Struggling to stick to your New Year’s healthy eating plan? Time to stop shouldering so much of the weight: that’s what the best healthy meal delivery services are for. Keeping engaged with healthy eating can be a slog (particularly when your housemate insists on ordering Honest Burger for the third night in a row) but thanks to a series of services clamouring to feed you nourishing meals that taste excellent, it’s never been easier than now.
From high-protein meat extravaganzas to vegan meal plans in options that you both do and don’t need to cook yourself, these healthy meal delivery services cater to all sort of nutritional needs and dietary requirements. Sticking to a keto or paleo regime? Need dairy-free prepared meals for when you’ve got no time to cook? Want some inspiration on what else to make for your family on a weeknight? There are services for all of these needs, and more.
Whether you like to don an apron and get forensic about your cooking or you simply prefer to eat meals and get out, you’re positively swimming in options, with even monoliths like Hellofresh and Gousto offering impressive calorie-controlled and nutritionally-balanced options.
GQ’s best healthy meal delivery services at a glance…
SKIP TO: The list | Are healthy food delivery services worth it? | What food delivery service is best for weight loss? | How we test healthy food delivery services
Are healthy meal delivery services worth it?
“Yes,” says Annie Winter, BANT registered Nutritional Therapist & Nutritionist, “it is absolutely worth it”. While “it depends on the person”, Annie says that “almost everyone I come across in clinic and out has little time to cook — or really hates cooking. For these people, I think food delivery services can be absolute game changers, enabling them to eat in a much more balanced way whilst still maintaining convenience and enjoyment.”
What meal delivery service is best for weight loss?
While there are some services that preach their own weight-managing benefits, all of the following healthy meal delivery services can help you lose weight because they are fundamentally rooted in healthy eating. “Weight loss,” Annie says, “mostly comes down to a calorie deficit across the day/week. But healthy weight loss that is sustainable and enjoyable must also take portion size and number of meals per day into account.”
How we test healthy meal delivery services
It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. And so GQ has solemnly determined to eat its way through the healthy food delivery market in order to sort the proverbial wheat from the chaff. How did we do it? With empty stomachs, broad palettes and (for some of us) a newfound familiarity with our kitchens. Of course, taste is paramount when it comes to both the pre-prepared and cook-yourself meals we’ve tested here, but we’ve also been sure to consider convenience, complexity and the nutrition of these dishes as well. Ultimately, everything meal plan we’ve picked out below is about helping you to make healthier choices when it comes to lunch or dinnertime.
For more fashion, grooming and technology releases delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our GQ Recommends newsletter.
