For weekday nutrition, generally I rely on pre-prepped meal deliveries. I’m pretty lost in the kitchen and can count the times I’ve followed a recipe on one hand, with varying degrees of success. Admittedly, I’m also too lazy to cook. However, I have a decent (large) appetite and a massive sweet tooth, yet I still want nutrient-dense, (very) filling meals that don’t cost the earth.
Enter Calo, previously Fresh Fitness Food, which promises to help create the ideal culinary experience for even the most time-poor. Its new personalised approach analyses your needs using a nutritionist-approved algorithm, matching you with meals customised to your physical goals and taste preferences. I decided to put it to the test.
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How I tested
After downloading the Calo app, I inputted my current and target weight to set the right portion sizes, though you can also opt for large or small meals. Depending on your goals, you can choose from five plan options: high protein, balanced, low carb, vegetarian and chef’s picks (though this one cannot be tailored to your goals). Calo notes that there are ’45+ rotating, chef-cooked meals to choose from each day’.
I selected the high-protein option (as I’m trying to preserve muscle mass), getting breakfast, lunch and a snack for five days, for £95.
However, I then switched to the balanced, more standardised option for the last two days to review Calo’s general, default option, which can be done on a day’s notice, and which would’ve cost me £80. FYI, the low-carb option would’ve been the same, while the vegetarian menu comes to £80. You can also opt to receive all three meals, lunch and dinner, or just lunch, over three months or per month.
The meals were delivered fresh every day in a cooler bag. They either arrived overnight (between 2-6 am) or in the evening (6-10 pm), and the previous day’s bag was taken away with the new delivery. Customer service was also commendable in that Calo gave me an extra day’s worth of meals when the first delivery was delayed by a few hours.
Macros are clearly displayed on the meal sleeve. Generally it is recommended that meals are microwaved and left to stand for 1-2 minutes each.
Calo’s high-protein meals
Monday
Breakfast: Fluffy feta scrambled eggs, chicken with fresh pesto and sweet potato chips
- Calories: 791
- Protein: 60g
- Carbs: 47g
- Fat: 40g
Having a hearty, protein-rich, savoury breakfast honestly made me so happy. The scrambled eggs were fluffy and moist, and the chicken cubes were substantial and tender, accompanied by a chunky, creamy pesto. The sweet potato chips could have been a bit more fried but the fresh spinach offered a delicate, crisp complement for a textural tapestry! Good ingredient variety made this, overall, divine.
Snack: Cocoa protein bites
- Calories: 242
- Protein: 21g
- Carbs: 34g
- Fat: 2g
Made out of primarily dates and vanilla whey protein, these have a mochi-like consistency: sweet, with a soft, chewy and doughy texture and a mild taste.
Lunch: Braised cabbage and chicken
A quality option including a generous portion of chicken, which was ever so slightly dry but still flavourful. Cabbage was a welcome addition to my diet as I don’t get enough colourful vegetables and purple cabbage is rich in Vitamin C and K and is a good source of antioxidants.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Maple chicken patty and eggs
- Calories: 628
- Protein: 69g
- Carbs: 45g
- Fat: 19g
I do love a big breakfast and this was filling and satisfying. There were a decent number of patties at a good size, and even though the sleeve described it as a ‘savoury hug in every bite’, the maple added a slightly sweet edge, intensified by the tangy ketchup. Again, the scrambled eggs were soft, with medium-size curds.
Snack: Pulled chicken quinoa salad
- Calories: 162
- Protein: 16g
- Carbs: 14g
- Fat: 4g
Vibrant and colourful, with a zesty mix of textures and ingredients. Beetroot and salad added crunch to the chicken and the nutty yet earthy and fluffy quinoa, all tied together by the fresh and bright mustard dressing.
Lunch: Beef biryani power bowl
- Calories: 658
- Protein: 66g
- Carbs: 57g
- Fat: 19g
Another filling and generously portioned meal with beef strips that were tender despite being microwaved, tangy pickled onions and light, soft rice. The sumptuous biryani sauce added a hint of spicy and herby flavour.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Banana protein pancakes
- Calories: 648
- Protein: 46g
- Carbs: 84g
- Fat: 14g
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. However, while pastries, pancakes and muffins often nourish my soul, they’re not often the most… nutritionally dense. So it made me happy to see that these had been given a protein ‘boost’ with the inclusion of whey protein, which bulked out the pancakes and gave them a bit more of a substantial, stodgy bite without being powdery.
These were delicious. The vanilla yoghurt sauce and maple syrup satisfied my sweet tooth while complementing the vanilla whey. The banana flavour was mild, though slightly overpowered by the condiments. Bonus points for the cute size.
Snack: Protein brownies
- Calories: 148
- Protein: 13g
- Carbs: 13g
- Fat: 5g
These brownies were delicious. Chewy, moist and chocolatey, again with no chalkiness despite the addition of whey protein.
