Meal Delivery Services: The Cost, Nutrients & Everything Else You Need to Know

In today’s world, it seems like everything goes a mile a minute, and there’s no time left for much of anything besides work, taking care of the house and children, and life’s daily tasks. Often, busy schedules leave most people with little time to prepare and cook meals. That’s why processed or convenience food always have a ready market, even though they aren’t always the healthiest options.

This is when a meal delivery service comes in handy. They allow the convenience of ready to eat meals, with the healthy nutrients of a homecooked meal. Meal delivery services have been around for a while, but the market is steadily growing as more people return to work in the post-pandemic era.

In this guide, we explore everything there is to know about meal delivery services, to know whether it’s a viable option for you, as well as how to choose the right one for your household.

General Information

A meal subscription plan is a convenient way to receive an entire meal delivered to your door. You’ll receive the meals either completely put together and ready to cook or heat up or with all the ingredients available, prepared, and measured for you to put together with instructions. This varies from company to company, so be sure you read the descriptions thoroughly.

Why You’d Want to Use a Meal Service

So your kids have extracurriculars three times per week after school, and you work at least eight to 10 hours per day, five days per week. On one day of the weekend, you visit your elderly parents to help them with their house and yard. While this is just an example, no matter how your week looks, your schedule is probably fairly busy.

That doesn’t leave much time for you to prep vegetables and cook a meal, even if you spend part of your free time searching for recipes like chana salad and aloo ka paratha and have a grasp on cooking.

That’s also not taking into consideration the time it takes to shop for all the groceries you need to prepare meals for the week.

Plus, you have to think of what’s for each meal every day. You want it to have a carb, protein, and fruit/vegetable, at the bare minimum. And this isn’t taking into account what a struggle it can be to plan if you’re vegan or follow another specific diet.

For these reasons, you could benefit from a meal delivery service that brings the dishes right to you. You cut down on the time it takes to meal plan, prepare, and shop.

And fortunately, if you have an itch to try the service and later decide you want to cancel the subscription, you’re typically not committed for a certain length of time. Therefore, you may try it and then cancel, though that depends on your service agreement.

Cost

The price you pay for a meal subscription varies based on several factors. For instance, the cost per meal differs from meal subscription plan to meal subscription plan.

You also have different options. You may only want dinners for the weekdays. Or, you might want both breakfast and dinner for three days a week. The possibilities are great, though the specifics are different from company to company.

Not to mention, the cost per meal may be more in some places than others, and this isn’t taking into account that you may pay more if you follow a specific diet plan since the ingredients may be more costly.

To give you an idea, Factor 75 offers a few subscription options, all of which consist of healthy meals planned by dietitians. Their meals are anywhere from $11 to $15, depending on your choice of meal plan.

HelloFresh is another common one, which will run you anywhere from $9.79 to $12.49 per meal. They only offer plans where you purchase two meals per day, but you could stretch it and use it for two meals for a single person.

BlueApron focuses on high-quality ingredients and sustainability. A meal through them costs $12.49 apiece.

These are merely some options available to you. We’d like to note that you can often find coupons for meal subscription plans and many times, the company will offer you a discount if you’re a first-time buyer or even provide you with a few free meals with your first order.

Nutrition

The nutrition of each diet plan is slightly different, though the goal of each company is usually to provide wholesome, nutrient-rich meals. In some cases, the provider will use organic ingredients. As a consumer, research before you choose a subscription service.

Fortunately, you can often visit the manufacturer’s site and find at least examples. We’ve broken down a few for you:

Herb-Crusted Chicken

Let’s use Factor 75, for instance. One of their meals for August 2023 is herb-crusted chicken. The entrée is herb-crusted chicken coated with almond flour.

On the side, the meal comes with mashed cauliflower mixed with cream cheese and roasted garlic, seasoned with tarragon, chives, green onion, and parsley. You also receive a serving of seasoned green beans with toasted almonds.

Pork Chops and Fresh Tomato Pan Sauce With Zucchini Rice

This meal uses tomatoes, pork, and zucchini. It has garlic, scallions, and chipotle seasoning, along with an herb blend to give it flavor. On the side, it has a white rice dish with zucchini. The meal is complete with everything you need, including a carb, vegetables, and a protein.

Meals are nutrient dense. Tomatoes, for example, are loaded with vitamin C and potassium.

How to Choose a Plan

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when choosing a meal subscription plan. Money is obviously the first concern. You want a meal plan that’s affordable.

Factor in the number of meals the plan offers. Some require you to purchase at least two, two-serving meals. Fortunately, they may be freezable to save for later use.

Make sure you consider the diets available. Some have options for people who follow a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or keto diet. Certain ones have kid-friendly options.

Essentially, the choice depends on your needs, desires, and budget.

Meal subscriptions are a way to get the nutrition you need without all the hassle of grocery shopping and preparing. Ultimately, you can eat how you want, even when you’re too tired to cook or limited on time. Just compare your options carefully to find the right service for you and your family, though it’s usually easy to cancel so you can try another.

Also Read:

• 5 Easy Grab-and-go Vegan Breakfast Meals
• Ways To Get Vegan Meals Delivered To Your Doorstep
• How Can Delivery Bags Help Restaurants?
• Recipe Remedy: Crafting Meals That Stoke Your Metabolic Fire