starchild1715
New member
Over the last couple of years, I’ve tried a lot of meal delivery services in an effort to save time, eat healthier, and lose a few pounds. I decided to post this on the petite sub first because as someone on the short side (4’11”) I know it’s harder to lose weight and eat a filling meal that is also calorie deficient.
I first tried Hungryroot – I wasn’t vegan or vegetarian or anything and at the time I tried it, Hungryroot was geared towards healthy plant-based meals you can make and eat at home. Despite several deliveries and attempts, I did not enjoy the flavors in the meals and they weren’t particularly calorie deficient either. This was also when I realized that I wasn’t a fan of meal delivery services that still require cooking.
I tried Factor next, which seems to be pretty infamous around these subs. I started with their vegan and vegetarian meals, in an attempt to increase my vegetable intake with one meal during the day. It seems like they don’t ever really change their vegan menu so this got old super fast. I then tried their regular meals, which definitely had better taste and variety, but seemed to be super high in fat, dairy, and sodium. I wasn’t losing any weight and was concerned about gaining so I didn’t last long with them. Canceling was another separate horror story, and overall, Factor left me with a bad taste.
Next up was Fresh N’ Lean. Again, I started with their vegan/vegetarian meals. I was kind of in love! This is in my opinion, a great option for vegans/vegetarians who are comfortable with alternative meats. Their meals tasted great and I didn’t feel deprived. However, I had a difficult time staying under 400 calories per meal and the fat content on these meals was still higher than I liked. I decided to try their regular meals as well, for some variety – and this is when it went downhill for me. It’s almost as if their regular meals are made by different people – they tasted terrible, were too greasy, and the meat was always of questionable texture/freshness. I also had several issues with meals coming that were not fully/properly sealed (with both meal types) and ultimately ended up canceling.
Daily Harvest was another one that I tried around the same time as Factor and Fresh N’ Lean. Their meals are vegan, delicious, and range from 200-400. I was turned off when they had the whole lentil controversy, but because of the nutritional profile I still keep a few of their meals in my freezer for a light dinner. They don’t use any meat alternatives, but the meals are always flavorful. I mostly stick to the bowls, as the soups are too light and the smoothies are too sweet for me. The little snack bites are also pretty decent.
BistroMD is the last of the delivery services I tried, and I think unless something major changes, will stay that way. I have rarely read anything positive about their service on these subs which was a major reason I wanted to even write this post. They have a huge variety of meals in the 300-400 range, and they are pretty low in fat and sodium. They also taste great! The veggies are usually very under-salted and unflavored, but the meals themselves are usually flavored and salted well. The most important part – they don’t skimp on protein and even a 300 calorie meal is filling. I’ve also consistently lost a few pounds when eating these meals exclusively. My least favorite part is definitely the cost, as they run on the pricier side and are the only reason why I only order them occasionally or on weeks I know I’ll be too busy to meal prep myself. I haven’t tried vegan meals here, but I tried a few vegetarian ones that were decent – I do think they need a bigger selection of vegan/vegetarian though.
Edited to add that I did not enjoy any of the fish meals from BistroMD... they just tasted and smelled fishy and I was NOT a fan.
And that’s that – hope this helps someone out! I’m not affiliated with any of these services btw, just a busy/lazy adhd mom trying to get her shit together and eat decent while losing weight.
I first tried Hungryroot – I wasn’t vegan or vegetarian or anything and at the time I tried it, Hungryroot was geared towards healthy plant-based meals you can make and eat at home. Despite several deliveries and attempts, I did not enjoy the flavors in the meals and they weren’t particularly calorie deficient either. This was also when I realized that I wasn’t a fan of meal delivery services that still require cooking.
I tried Factor next, which seems to be pretty infamous around these subs. I started with their vegan and vegetarian meals, in an attempt to increase my vegetable intake with one meal during the day. It seems like they don’t ever really change their vegan menu so this got old super fast. I then tried their regular meals, which definitely had better taste and variety, but seemed to be super high in fat, dairy, and sodium. I wasn’t losing any weight and was concerned about gaining so I didn’t last long with them. Canceling was another separate horror story, and overall, Factor left me with a bad taste.
Next up was Fresh N’ Lean. Again, I started with their vegan/vegetarian meals. I was kind of in love! This is in my opinion, a great option for vegans/vegetarians who are comfortable with alternative meats. Their meals tasted great and I didn’t feel deprived. However, I had a difficult time staying under 400 calories per meal and the fat content on these meals was still higher than I liked. I decided to try their regular meals as well, for some variety – and this is when it went downhill for me. It’s almost as if their regular meals are made by different people – they tasted terrible, were too greasy, and the meat was always of questionable texture/freshness. I also had several issues with meals coming that were not fully/properly sealed (with both meal types) and ultimately ended up canceling.
Daily Harvest was another one that I tried around the same time as Factor and Fresh N’ Lean. Their meals are vegan, delicious, and range from 200-400. I was turned off when they had the whole lentil controversy, but because of the nutritional profile I still keep a few of their meals in my freezer for a light dinner. They don’t use any meat alternatives, but the meals are always flavorful. I mostly stick to the bowls, as the soups are too light and the smoothies are too sweet for me. The little snack bites are also pretty decent.
BistroMD is the last of the delivery services I tried, and I think unless something major changes, will stay that way. I have rarely read anything positive about their service on these subs which was a major reason I wanted to even write this post. They have a huge variety of meals in the 300-400 range, and they are pretty low in fat and sodium. They also taste great! The veggies are usually very under-salted and unflavored, but the meals themselves are usually flavored and salted well. The most important part – they don’t skimp on protein and even a 300 calorie meal is filling. I’ve also consistently lost a few pounds when eating these meals exclusively. My least favorite part is definitely the cost, as they run on the pricier side and are the only reason why I only order them occasionally or on weeks I know I’ll be too busy to meal prep myself. I haven’t tried vegan meals here, but I tried a few vegetarian ones that were decent – I do think they need a bigger selection of vegan/vegetarian though.
Edited to add that I did not enjoy any of the fish meals from BistroMD... they just tasted and smelled fishy and I was NOT a fan.
And that’s that – hope this helps someone out! I’m not affiliated with any of these services btw, just a busy/lazy adhd mom trying to get her shit together and eat decent while losing weight.