We’ve all seen those ads on TV or in magazines for the various meal kit delivery companies. Each promising delicious food and convenience delivered to our doorstep. A couple of months ago I was provided the opportunity to give one of these companies a go, thanks to a nifty combination of promo codes. I signed up for a standard meal kit box for 2 adults. This provided ingredients and recipes to make 4 meals per person per week. Here are my thoughts after a 2-week trial:

Delicious

There is no denying that the meals were delicious. A couple of meals didn’t quite float my boat, but the rest were tasty and considerably more flavoursome than my usual weeknight meals. Perhaps the use of salt (as instructed by the recipe cards in the meal kit) was a contributing factor as I generally do not add any salt to my usual cooking.

Easy-to-follow recipes

The meal kits come with easy to follow, step-by-step recipe cards with pictures. The recipes were easy enough to reproduce; however, I did have some help from my partner who was conscripted into becoming my sous-chef. I felt that it would take a much longer time than the stated “cooking time” if it were just myself doing the cooking and prepping.

Quality Produce

The meats provided were of high quality. Free-range chicken, premium steaks and mince that didn’t ooze half a cup of liquid during cooking stood out. The same could be said about the vegetables! The green beans they provided were significantly fresher and crisper than a similar bag purchased from my local supermarket. Winning!

Convenience?

Having the meal kit delivered to my doorstop did eliminate the need for meal planning or grocery shopping. Handy for the time-pressed among us! However, on the odd occasion an ingredient wasn’t provided, which lead to a trip to the supermarket and slightly defeated the purpose.

(On a side note, not being able to trawl the aisles at the supermarkets also meant I lost an opportunity to do incidental physical activity. Yes, every step counts!)

That being said, the other reason why this there is a question mark on convenience is that I had to cook dinner every night, with no leftovers for lunch the next day. Essentially, being more labor intensive than my usual weeknight dinner routine where I cook in bulk for leftovers the next day. So now I was having to prepare my lunches separately. The only way around this issue was to order a meal kit box for 4 adults, which proved too costly for me.

Not “Plate Model” friendly

I’m a big fan of the “Plate Model” for portion control; which means having lots of non-starchy vegetables on the plate in addition to a balanced serve of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. I found the majority of the meals to be protein and carbohydrate heavy with insufficient non-starchy vegetables. Here is the amount of vegetables for a meal that was meant to be shared between 2 people:

I had to supplement with extra vegetables to ensure I was reaching my daily target of 5 serves a day. Again, shopping for extra vegetables reduces the initial convenience factor. It also contributes to my next point below.

Price

The meal kits don’t come cheap; starting at close to $9.00 per meal. This can add up to quite a large expenditure for couples or families on a tight budget. Considering the extra expenses such as buying ingredients required by the recipes that were not included in the kit and having to buy additional vegetables; I could not see myself being on the kits long-term as the cost per week is twice as much as what I would usually spend buying my groceries to cook my usual meals.

The verdict:

Meal kit delivery services promise to remove the hassle of grocery shopping and meal planning. Can they play a role in a busy person’s lifestyle? Certainly.  Provided that they enjoy cooking and have the financial means to afford the service. If you’re a novice cook or simply cannot stand labouring in the kitchen for more than 20 minutes, then unfortunately meal kits will not be your cup of tea. You may prefer having pre-cooked meals delivered instead.

The lower vegetable content of the meal kits makes it difficult to see these meal kits as a long-term option. We know how important vegetables are for health and more importantly for weight management. Rather, I see these meal kits as a handy short-term solution. Especially for those times when meal planning may be a lower priority. For example, moving houses or to a new location, upcoming travel (and so minimising food in the fridge) or during extra busy times. However, until the companies increase the vegetable content of their meal kits, I’m sticking to buying my own groceries or on days when I’m super busy having them delivered by the supermarkets.

Tired of spending money on short-term solutions that leave you back where you started? Looking for a long term approach, that teaches you all you need to know about healthy eating? Invest in yourself and come have a chat to one of our experienced dietitians.

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