Meal Plan Delivery Services in Quezon City, Metro Manila

In November 2021, I decided to start a wellness project where I will be trying out various meal plan delivery services. I hope this blog post will help those contemplating trying out these options.

Why get a Meal Plan?

What motivated me to try it out is to discover and learn the right meal combination from the viewpoint of chefs, nutritionists, and dietitians behind these meal plans.

Meal plan prices vary from P750 and up per week. The convenience and variety of food make it a worthwhile investment towards better health. The weekly meal cost is only a fraction of what I used to spend on transportation and meals.

For variety, I will explore different meal plans and observe how my body responds to them.

Type of Meal Plans

I would like to experiment with various types of meal plans. Here's my observation on what is available out there including:

1. Plant-based meal

100% vegetables with no meat at all.  

I started my experiment with Plant-based Kusina (FB @plantbasedkusina). They are the most affordable starting at 750 (plus shipping) a week. 

A one-week package will give you 15 meals (small tubs) all delivered on a Sunday. Rice is not included. 

Upon receipt of the meals, I stored them in our freezer area. For the 3 meals you want to eat for the day, you can move them to the ref area to defrost and later heat at mealtime.

You can eat the meal as is or add your own rice, bread, quinoa, salad depending on your preference.

2. Low Sodium, Sugar, Cholesterol (Friendly to folks with Hypertension, Heart-Related Problems, and Diabetes)

In my 2nd week, I tried Pickle's (FB @pickleph) Lean & Clean meal plan (1800 calories). It has breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack. They described it as 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 20% protein. It has lean meat, bread, salad, rice, pasta, fruits. They deliver the meals in the morning.

Another program similar to this is DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)

In my coming 6th week, I am trying Yummy Diet (FB @yummydietph) DASH meal program (1200 - 1400 calories). It contains 60% carbohydrates, 20% protein, 20% fat per day. Low in fat and cholesterol as it is more plant-based (with allowance for white meat). Restricts sodium and limits the use of sugar. 

This program aims for prevention of developing  heart disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, metabolic disorders. Folks with elevated blood pressure can also benefit from this. They deliver meals the day before allowing you to start with your meal plan by dinner time.

3. Low Carbohydrate, High Protein 

In my 3rd week, I tried Pickle's Performance Plan (1800 calories). They described it as 40% essential fat, 30% protein, and 30 carbohydrates. This is ideal for folks with an active lifestyle. As I haven't eaten meat regularly for quite a while, this meal was an adjustment for me. 

4. Low Calorie

In my 4th week, I tried Delish Diet Delivery's (FB @delishdietdelivery) Low-Calorie package (1500 calories).

I noticed this one focused more on portion control as it serves pasta, bread, rice, meat, fish, etc. They deliver the meals in the morning too.

5. Keto

In my 5th week, I tried Smart Meals (FB @smartmealsdelivery) ketogenic diet (1500 calories). This diet makes fat the main source of energy rather than carbs. They deliver meals the day before allowing you to start with your meal plan by dinner time.

It is popular with folks who want fast weight loss and/or improvement of blood sugar / bad cholesterol levels.

Weekend Diet & Snacks

As most meal plans are for 5 days a week, the weekends can be quite challenging. There are also weekdays where you just want to eat a little more. This is where add-on options come in.

Trying the “Eat Fit Box” 1-month package from Justgolowcarb.com 

It contains 50 low carb swaps Including loaf bread, cheddar dinner rolls, savory bagels, tortilla wraps, seasoned seeded crisps, sesame crackers, berry granola, porridge. 

I enjoyed the seasoned seeded crisps as a snack.

The low card porridge coconut scent may initially intimidate but it becomes an interesting treat when you add the berry granola. If you have honey, it will add more flavor too.

Weight Loss and Better Health

I gained weight during the pandemic as I was not able to do my usual fasting and shopping for foods I like. 

My goal in going through this meal plan journey is to improve my overall health by eating the right kind of foods as that plays almost 90%, especially for weight loss.

Since I started in November 2021, I lost 6 pounds as of this writing (December 23, 2021). 

More to add

I look forward to updating this post featuring a different meal plan tried.

Do you have suggestions on other meal plan service providers to feature? Let me know by sending an Instagram message.