From Women’s Health
Meal delivery kit services are everywhere (and for good reason!). They make whipping up breakfast, lunch and dinner so much more convenient—especially if you’re trying to lose weight. The food is delivered right to your door with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step instructions for a healthy and balanced meal.
Meal kits get you in the habit of planning ahead and cooking your own food—a tried-and-true weight loss strategy, according to Samantha Cassetty, RD, a nutrition counselor and communications consultant.
But not all programs are created equal, especially those designed to help you lose weight, so before you start getting meals delivered to your doorstep, you need to figure out which program is best for your goals.
Here, dietitians narrow down 10 of the best options that provide the most personalized and health-conscious eating plans. From Hello Fresh and Blue Apron to Purple Carrot and BistroMD—these meal delivery kits will make cooking and losing weight so much easier.
There’s a reason why Hungry Root has become increasingly popular with meal planners: It’s so darn easy. All you need to do is take their quiz, and then the site will fill your cart with all kinds of ~healthy~ groceries.
When the box arrives at your door, it’s not only filled with the food your quiz indicated that you might like, but Hungry Root also has chefs curate recipes using the groceries in your cart. TLDR; You not only get your shopping done for you but you also all kinds of nutritious meal inspo, too.
Attention keto and paleo lovers: You’re gonna love Fresh N’ Lean. The company claims to be an alternative to the processed food at times present in many people’s diets, which is why it offers pre-made protein-based, gluten-free, and fiber-rich meals and delivers them right to your door.
There are a bunch of different meal delivery plans at your disposal here (including keto, paleo, low-card, vegan, etc.), and one option even allows you to order in bulk, if you so desire. (Plus, the company says Fresh N’ Lean foods will keep you full for a long time.) Everything they deliver is approved by their dietitians and prepared from scratch in Anaheim, California.
If you’re on Instagram, odds are you’ve seen an ad (or influencer) post about Sakara Life at least once in your life. The meal delivery service focuses on “clean eating” and “feeding your spirit,” which for them means plant-rich meals for weight loss, digestive improvement, a boost in energy, and more.
Here’s how it works: Sakara meals come on a week-by-week basis, AKA you’re free to cancel your meal plan any week you don’t feel like receiving orders or credit card charges. While the menu is typically set each week so you can’t pick and choose your meals (they offer up to three per day plus snack options), the delivery service actually switches up what they’re serving every seven days.
If you legit hate cooking, you’ll definitely take an interest in Freshly, the delivery service that focuses on shipping pre-made, reheat-able foods straight to you. The company’s meals (like steak peppercorn, cauliflower bolognese, chicken tikka masala, and pulled pork al pastor) all come ready-to-eat.
All you’ve gotta do is pop them in the microwave and boom, you’ve have a full, healthy meal at your disposal. (You can receive anywhere from four to 12 meals per week.) Freshly even has a FreshlyFit option, which provides you with over 15 paleo and keto-inspired menu choices and gives you all the low-carb, protein, and calorie facts about your meal.
Big on organic fruits and veg? Totally feel you there. That’s what makes Daily Harvest a great meal plan for people who want to eat healthy. All of their meals are made up fruits and vegetables that are frozen right after being harvested for ultimate freshness.
The Daily Harvest plan, which was created to make it easier for people to eat more produce, is super customizable, so you can choose how many items you want to order (anywhere from nine to 24) and how often you want them delivered (weekly or monthly). So yeah, whether you’re looking for smoothies, soups, oat and chia bowls, flatbreads, and more that you only have to blend or reheat, you can prob find a plant-based version on Daily Harvest
Created by an actual MD as a weight loss service to help patients, BistroMD is the perfect hybrid between meal delivery and a personalized health plan. Choose between 4 different weight loss programs: standard, gluten free, diabetic, and menopause.
Your weekly box will either include five or seven full days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner—or five or seven days worth of just lunch and dinner. Once your plan is picked, RDs on the BistroMD team will create a custom diet plan based on your taste preferences and weight loss goals. Plus, you can update your profile with likes, dislikes and health changes at any time and your meal plan will be adjusted.
Blue Apron is meal delivery kit beloved by many. Its health-conscious meal plans are diabetes-friendly and, a quick PSA, they’re also WW (formerly Weight Watchers) approved. This means that the company now offers a set of recipes that are partnered with WW program, and they even come with all the information you need to know about how much WW points are in each meal.
