The most common objection to meal prepping is that it costs too much. The reality is the opposite. When you break down what the average London athlete actually spends on food across a week, including takeaways, meal deals, restaurant lunches and last minute supermarket shops, meal prepping consistently comes out significantly cheaper, faster and nutritionally superior.
The real cost of not meal prepping in London
London is one of the most expensive cities in the world to eat in. A typical week for a working professional eating without a plan looks something like this:
| Meal | Frequency | Average Cost | Weekly Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch (Pret, Itsu, meal deal) | 5 days | £8 to £12 | £40 to £60 |
| Dinner (cooking from scratch) | 4 nights | £6 to £10 per meal | £24 to £40 |
| Takeaway dinner | 2 nights | £15 to £25 | £30 to £50 |
| Post gym snacks and protein bars | Daily | £3 to £5 | £21 to £35 |
| Total | £115 to £185 |
That is between £460 and £740 per month on food, much of which is nutritionally inconsistent and not aligned with any athletic goal. A Munch Now 10 meal plan at £85 per week plus delivery covers your main meals for the week at £8.50 per meal, significantly less per meal than any of the alternatives above, with full macro tracking and consistent quality.
The time cost is just as significant
Time is the resource most London athletes are shortest on. Consider what cooking from scratch actually costs in time across a week:
- Grocery shopping: 45 to 90 minutes per week including travel
- Cooking each dinner from scratch: 30 to 60 minutes per meal
- Washing up and kitchen cleaning: 15 to 20 minutes per meal
- Planning what to cook: 15 to 30 minutes per week
Cooking five dinners from scratch costs an average of 6 to 8 hours per week when you include shopping, preparation and cleaning. That is time you could spend training, recovering or doing anything else.
The nutritional consistency argument
Beyond cost and time, the nutritional case for meal prepping is overwhelming. When you cook differently every night, eat out several times a week and grab lunches on the go, your macro intake varies enormously day to day. One day you might hit 180g of protein, the next you might manage 90g. That inconsistency directly limits your results.
Athletes who track their progress consistently report that nutritional consistency, eating similar well structured meals day after day, produces more predictable and faster results than any other single variable including training programme design.
What to look for in a meal prep service
Not all meal prep services are equal. The key things to look for are macro transparency, fresh cooking rather than frozen production, the ability to swap meals based on your preference, and portion sizes that actually match athletic needs rather than civilian portions dressed up as fitness food.
Munch Now meals are cooked fresh each week, macro tracked, and sized for athletes who train seriously. Every meal is built around your goal whether that is bulk, cut or maintain, with no guesswork required on your end.
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