As we age and our metabolism slows down, we need fewer calories but more nutrition. Older bodies are more susceptible to food deficiencies and need a careful balance of essential amino acids, fatty acids, micronutrients, and protein.
Senior meal delivery services are a great way of ensuring you get a properly balanced diet that will give you the energy to enjoy your later years. Just think – no more meal planning or grocery shopping, just delicious, nutritious food that will ensure you carry on living a healthy life for many more years.
How the Best Senior Meal Delivery Service Can Change Your Life
Some of the issues that present themselves as we head into our golden years include the inability to get around as easily as we once did. As a result, many of us fall into the trap of buying prepackaged, processed foods that fail to give us the nutrition we need and are often packed with sugar and preservatives. Most of the meals available with a senior meal delivery service are simple and quick to make and provide a much healthier alternative to many of the products available in the supermarket.
Although no longer working, many more senior individuals find their lives full, caring for others. Those of us who have a spouse or dear friend who’s not aging as easily as ourselves often dedicate vast swathes of our time to making sure they are both comfortable and cared for. As a result, we often don’t have the time nor inclination to start cooking up a storm.
When we retire, we often have to deal with a reduced income as a consequence, which can make eating healthy, well-balanced meals all the more challenging. As we mentioned above, the best senior meal delivery services are extremely cost-effective, regularly undercutting even the most budget grocery stores. Not only are the best meal delivery services often cheaper than buying your own ingredients, but they also ensure those ingredients are both high quality and purchased from sustainable sources.
As our bodies age, so they change in terms of how they process different foods, metabolism, muscle mass and so on. This means that the nutritional requirements we have later in life are different from those we experienced previously, which can make judging quantities and portion size more difficult. A good meal delivery service for senior citizens can help as it works out portion sizes for you and only sends enough ingredients for a perfectly portioned meal.
A meal delivery service for seniors can help a lot of older people access meals they’ll enjoy at a price they can afford. Additionally, having those ingredients in the fridge and the colorful recipe cards in front of you can be inspiring and, once the baking bug has bitten, who knows what else you might start creating?
The Best Senior Meal Delivery Service
#1 Silver Cuisine
Silver Cuisine by BistroMD is one of the healthiest and cost-effective ways to satisfy the dietary needs of seniors. The concept was created by a weight physician, Dr. Caroline Cederquist and the meals are made with 74% less fat, 49% less salt and 25% more fiber than most meals you will find in the grocery store.
As the site, dedicated to senior citizens, suggests,
“Good eating practices are generally taught at a young age, primarily in hopes to embed healthy habits for a lifetime. But the identification of healthy foods for the elderly is essentially a healthy, balanced diet encouraged throughout all lifespans, including whole grains, colorful produce, lean proteins, milk and dairy products, and fatty fish.”
The great thing about this meal delivery system is that you don’t have to slave over the stove for hours on end. Just select your meal plan and wait for the order to arrive. The meals you wish to eat should be taken out around 24 hours prior and allow to thaw, with just six minutes of heating time, you will have a healthy and tasty dish three times daily throughout the week.
“Whether desiring meal prep assistance or the guidance of healthy eating, confide in Silver Cuisine! Created with seniors in mind, Silver Cuisine by bistroMD offers home-delivered, nutritionally-adequate meals to people aged 50 years or older. Seniors can enjoy and choose from an array of nutritious and delicious meal entrees and snacks, including artichoke spinach and roasted red pepper frittata, lasagna with garden marina, chicken paella with andouille sausage, black bean chicken jerky, and kicken’ honey mustard pretzels.”
For more information on Silver Cuisine, read our extensive Silver Cuisine by BistroMD review.
#2 Diet-to-go
Maintaining your weight as a senior is simple with Diet-to-go as you work with a certified team of health coaches and dietitians for a program that is designed for you. With well-proportioned meals, Diet-to-go offers four meal plans: Balance, Vegetarian, Balance-Diabetes, and Keto-Carb30. Working with a rotating five-week schedule menu you can choose the meals that you like so that things don’t get too repetitive or boring.
The Balance program is perfect for seniors as it will allow 1,200 calories a day for females and 1,600 calories for males. Meals are balanced and controlled for carbs, fat, and sodium. You can have your meals delivered to your door or to a pickup location around America which include New Jersey, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. There are 200 locations that you can pick up fresh food from, so check their website to save on shipping.
Delicious meals include things like Old Fashioned Pot Roast, Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce and Chicken Marsala to name a few and meal prices start at just $8.57 per meal. Seniors can manage their health easily through nutritionally rich dishes with sides and condiments that are added to the mix.
For more information on Diet-to-go read our extensive Diet-to-go review.
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#3 Sun Basket
Meal delivery services are one simple way that can make life a whole lot easier for seniors who wish to cook healthy meals in the comfort of their home, but don’t want the hassle of grocery shopping. Even for those that aren’t as confident in the kitchen, there are simple recipe solutions with as little as six steps before dinner is served.
