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I’m going to get a bit personal in this post since food is such a sensitive topic for me. 5 years ago I started treatment for an eating disorder that I suffered from since I was 7 years old. I have always had an unhealthy relationship with food as long as I can remember, but when things in my life got chaotic my eating disorder went off the rails.
After my first pet Frankie died from cancer, I used my dear friend ED (eating disorder) as a distraction to help me cope with the grief. I raised Frankie since he was 1 week old. He was an abandoned street cat and the love of my life. I started a diet that that was about 600 calories a day. On top of that I worked out 2-4 times a day. Everything was falling into place…until my hair started falling out and my period stopped. I also started binge eating out control. I would basically black out and then come to surrounded by 15 or so diet bar wrappers. I started seeing a therapist to stop the binging (not the starving) and was begrudgingly put into full blown eating disorder treatment. I had to learn how to eat like a normal person. That may sound trivial to some, but I was terrified to pick out my own food. I couldn’t tell when I was hungry, satisfied or what I wanted to eat.
Meal kits saved my life. Literally. I adjusted to eating regularly due to the portion sizes and nutritional variety offered by them. I’ve tried all the meal kit services available in my area and here are my thoughts on each one.
Blue Apron - Good regular food. Nothing fancy. A good mix of complex and simple carbohydrates with recipes that are familiar with enough variety so you don’t get bored. They even have a wine club with pairing recommendations.
Hello Fresh - Similar to Blue Apron, but the quality is not as good. I didn’t care for the taste of even the basic dishes. I know there are a lot of folks out there that like them, I’m just not there.
Green Chef - Very complex recipes. Serious Whole Foods. Lots of complex carbs. Think Sweet potatoes and kale. I liked this kit, but found myself not wanting to cook a lot because of the complexity.
Sunbasket - This is my current and favorite service. You can upgrade meat options to organic and prime cuts and the food quality is impeccable. Simple recipes that really satisfy. I go between 2 and 4 different meals a week.
Imperfect Produce - This service is a great add on service. They source out the not so perfect pieces of fruit that grocers don’t buy and sell them for less!
Happy and healthy eating!
