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Nurture Life is a meal delivery service for children aged 10 months and older. The meals arrive fully prepared and ready to heat and serve.
The company offer a wide range of chef-prepared meals, including dinner and lunch.
Caregivers can select meals tailored to a child’s dietary preferences and nutritional needs. Menu options include gluten-free, vegetarian, and soy-free meals, to name a few examples.
This article looks at the pros and cons of Nurture Life for children, including the health benefits and risks of meal delivery for kids.
Nurture Life are a small company that focus exclusively on preprepared meal delivery for children.
Online Nurture Life reviews generally give the meals and customer service positive feedback. The company say they prioritize healthful eating.
Most reviewers say that their kids like the meals, although some say there is not enough variety to nurture a more adventurous palate or encourage children to try new foods.
Nurture Life allow customers to select weekly meals for their children. People can choose the number and type of meals they want each week. Most meals are $7.99.
Users can pause or cancel their subscription any time before the weekly cutoff. There is no contract.
Nurture Life divide meals according to age range:
- 10–24 months
- 1–4 years
- 5–12 years
- 13 years and up
Each meal contains at least one protein and a fruit or vegetable. Examples of meals offered include:
The company also offer cold lunches and shareable meals.
Nurture Life meals arrive already cooked and seasoned. People need to store them in the refrigerator and then heat to serve.
Most of the meals are classic American food tailored to an average child’s tastes. People can further customize their choices according to different nutritional needs. The available options include:
- vegetarian
- gluten-free
- picky eaters
- egg-free
- fish-free
- soy-free
- pork-free
- milk-free
- coconut-free
- sesame-free
Pros
Some general benefits of the Nurture Life service include:
- The meals arrive preprepared, reducing meal preparation time and stress. Caregivers do not have to spend as much time considering what to feed children or worrying whether the meals contain essential nutrients.
- For many people, the meals may offer more variety to their weekly menu.
- Preprepared meals may make it easier to feed hungry children without long delays, tantrums, or the need to give snacks during meal prep time.
- The company list ingredients and nutrition facts for each meal on their website.
Cons
Some general drawbacks of Nurture Life meals include:
- The meals are more expensive than shopping at a grocery store and preparing meals at home.
- If children do not like or eat the meals, there is significant food waste.
- As is the case with many other meal delivery services, Nurture Life food arrives in individual packages. This creates significant waste.
- There are few strong flavors, spicy meals, or challenging new foods offered, so caregivers who want to encourage more adventurous eating with a child may not find these meals helpful.
Benefits
Some potential health benefits of Nurture Life meals include:
- Nurture Life blend healthful ingredients, such as butternut squash, into favorite meals among children, such as macaroni and cheese.
- The wide range of foods can expose kids to new foods. Children may need to see a food on their plate up to
20 times before they are willing to eat it. This ongoing exposure to a variety of foods may help fussy eaters become less picky. - The meals each include a protein, whole grains, and a variety of fruits and vegetables for balanced, healthful eating.
- The meals are all nut free, making them safe for children with nut allergies. Because no meals contain nuts, caregivers do not have to worry about cross-contamination.
- The meals do not include meat from animals raised with antibiotics.
- Nurture Life portion all meals by age, ensuring a child gets an adequate amount of food.
Risks
Some potential health drawbacks of Nurture life include:
- As with other meal delivery services, there is a risk that the food will not be fresh when it arrives. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend checking the insulation and discarding of any food that is warmer than 40 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid the risk of food poisoning. - Children will be eating a different meal from adults. According to a
2020 paper , if caregivers eat the same meal as the child, they may discourage the child from picky eating. - Some of the meals are high in sodium. The
CDC claim that most children eat too much sodium.
Nurture Life offer an alternative to frozen meals and daily battles over food. For busy caregivers who want children to eat well and try different foods, this is a convenient option.
Since there is no contract with Nurture Life, people can try a week’s worth of meals to decide whether it is worth ordering regularly.
Caregivers who worry that children may not be eating enough or trying enough new foods may wish to consult a pediatrician.