Sun Basket has a plethora of dishes that are perfect for seniors because they can accommodate a whole range of dietary needs. No matter if you choose paleo, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, Mediterranean, gluten-free, carb-conscious, quick & easy or diabetes-friendly, there are many scrumptious recipes out there for you.
Ordering is easy. Visiting the Sun Basket website you will be asked to “Get Started”. From there it will take you to a page where you need to add your personal information such as your name, address as well as your phone number.
It will also ask how many recipes per week you will be after, as well as which meal plan you would like and when you’d like to get your first shipment. Deliveries can take place between Sunday and Wednesday.
As soon as you have completed this you will be asked to enter your payment info. There you will see the cost of the meals as well as shipping which is not included. You also have loads of coupons floating around the internet, especially for first-time users.
Sun Basket uses ingredients of only the highest standards, using organic products and working in conjunction with farmers, ranchers and fishermen around the US to deliver customers fresh produce.
This is one of the best meal plan options for seniors looking to simplify cooking at home. With nutritious, ethically sourced food in combination with a chef-curated menu, there’s not much that can go wrong.
For more information on Sun Basket read our full Sun Basket review.
#4 Home Chef
If you’re really over traipsing around grocery stores trying to find fresh produce but still enjoy pottering in the kitchen, Home Chef’s meal prep delivery service is perfect for you. Rather than having meal plans, Home Chef lets you pick and choose your dishes from their weekly menu. Each week, Home Chef offers a range of over 20 meals, including vegetarian options, seafood, chicken and red meat. To find out more about a dish’s nutritional value, simply click on the item and all will be revealed.
Home Chef gives detailed information about every meal available so you can avoid specific foodstuffs while making sure you’re getting enough calories and protein each day to keep you going. You can also check to see how long each meal takes to prepare, how complex the preparation process is and how spicy you can expect the finished product to be.
With fresh ingredients delivered to your door every week, Home Chef eliminates the need for costly trips to the grocery store and saves you buying a whole jar of Worcester Sauce when just a teaspoon will do. In this way, senior meal delivery services can save you money and especially Home Chef which is one of the more affordable meal prep services around.
Subscribing to Home Chef’s meal delivery service is very simple and you can sign up in a matter of minutes (and while still in your pajamas if you like). After that, all you have to is choose your favorite recipes and select a delivery date. Your recyclable box of delights will arrive on your doorstep full of fresh ingredients packaged according to the recipe and ready to pop into your fridge until later. Colorful recipe cards make preparing your meals straightforward and enjoyable.
As well as being easy on the pocket, Home Chef gives you the opportunity to sample flavors from all over the world, taking you on a culinary journey while fulfilling all your nutritional needs. The balance of healthy ingredients, ease of use and interesting taste sensations make Home Chef our number one choice for the best senior meal delivery service.
For more information on Home Chef, read our extensive Home Chef review.
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#5 Green Chef
Green Chef offers meals complete with organic and environmentally friendly ingredients that are free of antibiotics as well as GMOs. You can choose from various plans including Keto, Paleo, Balanced Living, and Plant-Powered.
This meal delivery service will save you the time of heading to the grocery store, by delivering you a box full of fresh ingredients that you can easily throw together very quickly.
Independent seniors will be able to eat healthy in a simple manner just by subscribing to this service. Just head over to the Green Chef website and click on the “Get Started” button located on the homepage.
You will have three recipes per week, with the choice of altering the number of servings you need. Green Chef will ask for your address details as well as payment information and your account will be created.
The great thing is that new customers receive $50 off their first order, but you can always check for additional discounts that can be found on the internet. The Balanced Living menu is perfect for seniors who can enjoy tasty dinners like: Roasted Red Curry Chicken, Maple-Barbecue Pork Chops, Cuban Steaks with Mojo Sauce, Italian Herb-Seasoned Barramundi and Artichoke Crab Cakes.
Just like other delivery services, Green Chef delivers nationwide with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii. You can choose which days you would like your box delivered during the week, but if you prefer, your delivery can arrive on Saturday as well. Skipping a week is not an issue, nor is cancellation. All you need to do is contact customer support and they will be able to help you out.
For more information on Green Chef, read our extensive Green Chef review.
#6 BistroMD
Seniors can enjoy chef-prepared, portion-controlled meals that will be able to maintain your health. You can choose from various plans which include: Gluten-Free, Diabetic, Low Sodium, Low Carb, Menopause, Dairy-Free, Mediterranean and Vegetarian plans as well as the Heart Healthy program. For seniors who are looking for a nutritionally balanced diet, Heart Healthy is probably the best way to go.
“If you eat three Balance meals a day, you’ll meet or fall below the US Dietary Guidelines for sodium for the average US adult (averaging 2000-2300mg per day). All meals contain less than 600mg of sodium and exclude certain foods (especially with ethnic flavors like soy sauce) to help lower blood pressure.”
Meals found in the Heart Healthy program include things like: Chicken Meatballs with Marinara and Linguine, Tilapia with Smoky Tomato Sauce, Blackened Tilapia with Red Pepper Coulis and Jerk Spiced Tilapia with Mango Pineapple Salsa. There is also the Menopause program for women which cater to changing hormones and potential health concerns.
