We live in quite the day and age. You can quite literally order anything and it will appear at your doorstep. If you know your Amazon delivery guy by name, it’s okay, I think we all do by now.

Because we live in such a convenient era, don’t forget about the power of home meal delivery services! And no…I don’t mean Door Dashing Chipotle 3 times a week.

I’m talking about meal services such as Hello Fresh, Home Chef, etc. where you get fresh meals and/or groceries delivered to your front door every week. It cuts out the guesswork of figuring out what to eat and going grocery shopping, saving you mega time.

It can also be a huge help if you have a weight loss goal and your schedule is busy with a capital B. Having meals either completely ready for you OR requiring minimal cooking can be a huge stress reliever AND help you create better consistency during the week (and by consistency, I mean avoiding the drive-thru on your way home or heating up pizza rolls again).

But there are so many meal delivery services to choose from now! A quick Google search will give you over 20 different companies. Which should you give a try?

No worries – I did the research for you. I reviewed nine of the most popular services that offer meal delivery and ranked them based on price, PHFF friendliness (or how blood sugar friendly the meals were on average), and if they provide pre-made meals and/or meal kits for cooking.

A few notes:

• Assume each company has yummy meal options! I would not include it if the reviews were horrible 😉
• Price ranking after promotional deals:

$$$ – $11-15 per meal 

$$ – $10-13 per meal

$ – $10 or less per meal

• PHFF:

7/10 – higher carb meals across the board and would need adjustments to fit the appropriate serving of starchy carbs of about 25-35g per meal. Note that Purple Carrot is specifically plant-based meals so these also will be naturally higher in carbohydrates and slightly lower in protein.

8/10 – not perfect, but very close to a good PHFF balance! May need to be mindful of starchy carb servings like rice, pasta, or potatoes. Protein is typically adequate. It will help to choose meat-and-vegetable-based meals during meal selection.

9/10 – almost perfect! The Keto Factor Meals specifically are low to moderate in carbohydrates, high in fiber, and high in protein. You may need to be mindful of fat portions in some meals. Note: there are Factor meals that are not as PHFF friendly and will need starchy carb adjustment.

Pros:

Any of the above services can be a really great resource when life is especially crazy! What’s nice about any of them is that you can start and stop them whenever you need to and request the specific amount of meals that would make the most sense for your household.

They can also be used as a supplement to other meals you make throughout the week. If there are one or two nights that you need to have something ready with no guess work, just order meals for those days. Do not feel like this is an all-or-nothing commitment!

What I’ve also found from personal experience is that it’s fun to try these services out to simply have some fun with cooking and experimenting with new flavors! I’ve kept several recipe cards from meal kits I’ve received in the past (specifically from Hello Fresh) and recreated them myself. It’s really nice when you feel like you’re in a rut. Also a fun idea for a date night or to spend time with family!

Lastly, most of these services accommodate specific food allergies and some preferences so that can be a major plus (vegetarian, pescatarian, low carb, heart healthy, etc.)

Cons:

Some downfalls to this type of service? You will be spending more money compared to purchasing and cooking everything yourself, but you’re paying for the convenience. And don’t forget this is definitely cheaper than going out to eat all the time when you need quick meals. 

There are so many companies to choose from and they all vary a little in price, so you can find one that makes the most sense for your budget. You will also typically find that the more meals you purchase per week will help decrease the cost per meal. This is not always the case though.

When it comes to meal delivery services and eating to support fat loss, you do have to be aware of what you’re ordering and eating still. What I find is that if you are not paying close attention, most meals are going to run higher in starchy carbs, be somewhat minimal in non-starchy veggies, and sometimes higher in fat.

This just means you’ll have to keep your PHFF glasses on when ordering and building your meal at home. My best tips for this:

• Add more starchy veggies on your own if needed from home. Perhaps start the meal with a salad kit.
• Be mindful of starchy carbs. Save half for a meal later in the week.
• If the meal has several fat sources, use half or skip one you don’t care much about (sour cream, cheese, butter, creamy sauces, etc.)

If you’ve tried a specific service before that I did not look into and you loved, please let us know! We always love to hear about helpful resources for easy and blood-sugar-friendly meals.

Happy ordering!

Elle, MM Coach

P.S. Join the waitlist for Metabolism Makeover here.