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Sunday, November 10th
In 2005, physician Caroline J. Cederquist and her husband started bistroMD in an effort to help people who were struggling with weight management. The service has expanded to include meal plans that work with medications like Ozempic, where they manage your medication and meals. This meal delivery service has been featured on Dr. Phil, NBC, Lifetime, The Biggest Loser, and The Doctors.
Take the quiz
bistroMD offers a quiz that enables subscribers to easily find the right weight management program. Questions ask you about health goals, gender, food sensitivities, and what your main diet focus is. It will also ask you for your name and email address before showing results. You will be given a plan in one of the following categories:
Once you are sorted into the category that fits best, you are directed to sign up and add your credit card information, so be sure to take a look at the menus before you take the quiz.
5- or 7-day meal plans
We found bistroMD's website to be cluttered and difficult to navigate to find the information we needed to understand the program and make decisions about how to create a successful meal plan. After looking around, we finally confirmed the following meal plan options that go with all the weight management programs:
Help for people on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic
bistroMD has developed a meal plan that includes management of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro. You can see if you qualify for this prescription and food management combined plan on their website.
Help for people who like snacking
bistroMD encourages subscribers to also sign up for their snack program. They promise a myriad of healthy options to keep you from bingeing on unhealthy snacks.
Change your meals with helpful suggestions
If you look at the menu and decide you don't want something, you can request a change; bistroMD will offer you a recommendation for a meal of equal nutritional value. You need to make all changes by Wednesday at 5pm ET the week before. You can also talk to a registered dietitian via email or the Facebook group.
Non-organic ingredients
bistroMD doesn't claim to be organic, but they are committed to responsibly sourcing their foods, especially with regard to meat and seafood. They offer rBGH-free beef and hormone-free chicken and try to source from local and family farms where possible.
Flash frozen meals
While the website claims that "frozen doesn't mean not fresh,” there is a compromise in texture for some of the ingredients and recipes. That being said, unlike other meal delivery services, bistroMD's meals can be stored for much longer. Each meal includes a best-buy date stamped on the packaging. Many reviewers said that it's best not to use the microwave for reheating but to instead use a pan or other method, as the microwave can compromise the taste and texture of the meal.
Exorbitant shipping cost
Each box from bistroMD ships at a very pricey $20. This is by and large the highest shipping cost of any meal delivery service on our list. While we are impressed with the recyclable packaging, the cost of shipping is very high.
Unfavorable reviews
The Better Business Bureau only gives bistroMD a "B+” rating, but complaints about the company are numerous and usually related to the most important aspect of all: taste. These complaints ranged from people saying the food needed more seasoning to comparing the food to "expensive slop." One reviewer gave bistroMD points for trying but stated that the vegan options were "just plain bad.” In addition, many customers had problems with being charged for shipments that did not arrive or with cancellation requests not being honored. No matter where we searched, the message from reviewers was the same: this meal delivery company has major issues with taste, quality, and customer service. Based on the reviews alone, this program sounds like a good idea with questionable execution, and we just can't feel confident in recommending it.
Some benefits but likely to disappoint
We're concerned with the problems reported with bistroMD's meal taste and quality. After all, a weight management food plan will only work if subscribers actually eat the food. But if you are experiencing a diagnosed medical issue like diabetes or heart issues or if you want to take GLP-1 medications and have a meal plan to go with it, it may be worth the risk to try bistroMD, especially considering the discounted price of the first week. While flash frozen meals are convenient, this process truly compromises texture and taste. Based on everything we've learned about bistroMD, we have given it a below-average rating.
Like us, our food choices are distinctive and individual. The booming prepared meal delivery services industry is a reflection of that. Choosing a meal kit from all the choices available depends on a lot of factors - the most important of which is the reason why you are looking for an easier way to nourish yourself in the first place.
Perhaps you are dealing with a chronic illness that can be helped by altering your diet. Maybe you need to take a break from cooking because you are going through significant changes in your life. It is possible that your young family is too busy with extracurricular activities, playdates, and obligations to find time for menu planning and grocery shopping.
Perhaps you are a senior who needs a fully prepared meal solution. Maybe you are just tired of takeout and food waste and only want the food you know you will cook. Or you're a rotten cook who wants to learn how to prepare a meal that isn't too dry or undercooked. Meal delivery services can help you and your family's mental and physical health, regardless of your circumstances or motivations.
A meal delivery service can alleviate the burden of preparing entirely different menus for you and your loved ones in cases where families have multiple dietary restrictions. So if you need a diet to deal with the effects of menopause but your partner is weightlifting and needs a high protein diet, a meal delivery service can cover that. You only receive the food you actually eat with these services because everything is pre-portioned. Some kits even do the prep work of chopping, slicing, and cooking grains for you.
Meal delivery services typically keep things simple while still ensuring that your food is tasty and satisfying. Some are kits that take just five or six steps to prepare. There are others who promise 30-minute meal prep time. If you are interested in learning how to cook but are short on time, a meal kit subscription could be a good option. You can even learn new cooking techniques from the gourmet meals that some services provide (sometimes for an upgraded price, but it is worth it). In no time at all, you will be able to confidently claim the title of "home chef." And, for individuals who are mindful of their budget, there are companies that specialize in delivering affordable home-cooked meals.
If you are concerned about the environment, you can find a number of meal delivery options that adhere strictly to regulations regarding responsible fishing and provide only the healthiest ingredients in their prepared meals. Although not certified organic, many businesses are now buying from local farms that follow rigorous standards for the humane treatment of animals and for healthy, delicious produce.
There are meal delivery services that will teach you new skills but will also require you to do some prep work, and there are other services that will deliver meals that only require 15 minutes to make. Incredibly detailed recipe cards and easy-to-follow instructions are provided by most brands, making meal preparation accessible to even the youngest family members. Some people find the recipes on these cards to be so useful that they opt to keep them for when they want to make the same dish on their own.
Our mouths watered while researching today's most popular meal delivery options. Before you choose your ideal service, there are a few things we think are important:
To give you the most worry-free experience with choosing a meal delivery service, the experts at Top Consumer Reviews have spent hours looking at every aspect and facet of the most popular companies on the market today. We hope this helps you find a solution to creating healthy, delicious mealtimes - where you can create loving memories around the common, everyday act of providing a hot, home cooked meal with joy.
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