Are Meal Delivery Services Healthy? They Can Be: A Dietitian Shares Pros and Cons

Even if you love to cook, it's not always easy to find the time to plan and prepare meals day in and day out. Meal delivery services have become more popular in recent years. They provide quick meals, delivered to your front door.

But there are plenty of questions around these services. For example, are meal delivery services nutritious or affordable? And are they OK to eat if you have specific health conditions and/or dietary needs?

Are meal delivery services healthy?

First, it's worth making a distinction between different types of meal delivery services. There are two kinds:

• Ready to heat: Some deliver meals that have already been prepared, ready to heat up.

• Ready to prepare: Others send you pre-measured ingredients with a recipe that you cook yourself. This option is more labor intensive and time consuming. But it's usually more budget friendly - and a good match for people who like to cook.

Many meal delivery services use fresh ingredients and may be a more nutritious (and tastier) alternative to fast food or frozen meals. But some are high in sodium and other preservatives, making them less healthy.

Look for brands that provide menu options that fit your dietary needs. Many companies cater to specific health conditions or health goals.

How do you know if a meal delivery service is nutritious?

The most nutritious meals contain a balance of:

• Lean protein: Examples of these are chicken, fish, or beans.

• Whole grains or healthy starches: Brown rice or sweet potato are examples.

• Vegetables: Look for meals that contain plenty of non-starchy vegetables.

Below are some additional factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service.

Sodium (salt)

Some meal delivery kits are high in sodium to add flavor and/or to help extend their shelf life. But too much sodium in your diet has been linked to health problems, including:

• High blood pressure

• Heart disease

• Stroke

Here are goals for how much sodium you should eat per day:

• Healthy adults: If you don't have any existing conditions, aim to eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium (1 teaspoon of table salt).

• With a health condition: If you have a condition like diabetes, kidney disease, or heart disease, the daily recommended limit is 1,500 mg (⅔ of a teaspoon).

Most people would benefit from lowering their sodium intake, even those without health conditions. Try to find meals with 700 mg sodium or less per serving.

Saturated fat

The best meal options are low in saturated fat. This is especially important if you have:

• High cholesterol

• Heart disease

• Increased risk for heart disease

For healthy individuals, it's recommended that no more than 10% of your total calories per day come from saturated fat. This is about 22 g for someone eating 2,000 calories each day.

Look for meals that include healthful unsaturated fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds.

Added sugar

Sugar isn't found only in desserts and soda. It's also "hidden" in a lot of other foods, including:

• Sauces

• Salad dressing and other condiments

• Breads

• Cereals

• Crackers and other snack foods

Diets high in added sugar are linked to a variety of health conditions, such as:

• Diabetes

• Heart disease

• Cancer

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as fatty liver disease

Here are daily sugar goals from the American Heart Association (AHA):

• Men: no more than 9 teaspoons of sugar per day (36 g)

• Women: no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day (25 g)

Most meal delivery services include nutrition information in their packaging. If they don't, you can often find this information on the company's website.

To see how much sugar there is, look under the "carbohydrates" section on a nutrition label. You can also take a look at the ingredient list, keeping an eye out for the following added sugars:

• White or brown sugar

• Maple syrup

• Honey

• Corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup

• Molasses

Fiber

Most adults in the U.S. don't get enough fiber. But making sure you get enough fiber has many health benefits. It can help you to:

• Control blood sugar and cholesterol levels

• Lower your risk of colon cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease

• Regulate your bowel movements and digestion

• Maintain or achieve a comfortable weight

• Maintain a healthy gut microbiome

Try to choose meals with at least 5 g of fiber to help meet your daily fiber goals.

Calories

A typical meal usually has 500 to 800 calories. (This is an average estimate, since everyone's calorie needs are different. You may need more or less per serving.) So, in general, look for meals with this many calories per serving.

Try to avoid meals with too many calories. But you should also keep an eye out for meals that have too few calories per serving. A meal with too few calories won't fill you up or provide the nutrients your body needs. You can always add a side salad, fruit, or piece of whole grain bread to make a meal more filling.

Do meal delivery services use processed food?

Many meal delivery services use fresh, whole food ingredients. But some ready-prepared meals contain food additives. Usually, these are preservatives (to help keep food from spoiling) and dyes.

For most people, eating foods with preservatives once in a while won't cause health problems. But some people are sensitive or even allergic to these additives, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), and need to avoid them altogether.

It's best to try to limit food preservatives when possible. Research shows that diets high in ultra-processed foods (which typically contain preservatives) are linked to health conditions such as:

• Heart disease

• Depression

• Weight gain

So, try to choose meals that don't have a long list of preservatives. And, ideally, preservatives should appear at the end of the ingredients list. This indicates they are used in smaller quantities.

Here are some commonly used preservatives to look for and try to limit:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

• Natamycin

• Nitrates and/or nitrites

• Powdered cellulose

• Silicon dioxide

• Sodium metabisulfite

• Sulfites

• Xanthan gum

What's the healthiest meal delivery service?

There's no one healthiest meal delivery service. The best meal delivery service for you depends on personal preference, health needs and/or goals, convenience, and budget.

Here are a few companies that offer some unique features.

1. Modify Health

Modify Health was originally created for people with digestive issues by offering ready-made meals that are low in FODMAPS, which are hard-to-digest carbohydrates.

Now, Modify Health offers various meal plans, including:

• Diabetes friendly

• Heart friendly

• Mediterranean eating plan

• Gluten free

• Low carbohydrate

Note that meals come in single-serving portions, so this isn't a good option if you're looking to feed a family.

2. Hello Fresh

Hello Fresh sends you the pre-measured ingredients along with a recipe, so you can prepare the meal yourself. Their recipes feed up to six people, which may suit families or other larger groups. It also offers meals labeled "quick and easy" and "family friendly" for those short on time.

3. Home Chef

Home Chef is a hybrid service that lets you select ready-made meals, a do-it-yourself meal kit, or a combination of both. It also has an "extras" category that includes breakfasts, desserts, and snacks, which may be appealing for some.

Advantages and disadvantages of meal delivery services

Here are some pros and cons of using meal services.

Pros

The pros of meal services are:

• Convenience: Meal delivery services can reduce time spent meal planning, grocery shopping, and (in some cases) cooking.

• Reduces food waste: Delivered meals may cut back on post-meal food waste since they come in pre-portioned sizes. And, if you're grocery shopping less often, you're likely making fewer impulse buys.

• Provides variety: Many meal delivery services offer a variety of different cuisines and flavors.

• Portion sizes: Since ready-prepared meal kits are pre-portioned, it can be helpful for people who're trying to be mindful of portions. This may appeal to people with diabetes or those managing their weight. Meal kits may also help people who struggle to meet calorie or nutrient needs.

Cons

And here are the cons of meal services:

• Expense: Budget considerations mean that meal services aren't the right fit for everyone. (But don't automatically rule them out. Some are more budget friendly than others, and they may cost the same as grocery shopping.)

• Environmental impact: Some companies are better than others at minimizing plastic and other packaging. Some cut down on environmental waste by using packaging materials that are recyclable.

• No leftovers: Many people would say that one of the best parts of cooking is having leftovers for the next day. But meal delivery kits are usually portioned so that there's only enough for one meal.