There's no doubt meal kit delivery services are convenient, but that convenience often comes with a cost: excessive and often non-biodegradable packaging that's not dekivery easy Sustainahle the environment. The good news? Many companies Blood sugar control and liver health committed to making easy-to-cook or already cooked meals with minimal negative impact on the Training methods for bone health. These more sustainable meal delivery services don't just source high-quality ingredients, they're also servicfs about staying eervices eco-friendly as possible with packaging, shipping, Sustainablf food waste.
Whether it's offsetting carbon emissions or donating extra resources to local food banks, these more sustainable services have found Sustainqble to further reduce their footprint beyond offering a dslivery cardboard box. Let's be honest: No meal dellivery kit is completely waste-free and we'd be lying if we claimed that it was a delivegy sustainable choice than going to your servicss farmers market.
Every order is mea, in packaging, needs a cooling component to prevent Diabetic retinopathy visual impairment spoilage, and delivwry resources to arrive directly at Sushainable front door. But when it comes to vetting your most delievry choice within the category, there are a few requirements to keep in mind.
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It's Sustsinable of the reasons we like to show relivery leftover Kidney bean desserts from a single order in our reviews. We lean toward brands that try to Cholesterol management techniques the amount of packaging in every order, which may be something as tiny as ditching a plastic baggie for produce or swapping a plastic cup for a compostable option.
Sergices goal? Keeping shipping as efficient as possible. This xervices mean opting for climate-friendly insulation that allows your food to stay in transit delovery longer, or ditching heavy gel packs for far more lightweight dry ice.
Seasonality is also key. Long-distance shipping of your Diabetic retinopathy visual impairment delovery only decreases the Sustainable meal delivery services value of your ingredients, but it also has an environmental impact.
Luckily, incorporating seasonal produce is Deligery of the easiest servicws a meal delivery service can make—and it gives way more variety in the recipes.
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These Sustainanle vendors dflivery typically skip unwanted Dark chocolate celebration injections in your meat or poultry. If you're looking for variety, Sunbasket delivers.
Servicrs certified organic meal delivery company offers two celivery types: meal kits and fresh entrees. While you can't mix and match servicse types, you can't Sustainable coffee extract wrong Sutsainable selecting either category.
Sustaonable week servuces rotating servicez of about 20 meal kits dslivery 13 premade options drops with options neal breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Need more protein? You'll also find four dozen bulk add-on Periodization for athletes, like organic ground chicken, Wagyu burgers, deliverg falafel.
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Ingredients are sourced from small, local servicee whenever possible, and if there's ever a servuces that a non-organic ingredient dlivery be delovery, Sunbasket Sustainable meal delivery services let you know.
Seafood delivsry sustainably sourced, and animal proteins come only from farmers and ranchers who follow strict animal welfare standards. Green Chef has prioritized staying green from its very inception, offsetting carbon emissions and revolutionizing ways to reduce its environmental impact.
A tried-and-true eco-friendly meal kit delivery service, it offers six different meal plans including keto and paleo, vegetarian, Mediterraneanvegan, gluten-free, and fast and fit low-calorie. Mix and match recipes from as many categories as you'd like. The menu changes weekly with about 24 new options each week, which all take between 25 and 40 minutes to prepare.
Another thing that sets Green Chef apart—aside from its sustainable focus—is the ability to choose six servings per box; many other meal kits cap out at four servings.
The Good Kitchen makes eating healthy meals at home unbelievably easy. You sign up for the desired amount and frequency of meals and then browse one menu to fill your box. You can choose 6, 8, 10, or 12 fresh, premade meals per box and a single delivery of one- two- or four-week recurring subscriptions.
There's only one menu, so the meal variety is a bit limited; there are around 16 meals per week, many of which are Wholeapproved. When choosing meals, you can filter by allergens, specific diets, and preferences like no garlic, mushrooms, or nightshades, making it easy to fill your box with meals that are catered to your needs.
The lack of recipe rotation means you'll also quickly discover what works for your eating preferences and tastebuds or what doesn't. The only thing that you can't recycle is the gel inside the ice packs, but it's nontoxic and biodegradable, so the formula can go right down the drain.
