THERE was a time, not so long ago, when “healthy eating” was as easy as looking for a low fat label. And then the counting started.
Calories, fat percentages, carbohydrates, points; the figures you need to lose weight and feel great change with the seasons, but the one consistency has always been the need for a decent calculator.
Enter macronutrients (or macros); the molecular break-down of fats, carbohydrates and proteins that give you energy and, when consumed in exactly the right quantities, 2018’s ticket to achieving your health and fitness goals.
Counting macros is based on a person’s basal metabolic rate (height x weight x age), total daily energy expenditure, and the calorie deficit and macro split required to meet your health goals.
It’s a level of number crunching not seen since Weight Watchers created its ‘Points Plan’, and will have you asking who exactly has time to plan their meals this way?
City lawyer Jared Williams was wondering the same thing when he was struggling to find quick, convenient macro-balanced meals, which is how he came up with the idea for Fresh Fitness Food, a meal delivery service that does the math for you.
What is it?
A food delivery company that creates highly personalised, goal-oriented meal plans according to an individual’s height, weight and exercise regime, and delivers them daily to their home or office.
How does it work?
Clients select a package based on their health and fitness goals, which could be anything from building muscle to overall wellness or the increasingly popular vegan and vegetarian options.
They are quizzed on their height, weight, and weekly workout routine, which the Fresh Fitness Food team uses to calculate the macros each individual should be consuming, and the deficit or surplus required in order to produce results.
For Fat Loss, the most popular package, this means a 20% calorie deficit to a person’s daily intake, and a macro split of 40% protein, 20% carbs and 40% fat, while those on the Muscle Gains programme get a 10% deficit with a higher carb and protein split of 35/45/20.
Eyes glazing over? That’s the best part, you don’t actually need to know any of these figures, other than what time a cooler bag arrives to your home or office (between the hours of midnight and 6am).
It contains a daily menu of meals, juices and snacks based on your prescribed daily macro intake as well as likes and dislikes.
What are the benefits?
Fresh Fitness Food’s most obvious selling point is convenience for time-poor Londoners, but former executive chef and now CEO Caspar Rose says the service was also designed to address a major gap in the meal plan market.
“You’ve got companies doing what I call the hardcore ‘chicken and broccoli’ diets, which are really unsustainable and will have you bingeing on beer and pizza at the end of the week,” he says.
“Then there are the ‘yummy mummy’ type plans that have loads of nice salads and light meals but they aren’t going to fuel athletes and those people working out five or six days a week.
“Our goal was to make a product that people can stick to for a long time.”
And with days of creative, variety-packed meals and evenings free from meal-prep, it’s easy to see how Fresh Fitness Food has become a long-term life change for its 1,000-plus customers, 90% of whom are making orders five days a week.
This customer base includes professional athletes – Olympic rower Moe Sbihi
won gold “after a year on Fresh Fitness Food,” Caspar boasts proudly – but the majority are just average, albeit healthy, Londoners that don’t have time to solve complex equations for their supper.
“When a word like macros starts booming, you end up with a lot of misinformation out there, and a lot of people just feel lost and they don’t have the time to take care of themselves properly.
“A lot of meal delivery companies are putting people on a very standard package, which can be quite dangerous if they’re putting a 90-kilogram guy on 1,500 calories per day.
“That’s why we know this kind of science-based, tailored approach produces real results.”
How much?
Packages start at £20 per day for three meals plus a snack and juice or smoothie.
Where can I try it?
Go online to freshfitnessfood.com to discover more.
