Diet delivery programs are becoming more prevalent and more popular every year, and for good reason. People like the convenience of having healthy, delicious meals at home without needing to do any shopping or cooking. Numerous services are available that provide local, regional or nationwide delivery, with different plans allowing customers to focus on specific goals and preferences.
Types
Most diet delivery programs are designed as weight-loss plans, and many are based on the Zone Diet, such as the Chefs Diet and In The Zone Delivery. Additional weight-loss diet delivery programs focus on the South Beach Diet, the Mediterranean Diet and more. Then there are other types of plans providing gourmet, vegetarian, organic, kosher and even raw food. Many programs offer snacks, beverages and dessert in addition to three meals. Some services, however, do not include fresh vegetables and fruit, meaning the customer has to do some grocery shopping and spend additional money.
Pricing Examples
A couple inexpensive options are Medifast and a Diet-to-Go two-meal plan, each of which costs about $10 a day. The most expensive services usually provide fresh food, including a plan from Chefs Diet which is priced at about $40 a day. Chefs Diet does have lower-priced options. Most nationwide diet delivery programs run about $20 daily as of 2009, such as plans offered by NutriSystem.
Delivery
Some companies deliver every morning, but most deliver once a week. Nationwide diet delivery services usually send a week's meals through an overnight service. If you'd like fresh food delivered to your door each morning, you'll need to find a local service, or a nationwide one with satellite offices. Some diet delivery programs allow customers to choose specific preferences, such as a five-day plan for workdays, or only lunch and dinner.
Benefits
Diet delivery programs can be of great benefit in a weight-loss plan, because they provide structure to the diet. The customer can avoid scrounging around in the refrigerator for dinner, making unhealthy choices or being tempted at the supermarket by high-calorie items. Some diet delivery services focusing on weight loss provide additional features such as menu planners, newsletters with healthy eating tips, lists of ingredients for all the meals, and even cooking classes.
Diet delivery programs also are perfect for people wanting to eat a specific type of diet, such as a kosher diet, but not having enough time to shop and cook. These programs also are a good introduction to a new way of eating, such as when a person is interested in becoming a vegetarian, but is unsure how to create tasty and satisfying meals and menu plans.