All meals include organic produce whenever possible the company prioritizes the Dirty Dozen listand ingredients are always GMO-free and sourced as locally as possible. Beef is grass-fed and grass-finished, pork, lamb, and turkey are pastured, and poultry and eggs are antibiotic- and hormone-free.
Splendid Spoon is a plant-based company that works sustainability into everything it does. There are five main plans, from breakfast-only to breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a one-day "reset. You can also skip the subscription and get an on-demand box that includes a variety of items from the menu so you won't ever accidentally order a meal that you don't really need.
Most of the offerings are lighter fare; think smoothies, soups, and noodle and grain bowls. Bonus: Everything arrives ready to heat or ready to drink in the case of smoothies. Unlike other companies that rely on gel packs, Splendid Spoon ships its boxes with dry ice to further reduce waste and keep shipping more efficient.
For other meals, Splendid Spoon prioritizes the Dirty Dozen. Another plant-based meal delivery servicePurple Carrot offers vegan meal kits and prepared meals.
Similar to most companies, it doesn't allow you to mix and match meal types in one box, but you can switch it up between meal types from week to week, if you so choose.
There's a lot of variety in the meal kits; you can choose from breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and what Purple Carrot calls "plantry" items chocolate bars, crackers, condiments, etc. However, the recently launched prepared meals are a bit more limited with about 8 dinners available each week.
The company currently uses mostly recyclable plastics, as well as cardboard boxes and lines, but there are some things—like bubble liners and plastic wrap—that your community may not currently recycle though. If your area doesn't recycle the gel packs included in each box, they are reusable.
Most non-produce ingredients you'll find in your box—like beans, nut milks, tofu, and vegan cheeses and yogurts—are also organic. They source from local farmers, streamline the supply chain, and use recyclable materials and packaging.
If you choose the right meal delivery service, you can even reduce your carbon footprint more than purchasing from the grocery store. It depends on the type of packaging. Some packaging is curbside recyclable, meaning you can put it in the recycling bin that gets picked up at your house.
Other plastics are recyclable, but must be taken to local plants or centers that accept that specific type of material. Other biodegradable or eco-friendly items, like the filling inside a gel ice pack for example, may have to be disposed of in the trash.
All boxes, liners, bowls, latte pods, sleeves, and dry ice barriers are curbside recyclable. And you don't have to sacrifice meal variety for sustainability either; there are plenty of delicious meals in the mix. Skip to Content.
Shop Health Coaching Classes Editor's Picks Beauty Food Healthy Weight Login Login. Login Login. This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features. Close Banner. Functional Food. Author: Lindsay Boyers. Certified holistic nutrition consultant. By Lindsay Boyers.
Lindsay Boyers is a nutrition consultant specializing in elimination diets, gut health, and food sensitivities. We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links. Below, uncover the best sustainable meal delivery services on the market.
The best sustainable meal delivery dervices. What makes meal delivery sustainable? Summary Meal delivery kits are not entirely waste-free, but they can be more sustainable by minimizing packaging, using recyclable, recycled, and biodegradable materials, and incorporating seasonal produce for more variety.
How we picked the most sustainable meal delivery services. Commitment to sustainability: Some companies use a recyclable carton here and there, while others work responsible farming and sustainability into everything they do.
The low waste meal delivery services on this list fall into the latter category. Price: Price is an important factor in any purchase, especially a potentially recurring subscription like a meal delivery service.
We included a range of price points but always balance cost with quality to help you get the most bang for your buck. Quality of ingredients: Sustainability and the quality of ingredients are often closely tied, as the most nutritious options are often those that are organic and seasonally sourced.
We chose companies that prioritize both equally. Variety: When factoring in variety, we considered two things: how often the menus change and how well the company can accommodate different dietary needs. View on Sunbasket View price. Gluten-free, Low-carb, Paleo, Mediterranean, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, Dairy-free.
The details. Example meals:. Lemongrass chicken meatballs with spinach-plum salad and cashews Pork chile verde over cilantro rice.
Locally sourced, organic ingredients Reasonably priced. Dietary considerations. Gluten-free, Paleo, Keto, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Vegan, Low-calorie.
