing labs, analyzing everything from protein powders to yoga mats. Her work has appeared in Verywell Fit, Verywell Mind, Health, and more.
Kelly Uhler
Kelly has a multifaceted background in elder care, health care, and copywriting. She has worked for organizations such as A Place For Mom and Homecare.com, which gave her the opportunity to work closely with families, providing reliable information to help them make informed decisions about their loved one’s health, safety, and quality of life.
Lauren Evoy Davis
Fortune Recommends Staff Writer
About Author
Lauren Evoy Davis is a health journalist with expertise in cancer and other chronic conditions. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from American University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Elon University. Her work has been published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Council on Aging, HelpGuide WebMD, Everyday Health and Verizon. She tests meal kits, meal delivery services, and fitness apps. When not writing or reading, Lauren enjoys paddle boarding on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, weightlifting, and gardening.
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Daily value on the nutrition and supplement facts labels. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels
- American College of Sports Medicine. Protein intake for optimal muscle maintenance. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/protein-intake-for-optimal-muscle-maintenance.pdf
- Nunes, E.A., Colenso-Semple, L., McKellar, S.R., Yau, T., Ali, M.U., Fitzpatrick-Lewis, D., Sherifali, D., Gaudichon, C., Tomé, D., Atherton, P.J., Robles, M.C., Naranjo-Modad, S., Braun, M., Landi, F., & Phillips, S.M. (2022, April) Systematic review and meta-analysis of protein intake to support muscle mass and function in healthy adults. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, 13(2):795-810. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8978023/
- Hector, A.J., & Phillips, S.M. (2018, March 1). Protein recommendations for weight loss in elite athletes: A focus on body composition and performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 28(2):170-177. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29182451/
- Food and Drug Administration. Do you know how many calories you need? Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/media/112972/download
- Food and Drug Administration.. Sodium in your diet. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet#: