The ketogenic diet has gained immense popularity as a method for weight loss and overall health improvement. It focuses on consuming high amounts of fats, moderate protein, and very few carbohydrates, shifting the body's metabolism to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. For individuals seeking to follow a keto lifestyle while incorporating more plant-based foods, Daily Harvest offers a range of convenient and nourishing options.
What is the Keto Diet?
The keto diet emphasizes consuming large amounts of fats and fiber while significantly reducing carbs. This dietary approach encourages the body to enter a state of ketosis, where it utilizes fats as its primary energy source instead of carbohydrates. Ideally, protein intake should be moderate to prevent excess protein from converting into glucose, which can disrupt ketosis. A typical keto diet consists of 5-10% carbs, 15-25% protein, and the remaining percentage from healthy fats.
It's important to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before starting a keto diet, as it may not be suitable for everyone and its long-term effects are still under investigation.
Daily Harvest: Your Partner in Plant-Based Keto
Daily Harvest provides pre-portioned, frozen food designed to be both clean and delicious, making healthy eating more accessible. The company emphasizes the use of organic fruits and vegetables, which can boost energy levels, improve skin health, and support overall wellness. Daily Harvest's commitment extends to the planet, promoting sustainable farming practices.
Convenience and Customization
Daily Harvest stands out for its convenience and flexibility. Customers can easily modify their orders, delivery schedules, and plan preferences to suit their individual needs. The service offers customizable deliveries and variable plan options, ensuring a personalized experience. Plans can be canceled at any time through the "My Plan" section of the website or app.
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Saving on Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest makes it easy to save on your orders: all orders over a specified amount receive a discount. To check out, your order must total at least a minimum amount.
Keto-Friendly Options at Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest offers a variety of menu items that can be incorporated into a keto diet. While not all items are specifically labeled as "keto," many are low in carbs and rich in healthy fats, making them suitable choices.
Smoothies
Daily Harvest's smoothies are a popular choice, offering a blend of fruits, vegetables, and plant-based protein. For those following a keto diet, the High Protein Smoothies are an excellent option, providing 20g of plant protein per serving. These smoothies are designed to keep you nourished and energized, even when you're not hungry.
Harvest Bowls
The Harvest Bowls are savory meals packed with vegetables and healthy fats. The Cremini + Asparagus Pot Pie Harvest Bowl is a particularly keto-friendly option, featuring cremini mushrooms, asparagus, kohlrabi, and coconut cream.
Lattes
For a keto-friendly pick-me-up, the Matcha + Lemongrass Lattes are a great choice. These lattes are made with coconut cream, lemongrass, matcha, and coconut MCT oil, providing a flavorful and energizing beverage.
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Other Options
Other Daily Harvest items that can be incorporated into a keto diet include soups and salads. By filtering the menu options, customers can easily identify items that are low in carbs and high in healthy fats.
Pros and Cons of Daily Harvest
Pros
- Organic and GMO-Free: Meals are made with USDA-approved organic and GMO-free ingredients.
- Freshly Prepared: Dishes are prepared fresh and delivered frozen, ensuring optimal nutrient retention.
- Ready-to-Eat: Meals can be prepared in under three minutes, making them ideal for busy individuals.
- Plant-Based: All meals are vegan and gluten-free, catering to various dietary needs and preferences.
- Customizable: Flexible ordering and delivery options allow customers to tailor their plans to their specific needs.
- Sustainable Practices: Daily Harvest supports sustainable farming and uses recyclable or compostable packaging.
Cons
- Not Entirely Keto-Specific: While many options are keto-friendly, not all items are specifically designed for the keto diet.
- May Require Additional Protein: Some meals may be low in protein, requiring customers to add additional protein sources.
- Portion Sizes: Some users may find the portion sizes to be small, especially those with higher calorie needs.
- Potential for Repetitiveness: The menu may not be diverse enough for some users, leading to potential repetitiveness.
- Allergen Concerns: The food is made in a facility that processes dairy, nuts, soy, and gluten, which may be a concern for individuals with severe allergies.
- Cost: Daily Harvest can be relatively expensive compared to other meal delivery services or preparing meals at home.
How Daily Harvest Works
- Sign-Up: Create an account on the Daily Harvest website or app.
- Choose Your Plan: Select the number of items you want to receive in each delivery (9, 14, or 24).
- Customize Your Order: Choose from a variety of smoothies, bowls, soups, and other items. Filter by dietary preferences or ingredients you like or dislike.
- Select Delivery Frequency: Opt for weekly or monthly deliveries.
- Enjoy Your Meals: Prepare your meals according to the instructions provided and enjoy!
Customer Reviews and Ratings
Daily Harvest has received mixed reviews from customers. Many praise the convenience, taste, and nutritional value of the meals. Some also note that customer service is quick to respond and resolve any issues with orders.
However, some reviewers have expressed concerns about the quality of food, issues with delivery or missing items, and food safety. In 2022, the company issued a voluntary recall of its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles after reports of severe gastrointestinal issues.
On Trustpilot, Daily Harvest has an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on customer reviews.
Alternatives to Daily Harvest
While Daily Harvest offers a convenient way to incorporate more plant-based foods into a keto diet, several other meal delivery services cater to specific dietary needs.
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Factor
Factor is a meal delivery service that focuses on providing expert-approved dishes and plans. They offer customized meal plans with the help of a registered dietitian. Factor emphasizes high-quality ingredients, and many testers compare eating Factor meals to reheating a home-cooked meal.
Green Chef
Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic brand that offers meal kits with pre-portioned ingredients and unique recipes. While not all meals are purely keto, Green Chef is a good option for families, as it allows for easy customization and the addition of grains or other non-keto-friendly items.
Sun Basket
Sun Basket offers a Carb-Conscious Meal Plan specifically designed for those following a keto diet. The plan features a rotating menu of recipes with at least 25 grams of protein per serving and healthy fats from nuts, avocados, and oils. Sun Basket also offers heat-and-eat options for added convenience.
Fresh N' Lean
After testing over 10 meal delivery services, Fresh N' Lean nabbed the the 'Best Overall' spot because the service offers a ton of meal diversity, tasty dishes made with quality ingredients that arrive fresh, and convenience (the meals are pretty much almost ready-to-eat). The keto program is all about offering a sustainable approach to the diet rather than some some meal plans that can mimic the effect or feeling of crash dieting.
Territory Foods
Territory Foods' service features an ever-rotating menu of meals that come directly from chefs around the country. With a goal of using the most high-quality, clean ingredients, every dish is made to be dairy, gluten, and refined-sugar free. Simply use the "keto-friendly" filter when looking through meals, but know that you're never required to pick only the keto-friendly options.
Hello Fresh
HelloFresh is one of the more popular meal delivery services out there, and with good reason. But is it actually keto-friendly? Well, meals aren't specifically labeled as keto, but if you and bae are simply trying to cut carbs, they have a whole low-carb category (their most popular), which is called "Meat and Veggies". In each box, you'll get the pre-portioned ingredients and instructions on how to prepare the meal yourself, making it a great at-home date night idea, too.
Pete's Real Food
People who combine the keto diet with Paleo-based eating will love this one. Pete's Real Food (previously called "Pete's Paleo") has both individual and family plans. So yeah, feel free to cross "cooking meals" and "prepping for family dinner" off of your weekend to-do list.
Performance Kitchen
Choose Performance Kitchen, and you'll get freshly-made, low-sodium meals under the guidance of a registered dietitian who will customize a keto-friendly meal plan for your specific needs and goals. With dishes like creamy chicken with bacon or chicken cashew satay, trust that the whole fam will definitely want to share.