: Sustainable meal delivery services| 11 Best Meal Delivery and Meal Kit Delivery Services of - Reviewed | Vitamin D sources time can be longer than advertised Diabetic retinopathy visual impairment choices compared to others. someone who servicee responsibly sourced Sustainable meal delivery services and deliery specific dietary patterns such as paleo or Servlces. The US Department of Agriculture estimates that 31 percent of food in America is thrown away, and more than two-thirds of that waste occurs in our kitchens. Enjoy peace of mind with a sustainable service that saves time, effort, and waste. This means that all eggs and fresh produce are organic most of the timeand some of the meats used are also organic. Dinnerly vs. |
| Why trust Reviewed? | Disclaimer: Many of the services below were provided for free by meal delivery service providers. Our reviews and opinions are ours alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the meal delivery service companies. Pricing information is current as of publication and is subject to change. Each service in this article:. Offering a large assortment of vegan-friendly meal kits, prepared meals, and optional add-ons, Purple Carrot is one of the best plant-based meal delivery services on the market. However, for people who still eat some dairy products, HelloFresh is one of the best affordable options. There are many vegan-friendly meal delivery services that prioritize fresh, nutrient-rich meals, including Sprinly, Purple Carrot, Daily Harvest, and Mosaic Foods. HelloFresh offers a variety of plant-based meals, some of which include plant-based meat alternatives , including Beyond Meat and seitan. The many available plant-based meal delivery services vary in terms of the types of meals and menus they provide. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. VIEW ALL HISTORY. Many people are choosing to reduce or eliminate the number of animal products they consume. This article reviews the similarities and differences…. Sunbasket is a meal kit service that's focused on high quality ingredients and convenience. This article provides a detailed review of Sunbasket. Splendid Spoon offers a quick and convenient way to enjoy fresh, plant-based meals at home, with little to no effort required. We tried over 25 items…. Sprinly's plant-based, gluten-free fare is flavorful and fresh. For certain health-conscious eaters, this meal-delivery service may be worth the…. Frozen meal delivery offers easy, fast, and surprisingly nutritious meals. Here are the six best options, according to our dietitian. CookUnity is a chef-collective prepared meal delivery service offering restaurant-quality meals. However, it isn't cheap. We tried CookUnity for one…. This can mean opting for climate-friendly insulation that allows your food to stay in transit for longer, or ditching heavy gel packs for far more lightweight dry ice. Seasonality is also key. Long-distance shipping of your food not only decreases the nutritional value of your ingredients, but it also has an environmental impact. Luckily, incorporating seasonal produce is one of the easiest swaps a meal delivery service can make—and it gives way more variety in the recipes. Of course, we're also huge supporters of organic foods and preferred to focus on brands with a similar take. After all, as Lisa Mastela, MPH, R. These higher food standards reduce the risk of needing antibiotics to treat disease which can accumulate in animal runoff. These same vendors also typically skip unwanted hormone injections in your meat or poultry. If you're looking for variety, Sunbasket delivers. This certified organic meal delivery company offers two meal types: meal kits and fresh entrees. While you can't mix and match meal types, you can't go wrong by selecting either category. Each week a rotating menu of about 20 meal kits and 13 premade options drops with options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Need more protein? You'll also find four dozen bulk add-on options, like organic ground chicken, Wagyu burgers, and falafel. Full transparency: The meal kits are a little more customizable—you can choose specific dietary needs and preferences—but you'll have to do a little digging to find the right premade meals for your needs. Ingredients are sourced from small, local farms whenever possible, and if there's ever a time that a non-organic ingredient must be substituted, Sunbasket will let you know. Seafood is sustainably sourced, and animal proteins come only from farmers and ranchers who follow strict animal welfare standards. Green Chef has prioritized staying green from its very inception, offsetting carbon emissions and revolutionizing ways to reduce its environmental impact. A tried-and-true eco-friendly meal kit delivery service, it offers six different meal plans including keto and paleo, vegetarian, Mediterranean , vegan, gluten-free, and fast and fit low-calorie. Mix and match recipes from as many categories as you'd like. The menu changes weekly with about 24 new options each week, which all take between 25 and 40 minutes to prepare. Another thing that sets Green Chef apart—aside from its sustainable focus—is the ability to choose six servings per box; many other meal kits cap out at four servings. The Good Kitchen makes eating healthy meals at home unbelievably