Lunch: Sweet chilli beef power bowl
- Calories: 652
- Protein: 69g
- Carbs: 56g
- Fat: 17g
At 70g of protein, this was a solid, quality high-protein option. The beef was a bit tough and the meal didn’t feel like the most inventive, but it was wholesome, substantial and tasty, with the sweet bell-pepper sauce enhancing the overall textural profile and adding moisture. Post-workout, it was exactly what I needed.
Thursday
Breakfast: Burrito
- Calories: 527
- Protein: 51g
- Carbs: 40g
- Fat: 18g
Calo promises that this will be ‘a fiesta of flavours’ and – even though I think the scrambled eggs had been left out, disappointingly – the burrito offered a multi-textured and vegetable-dense bite. The flavourful turkey and beef were accompanied by refreshing tomato, sharp onion, crunchy lettuce, and a bright daqoos (garlic tomato sauce) with just the right amount of spicy kick, all wrapped in a pliable tortilla. Padding it out was a fresh and chunky pico (salsa) with a sweet tang. Having it served as a wrap also added some variety to the typical box meals and felt, rather excitingly, like I was getting a takeaway.
Snack: Cocoa protein bites
- Calories: 242
- Protein: 21g
- Carbs: 34g
- Fat: 2g
Same as Monday and no less enjoyable. These dates and vanilla whey protein bites were, once again, soft and doughy, with a mochi-like texture and a mild taste.
Lunch: Chicken satay rice bowl
- Calories: 650
- Protein: 69g
- Carbs: 46g
- Fat: 21g
Another generously portioned meal, the bulk of which comprised substantial cuts of flavourful coconut soy chicken and a peanut dressing. The rice was the tiniest bit dry and I wish there had been a bit more sauce and peppers, and it wasn’t the most revolutionary dish. However, overall it was a wholesome and satisfying option.
Calo’s balanced meals
Today I switched from the high-protein to the balanced, ‘standard’ option. As noted below, these options were therefore much higher in carbs than protein and fat.
Friday
Breakfast: PB & J oats
- Calories: 354
- Carbs: 48g
- Fat: 13g
- Protein: 11g
I’m a big fan of all things oat-based and this was creamy and rich, with a mild peanut edge. The compote added a lovely sweetness, while topping it off with peanuts gave it some bite. However, it was much smaller than the previous protein breakfasts, probably due to the lower price point.
Snack: Mini mixed salad
- Calories: 206
- Carbs: 16g
- Fat: 12g
- Protein: 8g
This was refreshing and crunchy, with the coriander adding a citrusy, herby edge.
Lunch: Turkey meatballs
- Calories: 887
- Protein: 66g
- Carbs: 111g
- Fat: 20g
A decent number of meatballs made these quite filling. The chipotle sauce was a tasty blend of smokey and sweet, and its depth was offset by the sour cream’s acidity. However, the rice was a bit dry.
Monday
Calo very generously supplied me with another day’s worth of meals after their first delivery ran a little late.
Breakfast: Cacao yoghurt
- Calories: 701
- Carbs: 49g
- Fat: 23g
- Protein: 76g
These were always going to be a winning formula as gloopy chocolate yoghurt concoctions get a resounding yes from me. A seed and granola mix added density and balanced out some of the sweetness. Delicious, but just a bit on the small side.
Snack: Baba ghanoush
- Calories: 246
- Carbs: 29g
- Fat: 11g
- Protein: 7g
A moderately filling snack, with a good bread-to-dip ratio. The baba ghanoush’s savoury, smoky and creamy base was balanced out by tahini’s nuttiness and the lemon’s and pomegranate seeds’ sharpness. It had a satisfying texture though slightly lumpy, and the bread slices were a bit thin.
Lunch: Turkey meatballs
- Calories: 454
- Protein: 27g
- Carbs: 49g
- Fat: 17g
A slightly smaller portion than Friday, this had a welcome addition of slightly more veg (carrots, red peppers) and smokey chipotle sauce.
WH verdict
Generally, I was very impressed with Calo. I loved the high-protein options, especially the breakfasts. It’s commendable that meals are delivered daily, meaning the food tastes really fresh, and there’s such a wide variety of creative and nutritious meals – many of which I wouldn’t find in a supermarket.
Best of all, the meals were filling enough to stop me reaching for less nutritious snacks and took the hassle out of thinking about what to buy or prepare. The standard option was also notable, though I didn’t find the meals quite as innovative, original or substantial, despite the calories being nearly the same for both options.
On the user-friendly app also, it was easy to view the upcoming menu, change between plans and track my delivery on the 24/7 messaging service. I did wish, however, that there was somewhere to view the meals I’d previously received. At £95 or £80 for 5 days equalling about £19 or £15 a day for two meals and a snack, that’s competitively to moderately priced IMHO.
However, if you want the flexibility of choosing your meals day to day, or if you’re good at cooking on a budget, you may not need the convenience of a delivery service.
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