BistroMD review: What to know

Share on Pinterest

A person can pick from several different meal plans and have the meals delivered to their door ready to reheat.

Keep reading to learn more about BistroMD, including how the service works, some menu options, and the service’s pros and cons.

BistroMD provides fully cooked meals through a mail delivery service. According to its website, the company provides doctor- and dietitian-created meals for weight loss.

It also provides specialty programs tailored to more specific needs, such as meals catered toward:

• people with diabetes
• heart-healthy diets
• gluten-free diets
• people going through menopause
• males or females specifically

For weight loss, BistroMD says that its meals support burning calories while keeping lean muscle mass by providing the necessary macronutrients.

The company’s plans include the following breakdowns of macronutrients:

• fats: 20–25% of total calories
• protein: 40–50% of total calories
• carbohydrates: 30–35% of total calories

Moreover, each of its programs comes with additional support, beyond the prepared meals. The company states that the programs come with:

• one-on-one dietitian support
• tools and education
• a community of other people who use BistroMD

BistroMD may be best suited for people who are looking to lose weight and maintain their results.

The company also caters to people with specific dietary requirements. It has meal plans for:

• females
• males
• people going through menopause
• individuals with diabetes

Additionally, BistroMD offers gluten-free meals and meals that promote heart health.

BistroMD makes several health claims on its website, including the following:

• Calorie-restricted diets cause the body to go into starvation mode.
• Slow and steady weight loss is more effective than fast results.
• There are four components to effective weight loss: social support, proper diet, adequate sleep, and moderate exercise.

BistroMD backs up the majority of its claims with published studies and organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences and the University of Cambridge.

According to a 2017 study that looked at how the brain regulates calorie burning, the brain directs the body to burn more or fewer calories based on the total amount of calories a person consumes. When a person cuts calories considerably, the brain slows down calorie burning to compensate, making it more difficult to lose weight.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) indicates that there are potential health benefits of fasting and calorie-restricted diets.

For instance, the NIA cites a study that cut people’s daily intake of calories by 25%. Although more research is necessary, the NIA claims that people who follow calorie-restricted diets may lose weight, maintain the weight loss, and decrease the likelihood of or prevent conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.

BistroMD bases its claims about community support on a 2018 study that found that long-term weight loss requires continual medical and social support. The study looked specifically at people with obesity, but the same principles may also apply to other individuals.

The authors of a 2020 study found the following:

• Adherence to a diet predicts results.
• A person needs to create an energy deficit to lose weight.
• Food quality matters.
• No single diet works for everyone.
• Studies do not support several different diets.

In other words, based on BistroMD’s claims, the company may provide a meal delivery service that might at least help some people with losing weight and keeping it off.

BistroMD sends a person premade meals that they only need to heat up.

To get started, a person can choose one of six plans on offer:

• Women’s Program: How this differentiates from other programs is not clear.
• Men’s Program: This may help a person stay satiated, but the company makes no specific claims.
• Gluten Free Program: Each meal is tested based on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards and does not contain wheat, rye, or barley.
• Heart Healthy Program: Each meal contains under 600 milligrams of sodium and 3.5 grams (g) of saturated fat per serving.
• Menopause Program: This provides meals with 25 g or less of net carbohydrates and macronutrients designed for people going through menopause.
• Diabetic Friendly Program: All meals contain under 25 g of net carbohydrates.

Once a person selects their plan, they have several delivery options. The options for each plan can include 5 or 7 days’ worth of food. A person can either get three meals per day, just lunch and dinner, or meals and snacks for the total number of days.

Once they sign up for the service, they can select the meals they want delivered each week. The meals rotate on a weekly basis to provide a greater variety.

A person can also schedule a consultation with a dietitian to help personalize their dietary plan.

BistroMD may work well for some people and not for others. A person should consider the potential advantages and disadvantages of this service before ordering.

Pros

There are several potential reasons a person may want to sign up for BistroMD, including the following:

• There is a large selection of meals to choose from.
• Several meal plans are tailored to suit different needs, such as gluten-free diets and heart health.
• A person can choose from 5- or 7-day programs with every meal, snacks, or just lunch and dinner.
• Cancellation is available at any time.
• The price includes online support communities and dietitian consultations.

Cons

Some potential cons of using BistroMD are that it is rather expensive, starting at around $130 per week, and that a person cannot choose a la carte meals for delivery.

A person can choose from two full program options and two lunch and dinner programs:

• Full program, 7 days per week: This includes seven breakfasts, seven lunches, six dinners, and My Night*.
• Full program, 5 days per week: The program, which costs $160, consists of five breakfasts, five lunches, and five dinners.
• Lunch and dinner program, 7 days per week: The program costs $160 and includes seven lunches and seven dinners.
• Lunch and dinner program, 5 days per week: The program costs $130 and consists of five lunches and five dinners.

*MyNight is a structured break for a person to practice what they are learning from the programs about nutrition.

There are a variety of meals to choose from each week, with over 150 different options. Individuals can also add snacks to their plan if they want to.

Some potential choices include:

• beef with red wine sauce and barley
• green Chile pork with southwest salsa
• spinach and feta stuffed salmon
• meat loaf with honey bourbon glaze

BistroMD has four different pricing plans:

All shipping is free. The company ships to the continental United States and claims that it will deliver orders within 6 business days.

BistroMD is not the only meal delivery service available. There are several competitors a person can choose from depending on their preferences and needs. Examples include:

• Noom: This is not a meal delivery service. Instead, it provides a program to help reshape a person’s mindset about food.
• Nutrisystem: This offers several meals and snacks. It is similar to BistroMD.
• Diet-to-Go: This is a similar service to BistroMD, emphasizing ready-made meals to support weight loss.

BistroMD also has a program for people over the age of 50 years called Silver Cuisine. Silver Cuisine offers individual meals and plans to help older adults eat well.

Learn more about some other dietary meal services here.

Below, we answer some frequently asked questions about BistroMD.

Are BistroMD meals frozen?

BistroMD delivers frozen meals. The company states that people can heat up the meals in around 5 minutes.

Can I cancel BistroMD?

People can cancel their BistroMD subscription any time before Wednesday 5 p.m. Eastern Time the week before their next order.

Once a person has logged into their BistroMD account, they need to navigate to the “My Program” tab and click “Cancel Program.”

Are BistroMD frozen meals healthy?

BistroMD states that its meals may help people with weight loss. The company says each of its meals contains 4–5 ounces of lean protein, 1–2 servings of vegetables, and 1 serving of complex carbohydrates.

Additionally, BistroMD claims that registered dietitians customize each week’s menu to balance nutrients and reduce cravings.

However, different people may see differing results when using BistroMD services. An individual may wish to consult a dietitian for advice on which diet to follow.