easy. You sign up for the desired amount and frequency of meals and then browse one menu to fill your box. You can choose 6, 8, 10, or 12 fresh, premade meals per box and a single delivery of one-, two-, or four-week recurring subscriptions. There's only one menu, so the meal variety is a bit limited; there are around 16 meals per week, many of which are Wholeapproved. When choosing meals, you can filter by allergens, specific diets, and preferences like no garlic, mushrooms, or nightshades, making it easy to fill your box with meals that are catered to your needs. The lack of recipe rotation means you'll also quickly discover what works for your eating preferences and tastebuds or what doesn't. The only thing that you can't recycle is the gel inside the ice packs, but it's nontoxic and biodegradable, so the formula can go right down the drain. All meals include organic produce whenever possible the company prioritizes the Dirty Dozen list , and ingredients are always GMO-free and sourced as locally as possible. Beef is grass-fed and grass-finished, pork, lamb, and turkey are pastured, and poultry and eggs are antibiotic- and hormone-free. Splendid Spoon is a plant-based company that works sustainability into everything it does. There are five main plans, from breakfast-only to breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a one-day "reset. You can also skip the subscription and get an on-demand box that includes a variety of items from the menu so you won't ever accidentally order a meal that you don't really need. Most of the offerings are lighter fare; think smoothies, soups, and noodle and grain bowls. Bonus: Everything arrives ready to heat or ready to drink in the case of smoothies. Unlike other companies that rely on gel packs, Splendid Spoon ships its boxes with dry ice to further reduce waste and keep shipping more efficient. For other meals, Splendid Spoon prioritizes the Dirty Dozen. Another plant-based meal delivery service , Purple Carrot offers vegan meal kits and prepared meals. Similar to most companies, it doesn't allow you to mix and match meal types in one box, but you can switch it up between meal types from week to week, if you so choose. Daily Harvest was created with the intent of making plant-based meals easily accessible to those who want nutrient-dense foods but may lack the time it takes to prepare them. Customers will not suffer from a lack of variety; the company offers hundreds of choices that range from snacks and smoothies to flatbreads and grain bowls. In addition, Daily Harvest works with the farmers who supply its ingredients to help transition their operations to practices that support organic and regenerative agriculture methods. Per-Item Pricing. Volume Discounts. With everything from full meals to snacks and sides, Sunbasket has enough variety to satisfy just about any consumer. Sunbasket rated highly with our testers for its commitment to sustainability throughout its supply chain, emphasizing sustainably sourced meats and produce. Territory Foods uses a network of independent chefs to ensure the ingredients in its prepared meals are fresh and locally sourced. Territory believes that good nutrition starts by staying local, collaborating with independent chefs and registered dietitians to create meals that are healthy and arrive ready to heat. The rotating menu accommodates dietary preferences like Whole30, keto, and vegan, and all meals are free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugars. With its impressive selection of tasty recipes and certified organic ingredients, Green Chef wins our pick for the best eco-friendly meal delivery service. In short, it depends on the company. Factors like sourcing, ingredients, packaging, and transport all play a role in how much impact a meal delivery service will have on the environment. While shopping locally is typically a more environmentally friendly choice, this may not always be possible for some customers. Prices can vary considerably depending on the meal delivery service. Meals that include more labor-intensive ingredients like humanely raised meats or organic produce tend to cost more. However, there are affordable options like Dinnerly that provide filling meals at an affordable price per serving. Not all services use organic ingredients and, if the company does, this may not encompass all of its products. In creating our list, we took care to note which companies use organic ingredients in their meals. Green Chef was a top pick in part due to its USDA-certified organic status, but there are others that offer varying degrees of organic products. Meal delivery services can help reduce food waste by providing customers with the exact amount of a specific ingredient needed to create a meal no more unused chives left to rot in the fridge! Most services have a variety of portion sizes available, so it can be easier for customers to choose meal quantities that fit their needs. Our testers ordered from, cooked, and rated 40 different meal delivery services. We carefully scored each one based on meal selection, nutritional information, and sustainability, as well as the flavor, freshness, and quality of each meal and ingredient. Our tester panel includes a mix of dietitians, chefs, and longtime food writers. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. |
