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Many meal delivery services offer healthy and balanced prepared dishes or meal kits. We review 11 of the best healthy meal delivery services, including Fresh N Lean, Sunbasket, and more.

Medical News Today has tested some of the products below. Reviewers may have received some products from the manufacturers for free, which does not influence their review. All opinions are the reviewers’ own.

Best for healthy grocery delivery: Hungryroot

  • Price per serving: from $9.69
  • Meals per week: 3 to 8
  • Dietary requirements: vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, pescatarian, and dairy-, soy-, nut-, egg-, or shellfish-free

Hungryroot provides recipes and groceries to subscribers. It claims people can prepare and cook its meals in as little as 10 minutes.

People can choose up to eight weekly recipes that serve two or four people. In addition, people can receive groceries for breakfast, snacks, and sweets for all or some of the week ahead.

What makes it healthy?

This service helps people plan their groceries with a quiz, which helps them focus on their health goals, dietary needs, and more. This can open people up to new food ideas and combinations and show them how to grocery shop to maximize their nutritional intake.

Offers and savings

Hungryroot offers limited-time offers that may change from week to week.

Pros

  • It is a grocery delivery service offering nutritious ingredients and recipes
  • There are opportunities to learn cooking skills with its recipes
  • It can help people plan for the week ahead.

Cons

  • People must spend over $70 to get free shipping.
  • It may not be available for every zip code.

The following table compares the services in this article on price, number of meals, and dietary requirements.

Price per servingMeals per weekDietary requirements
Blue Apronfrom $7.992 to 5 per week• vegetarian
• diabetes-friendly
Sunbasketfrom $9.992 to 5 per week• vegetarian
• vegan
• gluten-free
• dairy-free
• soy-free
• diabetes-friendly
• paleo
• pescatarian
• Mediterranean
• carb-conscious
• keto
Purple Carrotfrom $112 to 10 per week• vegetarian
• vegan
• gluten-free
• nut-free
HelloFreshfrom $8.992 to 6 per week• vegetarian
• pescatarian
• low carb
• low calorie
Fresh N Leanfrom $7.935 to 21 per week• keto
• paleo
• vegan
• Whole30-approved
• Mediterranean
Green Cheffrom $11.993 or 4 per week• keto
• paleo
• vegetarian
• vegan
• Mediterranean
• gluten-free
• soy-free
Home Cheffrom $8.992 to 6 per week• vegetarian
• carb-conscious
• calorie-conscious
Mosaic Foodsfrom $5.996 to 18 items per box• vegan
• vegetarian
Pete’s Real Foodfrom $1415 to 30 per week• paleo
• vegan
• gluten-free
• dairy-free
Splendid Spoonfrom $9.997 to 21 per week• vegan
• vegetarian
• gluten-free
Hungryrootfrom $9.693 to 8 per week• vegan
• vegetarian
• omnivore
• pescatarian
• dairy-free
• soy-free
• nut-free
• egg-free
• shellfish-free

Medical News Today chooses healthy meal delivery services that fit the following criteria:

  • Nutritional value: MNT chooses meal delivery services that meet the average person’s nutritional needs and promote healthy eating habits.
  • Ingredient quality: MNT chooses meal delivery services that use fresh, high quality ingredients. Some also use organic produce or sustainably sourced ingredients.
  • Variety: MNT chooses meal delivery services that feature a range of flavors and ingredients to suit different taste preferences and diets.
  • Price: MNT chooses meal delivery services with different price points to suit a range of budgets.
  • Availability: MNT chooses meal delivery services available throughout most of the United States.
  • Sustainability: MNT chooses meal delivery services that reduce their environmental impact using recyclable packaging, carbon-neutral shipping, local ingredients, and other sustainable practices.
  • Reputation: MNT chooses only brands that adhere to industry best practices and have passed our medical vetting process.

Medical News Today follows a strict product selection and vetting process. Learn more here.

When choosing a healthy meal delivery service, a person may wish to consider:

  • Diets and allergies: If a person follows a certain diet or has allergies, they should check whether a service offers meals suitable for their dietary needs.
  • Nutritional balance: People should check ingredient lists carefully to ensure they are choosing the most balanced, nutritious meals possible. This will also help a person manage their intake of salt, sugar, and other ingredients they may wish to limit.
  • Serving sizes: Services that offer meal kits usually cater to more than one person. In contrast, prepared meals often serve only one person. Some services also offer family-size servings that may benefit larger households.
  • Meal type: Some services offer only meal kits, while others offer prepared meals. People should consider which of these they would prefer. Some services offer both and allow users to mix and match.
  • Cost: Meal delivery services have varying costs depending on the plan a person chooses and their number of meals and servings per week. People should consider their budget and find a meal delivery service that suits their financial needs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults who maintain a nutritious diet live longer and have less risk of developing the following conditions:

The CDC also states the benefits of nutrition for children, such as supporting growth and reducing the risk of chronic disease.

Research from 2020 suggests that eating nutritious foods can positively affect physical and mental health, including easing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Further research suggests that diet and nutrition may help prevent age-related degeneration of cognitive and brain function.

The healthiest food delivery service depends on an individual’s health goals.

For example, Fresh N Lean may suit athletes aiming to maintain performance, while Blue Apron may suit people aiming to lose weight.

People should research food delivery services with their health needs and dietary requirements in mind.

A healthy meal delivery service may be a good option for those who wish to lose weight. Many services offer portion-controlled meals, and some may offer plans compatible with WW (formerly Weight Watchers).

Meal delivery services also remove the need for meal planning and sourcing ingredients. This may provide more motivation for those who are dieting.

A meal kit includes all the necessary ingredients for a meal and a recipe. A person needs to follow the instructions in the recipe to prepare and cook the meal.

However, services that offer prepared meals cook the meals in advance. Some companies freeze these meals, whereas others deliver them chilled. People need to reheat their meals before eating them.

HelloFresh does not specifically cater to individuals who want to lose weight.

However, HelloFresh provides all the nutritional information for each meal on its website. This means each person may be able to choose the healthiest meals that fit into their calorie budget.

People can add more vegetables, protein, or whole grains to HelloFresh meals to make them healthier. What a person adds will depend on their diet, preferences, and the recipe they are working with.

People can also choose the lower calorie options from HelloFresh and check the sodium and sugar content of the meals they choose.

Meal delivery services may benefit individuals who do not have time to plan, source, and cook meals. These services allow people to choose how many meals they would like per week and how many servings they need.

These services usually cater to various dietary needs. Some may exclusively provide plant-based meals, whereas others may fit a variety of requirements, such as paleo, keto, and Mediterranean diets.

Nutrition can contribute to a person’s physical and mental health. Therefore, it is important for people to eat a healthy and balanced diet.