Diabetes, obesity, celiac disease, and high cholesterol are just a few reasons why you might suddenly be more health-conscious when it comes to your meal choices. But also, maybe you just want to lose a few pounds for summer or just to feel a little better? If any of these describe you, then you probably know it’s challenging trying to find an easy-prep, hassle-free meal option — there are so many unhealthy, preservative-laden foods out there! Some of the best meal kits are an excellent place to start, because often they ship complete meal packs right to your doorstep and require very little prep if any at all. They also give you access to fresh, healthy ingredients that are compatible with your food requirements, whether that’s something like gluten-free options, Paleo, or just healthier choices all around.
Rather than scoping out the market yourself, we’ve put together a convenient list of all the best weight-loss-friendly meal kits out there. From ready-to-heat-and-eat gourmet meals prepared by real chefs to DIY-ready meals that you can quickly put together in your kitchen, there’s sure to be something here for everyone, so take a look below.
Trifecta Nutrition
Best for: Active lifestyles
Trifecta promises to follow dietary and nutrition plans closely, offering Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Vegetarian, Whole30, and a few other meal plan options. All meals contain organic ingredients, are sustainably sourced, and are prepared in a gluten-free environment. Most importantly, Trifecta honors macro-balancing, which means in every meal you’re getting precisely the amount of protein, carb, and fat goals you need for a healthy and balanced diet — you’re never wanting for complex carbs, lean proteins, or a healthy dose of veggies.
Above all, you can expect to get in shape, as the meal plan goes hand-in-hand with coaching, through full support and guidance from nutrition experts, with real-time tracking for your progress and goals through a mobile app. The idea is to serve you the right kinds of food for an active lifestyle that also helps you lose and maintain a healthy weight. Before ordering, you can choose between five, seven, 10, and 14 entrees, with an added choice to tack on a matching amount of breakfasts. So, if you order seven entrees, for example, you can also order seven breakfasts at the same time. You can also exclude certain food groups you’re not fond of or allergic to, such as shellfish, nuts, red meat, and more.
Meals start at around $15.85 per entree, for seven entrees with no breakfast included. You can always add more value by choosing more meals, or adding on breakfasts — you get to pick from over 25 chef-selected meals with selections rotated weekly.
Factor_
Best for: Dietician support
Factor does things a little differently. Yes, it’s a meal kit service that ships meals right to your doorstep, but everything you’ll order is ready to heat and eat, right away. All of the meals are prepared beforehand by gourmet chefs and originally planned out by professional dietitians. That way, you know everything you’re eating is great for your body and whatever dietary plans you’ve put together for yourself. After signing up you’ll get 20 minutes to sit down and consult with a registered dietician, who will help you find the right meal plan — no more guesswork involved in trying to maximize your weight loss!
Every week, a rotating menu offers you a delicious variety of meals, with options like Chef’s Choice, Keto-friendly, Calorie Smart, and Vegan + Vegetarian. You can also choose how many meals you want to receive per week, whether for yourself or your family, starting at four meals, and including six, eight, 12, or up to 18 meals total. Almost every item includes detailed nutrition information to help you track how much you’re consuming, with most meals falling between a range of 350 calories and 900 calories per serving.
Meals start at about $12.83 per serving for six meals per week, or $11 per serving with 18 meals every week.
Purple Carrot
Best for: Vegan and vegetarian-friendly
Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal delivery service, making it one of the best overall for vegans and vegetarians. However, plant-based diets are also fantastic for anyone who wants to lose weight or cut down on their body mass index (BMI). If you’re looking for something that’s nutrient-rich, this is a great place to start.
Meal plans come in High Protein, Gluten-Free, or Quick & Easy categories, with each plan containing three to four two-serving meals per week, or two to three four-serving meals per week. There are also pre-prepared and curated plans with six to 10 single-serve meals per week. In either case, you can customize your meals, ensuring you get to eat exactly what you want. You will need some basic cooking expertise, with a minor amount of meal prep, for each meal, at least for the meal kit options.
Meals start at about $11 per serving for the meal kits — which you prepare and cook — or $13 per serving for the prepared meals.
BistroMD
Best for: Complete meal transformations
If you need to lose weight reliably, keep your diabetes in check, or would like extra support from health care professionals, BistroMD is the way to go. It’s doctor-designed and works similarly to the other meal kit delivery services you see here. You can customize your weekly plan by choosing from about 150 meals, spanning a host of options like Signature, Heart-Healthy, Gluten-free, Keto, Diabetes, Menopause, and more.
The goal here is to curb caloric intake, with many meals coming in around 300 calories total — the idea is to stay under 1,200 calories for females and under 1,400 calories for males per day. If you’re used to eating heavier meals, this might not keep you satiated, but the good news is you can add on snacks and more, all meant to be healthy like the full meals. Many of the plans are high in protein, with detailed nutrition information for everything in them. All of the meals are frozen and pre-prepared, which you can reheat and enjoy. You also have the option to choose five-day, seven-day, or custom meal plans, with each day including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Meals start at about $12.49 per serving in the five-day program, with the total at about $188 for five breakfast, five lunch, and five dinner kits. BistroMD also offers rotating deals for new customers so you can get started right away, and save a little money.
Blue Apron
Best for: Meal variety
Variety is the spice of life. While it’s quite popular, Blue Apron customers will certainly be vindicated knowing that it’s a healthy, diet-friendly option too! Made with sustainably-sourced ingredients, Blue Apron’s meals come in several menu types, and with a wide selection of meals to boot. You can choose from Signature, Vegetarian, and Wellness-centric meals, with two to four servings each. Meals are delivered weekly, with two to four meals per week — your choice.
Most notably, with Blue Apron there are no commitments. You can skip meals or cancel anytime, and it’s easy to do. All the ice packs and packaging that’s shipped — to store meals — are recyclable and low-impact, which is honestly good to know because these kits come packed to the brim.
Meals start at about $8 per serving, but that cost varies based on the number of meals you choose.