| Best Eco-Friendly Meal Delivery Services | The deliery features xelivery instructions on servcies packaging used swrvices detailed instructions on how it can be recycled. Just Sustainable meal delivery services in servcies that in order to Meal prep tips of the gel ice packs, you have to empty the contents before recycling the bag. The precut ingredients in the cups were very convenient to blend up, and the fact that the cups are designed to be reused as the drinking vessels with a straw-ready lid is a nice touch. We were happy enough to take them to work on in-office days. Show less. |
| The 5 Most Sustainable Meal Delivery Services Of 2023 | Meal categories include family-friendly, vegetarian, vegan, fast, healthy and reduced-carb. We've noticed a recent trend toward speed and convenience in the meal kit world, both with traditional companies and with frozen and ready-to-eat brands. Other biodegradable or eco-friendly items, like the filling inside a gel ice pack for example, may have to be disposed of in the trash. Lab results: For the price, our experts were impressed with the tastiness and quality of the meals provided. Cons Portions not big enough for leftovers. Can you deliver to condos or apartment buildings? We particularly loved the flavorful veggies and non-meat protein options, making Sunbasket perfect for people who avoid eating meat. |
| 10 Best Eco-Friendly Meal Delivery Services in 2024 | It really teaches you how meeal Sustainable meal delivery services everything before cooking. Tell us a bit more about you so we can get to know each other better. Cost: Visit Green Chef for updated pricing. Delivery every Tuesday except holiday weeks. February 5thth. |
Sustainable meal delivery services -
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. VIEW ALL HISTORY. Many people are choosing to reduce or eliminate the number of animal products they consume.
This article reviews the similarities and differences…. Sunbasket is a meal kit service that's focused on high quality ingredients and convenience. This article provides a detailed review of Sunbasket.
Splendid Spoon offers a quick and convenient way to enjoy fresh, plant-based meals at home, with little to no effort required. We tried over 25 items….
Sprinly's plant-based, gluten-free fare is flavorful and fresh. For certain health-conscious eaters, this meal-delivery service may be worth the…. Frozen meal delivery offers easy, fast, and surprisingly nutritious meals.
Here are the six best options, according to our dietitian. CookUnity is a chef-collective prepared meal delivery service offering restaurant-quality meals. However, it isn't cheap. We tried CookUnity for one…. We have tested the most popular meal delivery services on the market to help you decide which ones are worth your money.
Learn how we test each…. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based 11 Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery Services of Medically reviewed by Kathy W. Warwick, R. On this page How we test Our picks Comparison table FAQ Bottom line.
How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site.
To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm? Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices? We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.
Read more about our vetting process. Was this helpful? Share on Pinterest. A quick look at the best plant-based meal delivery services. How we test meal delivery services. Each service in this article: is in compliance with U.
Department of Agriculture USDA and Food and Drug Administration FDA food safety and manufacturing regulations uses a trusted shipper to handle its food products lists all ingredients, allergens, and nutrition facts on its website or product packaging promotes a healthy approach to well-being does not make unsupported health claims on its website or marketing materials.
Of the nine Mosaic meals I tried, none were bad and I really loved nearly all of them. Personal favorites included the tender jackfruit chili and the olive, pepper and feta ragout, but there were plenty more that hit the spot. There were also no mushy vegetables -- a plague in meal delivery -- and the meat stand-ins like jackfruit, tofu and vegan sausage were used in creative ways and cooked extremely well.
It's also the most sustainable meal kit service when it comes to packaging. Probably the most recognizable of the meal kit services, Blue Apron has a lot of healthy, fresh options on the menu -- and just a lot of options, in general. Blue Apron teamed up with Weight Watchers for easy-to-cook healthy recipes like sheet pan tandoori-style chicken and tilapia in lemon caper sauce.
These recipes align with its point system, making it easy for those in the program to have a healthy diet meal plan and keep track.
Blue Apron offers customers roughly eight to 12 delicious meals to choose from per week including more than one vegetarian recipe option as well as a few that were created for the Weight Watchers Freestyle program.
Separate from Weight Watchers meals, its vegetarian options get high marks in the reviews I read, but if you're full-on vegan or vegetarian, there are likely better vegetarian specialty meal kits and meal delivery services with more daily or weekly plant-based options and ingredients.
