Meal delivery programs are a convenient way to manage your weight and stay healthy. Dieters who sign up for the plan can have meals delivered to their homes without having to worry about shopping for food or counting calories. However, there are a lot of meal delivery plans out there and it can be hard to find one that is most suited to your needs.

Hello Fresh is a meal delivery program that has been gaining in popularity over the last few years. Read on to find out if it is right for you.

What is Hello Fresh?

Hello Fresh advertises itself as America’s most popular meal kit. Their meals have plenty of protein, they are fast and affordable and they offer flexible plans.

How Does Hello Fresh Work?

Getting started with Hello Fresh is easy. Start by picking a plan that suits your lifestyle. The meal plan options include the following:

• Veggie: These meals include plant based foods including proteins, grains and produce
• Meat & Veggies: These include seafood, meat and seasonal produce
• Family Friendly: This plan provides meals the whole family will enjoy
• Low Calorie: These meals are dietician approved and come in at around 650 calories

You can choose meals for 2 people or 4 people and you can order 2, 3 or 4 recipes a week.

You can also choose the meals you will be getting. You can browse the site to find out more about the meals they have available and you can use the search functions to find meals that are best suited to your dietary needs.

There are also different recipe levels including the following:

• Level 1: These are the simplest recipes to make and they are best for inexperienced cooks.
• Level 2: These recipes require a bit more prep. If you’re interested in more a challenge after trying level 1 meals, you may want to move on level 2.
• Level 3: This level has more exotic ingredients and will require more advanced cooking techniques.

Each box the company sends out includes easy to follow recipes with nutritional information included, fresh from the farm ingredients and meals that are made to fit perfectly in your refrigerator.

Eco-Friendliness

Hello Fresh is a company that strives to be eco-friendly. Because they provide just enough food for your needs, less food goes to waste.

They use a streamlined supply chain and more efficient distribution that results in less greenhouse gas emissions.

Their ingredients are responsibly sourced and come from suppliers that they can trust to meet their high quality standards.

They use high quality packaging including as many recyclable, reusable and sustainable materials as possible. In fact, they even provide a section on their web site devoted to telling customers how each of their packing materials can be recycled.

Price

Hello Fresh has meals starting at $10.99, but the price goes down depending on how many meals you order. Here is an example of the breakdown:

• 2 people, 2 recipes a week: $10.99 a serving or $43.96 total
• 2 people, 3 recipes a week: $8.99 a serving or $53.94 total
• 2 people, 4 recipes a week: $8.99 a serving or $71.92 total
• 4 people, 2 recipes a week: $8.99 a serving or $71.92 total
• 4 people, 3 recipes a week: $7.49 a serving or $89.88 total
• 4 people, 4 recipes a week: $7.49 a serving or $119.84 total

There is also a shipping charge of $6.99 which should be added on to every total.

Flexibility

Hello Fresh plans are flexible. You can cancel or skip deliveries at any time. You can even schedule skipped deliveries up to 6 weeks in advance.

Pros and Cons

Now that we know what to expect for Hello Fresh, let’s take a look at some advantages and disadvantages.

Pros:

• Easy to follow recipes
• There are meals to suit various dietary restrictions
• There is a lot of variety in the meals
• Meals are reasonably priced
• Meals are healthy and balanced to support weight loss and overall wellbeing
• Company uses sustainable manufacturing methods and recyclable packaging
• Convenient service
• Good customer service
• Has lots of options for vegetarians and is good for those wanting to go vegetarian or include more veggies in their diet
• Dieters will learn a lot about cooking
• Affordable

Cons:

• No vegan meals available
• Food is not 100% organic
• All meals take some amount of prep. There are no options for those who don’t have a lot of time and just want to pop food in the microwave
• Gourmet cooks may find even level 3 meals to be too simple
• Hello Fresh charges by portion so there are no price breaks if you want to make a larger batch for the whole family
• The two serving minimum makes it hard to order for one person alone
• No free shipping

Conclusion

Hello Fresh may not be perfect for every chef or dieter but it is an affordable service that provides convenient, healthy meals. If you are okay with doing a bit of prep before you eat, I recommend it as a great meal delivery service.