If you’re looking for red meat alternatives, Blue Apron offers several Beyond Meat entrees and an entire vegetarian meal plan. The weekly boxes include pre-portioned ingredients for either two or four servings so you can cook healthy meals for yourself or the whole family.
Nutrisystem’s meal delivery service focuses on eating smaller, more balanced meals throughout the day. Their personalized plans will give you breakfast, lunch, and dinner options with healthy snacks in between, which meaning you can eat six times in one day without wondering if you’re going overboard with your portions. You can also adjust your eating plan to focus on your specific health needs, whether you need to lower your sodium intake or have been advised to go vegetarian.
If you’re on the keto diet, you know cooking at home can be repetitive (how many variations of steak, butter, and avocados can you do?). Snap Kitchen delivery service works with dietitians to build a variety of portion-controlled, keto-friendly plates so you don’t get bored. The meal service uses a carb guideline of only 30 grams of net carbs per day and its ingredients are all gluten-free. You’ll customize your meal plan at the beginning of each week. And when your delivery arrives, all you have to do is unbox and heat it up.
Known as the straightforward, easy-to-follow meal-delivery service, Hello Fresh is also pretty weight-loss conscious. “Their staff dietitian evaluates the meals before they are put on the menu to ensure they’re both healthy and balanced,” says Leah Kaufman, RD, CDN.
Another plus: Each dish is low in sodium and oil and comes with a nutrition label that can be found on their website. Knowing that info can help you stay within the appropriate amount of calories per day to best keep up with your weight-loss goals.
Big-name chefs (like Alex Guarnaschelli, for all you Chopped fans) and wellness experts joined forces to create recipes that are weight-loss friendly and amateur-proof for this meal-delivery service. Plus, the company also partnered with the American Diabetics Association and Atkins so subscribers can create health-specific meals, such as low-carb dishes that focus primarily on protein, Kaufman says. So yeah, you could say that Chef’d is a good choice for people who want to lose weight.
Vegans (or just veggie lovers!), step right up. Purple Carrot, an entirely vegan meal-delivery service, creates healthy, plant-based recipes that are great for weight loss, particularly because their dishes are always packed with fiber from produce. And pro-tip: All that fiber from veggies keeps you feeling fuller, longer.
Each meal comes with nutritional information (key to staying on track) and serves at least two people. And if you’re cooking for one, that leaves you with a balanced lunch for the next day, says Sharon Palmer, RDN, author of Plant-Powered for Life.
This USDA-certified organic meal kit offers tons of options for a variety of different dietary needs and preferences: vegetarian, omnivore, carnivore, gluten-free, and paleo.
Many dishes come with pre-made sauces and dressings, which can be a serious timesaver. (But Kaufman suggests scanning the nutritional facts for the sugar content in your meals, as dressings are usually packed with this weight-loss saboteur. And if the sauce isn’t vital, then cut it to save calories.)
As a whole, Kaufman gives this service her nutritionist stamp of approval for offering a variety of plans that “suit every person’s dietary needs and restrictions,” all while being relatively low in sodium, high in protein, and loaded with healthy, satiating fats, such as olive oil.
Unlike the other boxed meal services on this list, Veestro delivers prepared meals. But just because you don’t have to do the chopping and sautéing, it doesn’t mean these meals are bad for your weight-loss goals. They’re actually a hell of a step up from the frozen dishes found in the freezer aisle, says Palmer. “They are plant-based meals that are moderate in calories and great for weight loss,” she says.
Since they’re packaged and ready for the microwave, Veestro’s dishes are essentially calorie-controlled, making it easier for you to monitor your intake and stay on point. Veestro meals are also pretty balanced, especially for veggie-centric cuisine (which can be heavy on the carbs), giving you the nutrients you need to stay fuller longer. Another perk? Veestro also offers three different meal delivery services focused exclusively on weight loss.
With 10 different meal plan options—including gluten-free, vegan, and Mediterranean kits—there’s something for everyone with Sun Basket. In addition to that diversity, Sun Basket also offers organic produce and responsibly-sourced meats and seafood (like antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and wild-caught fish). Sun Basket also lets you mix-and-match meals within your plan with a “build-your-own-basket” option, so you’re only getting meals you really love in each delivery.
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