Blue Apron also has one of the most user-friendly meal plan interfaces of all the meal kit services and optional wine pairings, too. With free dietician support, this meal service takes a holistic approach to better health through diet.
Plus, the food is pretty tasty. This comprehensive meal subscription includes free dietician counseling and is designed for those with food sensitivities and digestive issues.
ModifyHealth also offers tailored meal plans for diabetics, those with celiac disease as well as looking to improve heart health or eat fewer carbs.
The food we tested was solid with lots of lean proteins, green vegetables and light, flavorful sauces. Some dishes were bland and required salt but most were good or better.
ModifyHealth uses a strategic elimination diet to help find the triggers of your adverse, The program puts a lot of focus on FODMAPS , which are fermentable carbohydrates found in many foods and are thought to be a common trigger for IBS and other gastrointestinal ailments.
A no-nonsense way to get your nutrients in with easy plant-based breakfast and lunch meals with no cooking required. This is the best meal delivery for ready-to-go, healthy breakfast and light lunches. Splendid Spoon is hoping to entice folks who want to keep it simple, easy and nutritious for breakfast and lunch with its ready-made smoothies, soups and grain bowls delivered to your door weekly.
Soup options include cauliflower tikka and Mexican tomato, while smoothies come in tasty combos like almond butter and jelly, blueberry acai and a green matcha smoothie with spirulina, ginger and turmeric. Soups and smoothies are loosely categorized by their overall intended effect, like "heal," "energize" and "refresh.
One thing to note is that the smoothies can be high in sugar. If you're cutting back on the sweet stuff is a goal in , you may want to look elsewhere or buy a good smoothie blender and make them at home.
Here's my full review of Splendid Spoon. Pete's may be pricey but you'll taste the difference. The tasty premade meals are perfect for athletes and those seeking high-protein and gluten-free meals for extra energy.
Pete's won me over in a week-long taste test , notching its place as one of the best healthy, organic meal delivery services I've yet to try. Pete's Real Food meals were all well-prepared too. The meats were tender, the vegetables mostly cooked to proper doneness and all the flavors worked.
The food wasn't overly seasoned and the recipes were mild and maybe even on the safe side -- but that's nothing a few shakes of hot sauce can't fix.
If you're in training, avoiding gluten or keeping to a paleo plan and looking for lots of protein, healthy fats and nutrient-filled carbs such as sweet potatoes and beets, Pete's Real Food should hit the spot.
Pete's has lots of ordering options and the meals are made to freeze so if you don't want to subscribe, you can keep an inventory on hand for those moments you need a quick fix. To test each meal delivery service, I tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service.
I tried to choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings. For instance, if a service offers plant-based meals I was sure to try at least one. I also mixed up the meal types to include rice bowls, meat dishes, plant-based offerings and other various styles offered by the brand.
Further, I made sure to test a variety of cuisines -- Italian, Indian, Thai, Mexican -- if they were offered. Because healthy food is subjective and people have varying nutrition needs and goals, I tried to approach this list from all angles and determine which meal services were healthiest for different types of eaters.
Folks keeping to the keto diet, for instance, may consider low-carb meal delivery "healthiest. I also took careful note of each meal delivery service's website, including what information was provided ingredients, nutritional info , how clearly the menu was organized and how simple it was to pick a healthy meal plan and order meals.
When they arrived, I noted how well they were packaged and checked whether each meal was still chilled or frozen. I took careful note of how food arrived and whether it was still chilled or frozen, as it was intended.
To reheat meals, I took a twofold approach. For some, I meticulously followed the heating instructions on the label. But since these are suggestions, I reheated other meals the way I would if left to my own devices. Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in an air fryer.
Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but I almost always found that produced worse results.
Testing meal kits requires cooking and thus a different stand of practices and procedures for evaluation. Here's more on how we test meal kits at CNET.
The first thing you'll want to consider is what your nutrition goals are, ideally with the help of a health professional, since some services are better suited to specific diets or health conditions.
If it's eliminating some or all meat from your diet, there are vegan meal plans that will make it easy. If you're trying to cut carbs or calories from your weekly intake, there are other services that specialize in keto, paleo and low-calorie foods.
Others have meal plans specifically for diabetics in case you are carefully managing your blood sugar. You'll also want to decide if a meal kit service or prepared meal subscription is best. If you like the idea of cooking, but don't want to do the shopping and prep, a service such as Blue Apron or Sunbasket will take the legwork out of dinner a few nights each week.
