Nutrition
Should you try a subscription meal kit?
They provide hassle-free home-cooked meals. But watch the nutrient content.
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Wouldn't it be great if you had an assistant chef at home—someone who developed a delicious menu and then shopped for and measured all the ingredients to make it? All you'd have to do is cook and enjoy it. That's the idea behind the hot trend of subscription meal kits, which are delivered to your door. "It's very convenient, and it can challenge someone to try new foods with different seasonings," says Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
How it works
Downsides
Most meals take 30 or 40 minutes to prepare, a drawback if you're unable to stand for long periods. You'll have to do any necessary chopping yourself, a potential challenge if you have arthritis.
And while the food is fresh, it may not always be healthy. Some meals are high in sodium and calories. "And some recipes don't use whole grains or healthier carbohydrates; they use white potatoes and refined grains like jasmine rice," says McManus. That's especially important if you're on a restricted diet because of high blood pressure or diabetes.
What you should do
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