Balancing Convenience and Nutrition with Home Meals

Home Meal Kits:

How to balance convenience & nutrition

Written by LISA McCOY

Lisa McCoy is a registered dietitian at the University of Maryland Extension The popularity of the home-meal kit delivery services expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people opt for meal-service kits instead of take-out or preparing a meal that requires planning, shopping, preparation and cooking. Meal kit services are marketed as a convenient and healthy alternative to dining out or preparing meals at home. It is most popular among busy parents, millennials, individuals working multiples jobs, working couples, and people with special dietary needs or preferences. Many love this $17 billion industry because it is easier to cook a homemade meal at home after a long workday and it is fun to try new recipes. Meal kit services are most popular among millennials and Gen-Xers and less popular among Baby Boomers and older generations. Statistics show that men are more likely to order meal kits than women are.

The most popular home meal kits are the cook and eat type. These meal kits offer pre-measured ingredients, preprepped ingredients in many kits, and easy to follow recipes with pictures to create the meal. Another type of service is the heat and eat which provides foods that are already prepared and cooked and only require re-heating.

The delivery services offers options for number of servings and meals/week as well as frequency of delivery when ordering online. Many of these meal kits are subscriptions services which automatically send you meals on a weekly basis so be sure to check each week for meal choices and make your selection. Some services will allow you to skip weeks but you need to cancel within a specific timeframe or you will receive meals that you did not select. These meal kits range in skill level as much as they range in dietary preferences, price and serving sizes so it is easy to find one that fits your family or individual needs.

Advantages and Drawbacks

One of the advantages of using these delivery services is to expand the diversity of your meals and try new and interesting foods. Since they provide a specific number of portions, you are less likely to have leftovers or waste food. These kits provide ingredients that may be hard to find in your local stores. They also help to reduce the number of trips to the grocery store. The convenience is the most important for people with busy lives and is a better alternative than driving through a fastfood restaurant on your way home from work. Many services provide recipes for special dietary needs, which makes it easier to maintain and follow a special diet.

There are also drawbacks to these meal kits delivery services. The biggest drawback is the high cost. Although there are a variety of meal kit providers, the average

price per serving ranges from $4.99 to $8.99. A recent Forbes article states that a restaurant meal costs $20.37, and a homemade meal costs $4.31. Almost 80% of customers who tried and rejected home meal kits stated the reason was the expense. Some segments of the populations, especially the foodies who enjoy the gourmet cooking, like the experience and use it as a social time to cook with friends.

Another drawback is the nutritional value of the kits, including calorie and sodium content. People became more health conscious during the COVID-19 pandemic and want healthy, balanced meals. Americans believe that meal kits are healthier than food that is prepared in restaurants. While this may be true, it may have more sodium, calories and fat than what is recommended for most Americans. The Dietary Guidelines of Americans (DGA) recommends 2,300mg sodium/ day for adults. As a frame of reference, one teaspoon of salt is nearly 2,300mg of sodium. According to the American Heart Association, Americans’ current average daily intake of sodium is 3,400mg/day. People with certain health conditions like high blood pressure, congestive heart failure or kidney disease, should restrict their sodium lower than the dietary guidelines recommendation. Obesity is a public health epidemic in the United States with almost 42% of Americans considered obese. The recommended caloric intake for most Americans is 1,600 to 2,000 calories for women and 2,000 to 3,200 calories for men.

A random selection of three meal kits entrees included Cowboy Poblano Cheddar Burger, Steak Fajita Quesadilla and Greek Shrimp Mini Flatbread. The average sodium content for these three meals is 1,710mg, with the sodium content of the Cowboy Poblano Cheddar Burger at 1640mg, Steak Fajita Quesadilla at 1670mg, and the Greek Shrimp Mini Flatbread at 1,820mg. These are much higher than the recommended 600 mg sodium per meal. The average calorie level for these meals is 777 calories with the

How to make these meal kits healthier

Some meal kits offer options that are healthy or calorie conscious but it is best to do your own research and review the nutritional information for sodium and calorie content and other nutrients to be sure that it meets your personal guidelines. Aim to select meals that provide no more than 600mg per serving and within your recommended calorie intake per serving.

If this is not an option, modifying or replacing ingredients may be the best method to reduce the sodium content. Proteins that are cured, processed, or seasoned could be higher in sodium than other products. Sauces and condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup, and barbecue sauce are some condiments to reexamine before preparing your dish as they contain added sodium. To reduce the sodium content, use only half of the recommended amount of that ingredient to decrease the sodium in your serving or eliminate the ingredient altogether and use something else to season it.

Use a low-sodium seasoning blend from the store or experiment with herbs and spices. Try using robust flavors in your dishes that may make you forget the salt. A popular salt-free seasoning blend from McCormick features garlic, oregano, rosemary, basil, peppers, onion, paprika and celery that can be used on chicken, shrimp, pork, beef, pasta and vegetable choices. Check out their website at www. mccormick.com/articles/mccormick/ low-sodium-seasoning-guide-to-usingless-salt for other recommendations.

Comparing the three most popular meal kits

The top three online meal-kit delivery services are HelloFresh, Blue Apron and Home Chef. HelloFresh accounts for 70% of the market. HelloFresh offers a variety of meal plans and choices from two meals to six meals per week for either two or four people. The price for three-meal per week for two people is $10.99 per serving and $8.99 for four people for three meals per week. They offer six different meal plan options including family-friendly, quick and easy, and meat and veggies. Blue Apron was one of the first meal kit companies. They offer meal options and you can select preferences such as plant-based, family-friendly and healthy to help them recommend choices for you. You can choose two, three or four meals per week for two or four people. The prices for three meals per week for two people is $9.99 and $8.49 for four people. Home Chef offers the choice of heat and eat meals as well as cook and eat meals. Their meal options include family favorites, vegetarian, carb conscious and calorie conscious. The pricing for meals begins at $7.99 per meal plus shipping cost.

Make your own meal kits

Create your own meal kit at home with advanced meal planning and preparation. These meals can be prepared days in advance and preserved by freezing for later in the week. Some strategies to embark on the meal kit adventure include scheduling one or two days a week when you shop and prepare the meals. Determine your cooking method that will work for your lifestyle, and this may consist of batch cooking, individually portioned meals, ready-to-cook recipes, or made-ahead meals.

If you need to generate creativity within your weekly meal plans, consider signing up for a home-meal kit delivery service and use it as a reference for ideas. You can also go the different meal kit websites and review their recipes online. Modify these recipes to fit your preference and lifestyle to reduce cost, save time and improve your overall health. If you enjoy the gourmet choices from these services and the convenience, indulge yourself maybe once a month to order two to three meals and enjoy.

Jesse Lewis, dietetic intern with Keith & Associates Distance Dietetic Internship (KADDI) contributed to this article.