If you'd rather not cook at all, prepared meal delivery is the obvious choice. They'll send ready-to-eat meals to be stored in the fridge or freezer for whoever you need them.
The price you're willing to pay is another important consideration. Meal delivery can make life much easier but not if it adds financial stress. Use our comparison chart to help determine which meal services best fit your budget and go from there.
Most health experts will tell you that eating a healthy, balanced diet is just about the best thing you can do to improve your health. While strict diets aren't necessarily at the top of the list for doctors and dieticians, consuming more whole foods, protein and vitamin-rich vegetables as well as eating less sodium, unhealthy fats and sugar will drastically improve health outcomes over time.
Heart health, bone health, cardiovascular health and even mental health are all tied directly to diet, and choosing a healthy meal service or subscription is one way to kick a healthy new nutritional regimen into gear.
Healthy meal kits and meal delivery services offer delicious, curated meals catered to your personal tastes and nutritional needs. One reason folks -- like me, for instance -- tend to prefer meal kits and meal delivery over classic fad diets is they take away some of the risk for those weak moments of dietary self-sabotage.
You should check with your doctor or a health professional before making any drastic changes to your diet. That said, there are meal delivery services that cater to nutrition plans of all types including keto, paleo, Mediterranean diet, low-calorie, vegan, vegetarian and diabetes-friendly.
The most budget-friendly meal kits are EveryPlate and Dinnerly. This really depends on your nutrition goals. And know that just about every meal delivery service claims to be healthy. The options that made this list excelled among the competition, with fresher ingredients, a better selection of truly balanced and nutrition-packed meals as well as detailed guidance and information to make tracking nutrition, carbs, calories, fat and protein easier.
Even among this list, there are meal services that are geared towards particular health and nutrition goals including plant-based meal delivery, meal delivery for paleo eaters and those for folks trying to eat a low-carb diet.
Some of the services listed here are healthy prepared meal delivery services , sending fully cooked meals -- often frozen or partially frozen -- and ready to eat when you receive them. Others include health-focused meal kits with premeasured ingredients all boxed up and ready for easy weeknight cooking.
There's a stark difference between meal kits and meal delivery, but both make dinnertime easier and can translate into healthier eating choices for you in Plus, we sussed out the best healthy meal services for those on special diets like keto or paleo or for those who wish to eat organic prepared meals and meal kits.
Wellness Nutrition. Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services of , Tested and Reviewed If you've vowed to eat better in , these healthy meal subscriptions and meal kit services will keep nutritious food rolling in with minimal effort required. Written by David Watsky.
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement.
David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.
Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom.
Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits.
See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. See at Green Chef. Best healthy meal delivery for most. See at Fresh N' Lean. Best for eating keto or low-carb. See at Daily Harvest. Best meal delivery for easy lunch. See at Purple Carrot. Best healthy vegan meal kits. See at Hungryroot.
Best healthy grocery delivery. See at Mosaic Foods. Best vegan meal delivery. See at Blue Apron. Best meal kits for weight loss. See at ModifyHealth. Best for those with digestive issues. See at Splendid Spoon. Best for soup and smoothies. See at Pete's Paleo.
Best paleo meal delivery. Pete's Real Food formerly Pete's Paleo. Best Cheap Meal Delivery Services in See at Cnet. Show less. Pros Healthy meal kits with plenty of organic options Good recipes variety Allows protein swaps to suit your taste. Cons Expensive Some premium meals trigger an upcharge.
Type Meal kits. Recipes per week Good for Organic, healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, Whole30, gourmet. See at Green Chef Best healthy meal delivery for most Green Chef.
Our wellness advice is expert-vetted. If you Sustainable meal delivery services through our Sustaainable, we may get a commission. How we test meal kits. If you dig the convenience of meal kits but also fancy keeping the planet clean, there's one clear choice. If you're tempted to try a meal kit. Green Chef Sustainablle my 1 spot Delvery its commitment to organic ingredients. Therefore, I have 9 other great meal delivery services for you to check out. Saving the planet has never been tastier. Read on and learn more! Green Chef — Best overall eco-friendly meal kits.Video
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