“With Balance by bistroMD, you can eat well while going through menopause without the added stress of grocery shopping and meal preparation! Utilizing the freshest ingredients, focusing on lean proteins, and reducing carbohydrates to support hormone regulation, all meals are scientifically-proven to provide your body with balanced nutrition during menopause.
The chefs create doctor-approved, portion-controlled meals for healthy weight loss, as the hormonal changes can even throw the best of eaters into a weight-gaining tailspin. Featured meals directed towards menopause management include beef steak and ale stew, jerk spiced chicken with mango chutney and spinach, grilled salmon with dill mustard sauce, artichoke and roasted red pepper frittata.”
For more information on BistroMD, read our extensive BistroMD review.
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#7. Nutrisystem
This meal plan delivery service is specially designed for those people over the age of 60 who wish to lose weight, understanding the fact that as your body starts to age, it also requires some changes in order for you to function in the best possible way. Senior citizens with weight issues need to be a little more careful as they can be prone to illnesses such as heart disease.
It is also understandable that at that particular age people tend to slow down on cooking every day and turn to easier options, which can be unhealthy and detrimental to their wellbeing. Nutrisystem’s Silver plan packs in meals that are rich in protein to reverse the effects of cellular and muscle damage and reduces sodium levels and cholesterol to help with blood pressure.
The Silver program will provide you with breakfast, lunch, and dinner options which include things like mac and cheese, lasagna, pizzas, cereals, and delicious salads. Providing users with 1,250 calories per day, there will be no issue in losing weight and enjoying the delicious meals targeted specifically at senior citizens.
For more information on Nutrisystem, read our extensive Nutrisystem review.
When Even the Best Senior Meal Delivery Service Isn’t Enough
For some us, even 15 minutes standing in the kitchen, chopping vegetables is around 10 minutes too long and, in those situations, even the best senior meal delivery service isn’t going to make life easier. All the meal kit delivery services we’ve looked at provide the fresh ingredients for you to prepare in the comfort of your own home. If cooking is either too physically challenging for you or you just hate spending time in the kitchen, then an alternative service that offers the best home delivery meals for seniors might be in order.
Offering a service similar to those discussed above Freshly will deliver specially packaged, fresh meals to your home so all you have to do is heat and eat. This a great option for those who don’t have the strength to stand in the kitchen preparing vegetables or are nervous about using a stove due to physical instability or other age-related problems. As with the best meal kit delivery services, Freshly prides itself on sourcing fresh, good quality, sustainable ingredients from which their professional chefs create a diverse collection of over 30 dishes per week.
Freshly is a good alternative for those who can’t stand the heat or no longer have the capacity to prepare their own meals. By taking advantage of the best home delivery meals for seniors, you could hold onto your independence for a little longer while maintaining a healthy diet that gives you the energy to enjoy your retirement.
Do I Qualify for a Free Senior Meal Delivery Service?
If you haven’t heard of Meals on Wheels, then you must have been living under a rock somewhere. This free service was started by the Women’s Volunteer Service for Civil Defence in the UK back in 1943 when the Biltz had left many people homeless and unable to cook for themselves. Since then, Meals on Wheels has expanded dramatically and, in 2016, Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) delivered over 200 million meals around the country.
People who can no longer shop or prepare their meals are eligible for MOWAA, who also deliver group meals to retirement villages and other senior centers. Recipients are asked to donate what they can afford towards the cost of the meals but no one is denied a meal because they haven’t coughed up enough cash.
To find out if you qualify for MOWAA support, contact your local program to get more information about the application process. If Meals on Wheels can’t provide the answer you were looking for, there are a couple of alternatives you could try, such as Project Angel Heart which is specifically aimed at those with life-threatening diseases.
While free meal delivery services for seniors will keep you healthy, they won’t necessarily give you the range of choice nor the daily taste sensations offered by Home Chef or one of our other recommended meal prep services. So, if you still have an appetite for good food and the wherewithal to afford it, why not make the most of one of the best senior meal delivery services discussed here and keep your palate alive with a host of new flavors and culinary influences from all over the world?
Bottom Line
When the whole process of meal planning, shopping and preparation becomes overwhelming, a meal delivery service for seniors can ensure you still get both pleasure and nutrition from your daily diet. Cost-effective and easy to use, the best senior meal delivery services can provide you with a different flavor every night of the week, while ensuring you receive a healthy balance of vegetables and protein.
As we age, our bodies change and require different proportions, different nutrition and, in many cases, fewer calories. Adjusting to these changes can be difficult but, if we don’t, we make ourselves more vulnerable to conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and various cancers. Furthermore, one of the biggest challenges facing older people is malnutrition. You may think you’re eating enough but often it’s a lack of variety causing the problem rather than the reduced quantity.
By getting a senior meal delivery service to send boxes full of delicious ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe card to your door each week, you can make sure you get a varied diet that keeps your palate stimulated, boosts your appetite, and ensures you get all the nutrition you need without piling on the weight.
Affordable and convenient, the best senior meal delivery services are waiting to change your life for the better and give you a chance to revive both your love of cooking and your appetite for life.