Top Elimination Diet Meal Delivery Services You Can't Miss for Easy, Healthy Eating

For individuals seeking to manage inflammation, identify food sensitivities, or simply adopt a healthier eating pattern, elimination diet meal delivery services offer a convenient and supportive solution. These services provide pre-made meals tailored to specific dietary protocols, making it easier to navigate the complexities of elimination diets. This article dives into the world of elimination diet meal delivery services, highlighting top contenders and key considerations for choosing the right one.

Understanding Inflammation and Elimination Diets

Inflammation is a natural bodily response to injury or infection. Acute inflammation is beneficial, aiding in healing and fighting off pathogens. However, chronic inflammation, where the inflammatory response persists, can increase the risk of various diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and bowel diseases.

An anti-inflammatory diet can help combat chronic inflammation by emphasizing foods that reduce inflammation and limiting those that exacerbate it. Registered Dietitian Ginger Hultin, owner of Ginger Hultin Nutrition and author of "Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep," explains that an anti-inflammatory diet involves eating more fruits, vegetables, seafood, and whole grains, while reducing the intake of red and processed meats, high-salt foods, refined carbohydrates, and artificially sweetened drinks.

Elimination diets, such as the low-FODMAP diet or the autoimmune protocol (AIP), are designed to identify specific food triggers that may be contributing to inflammation or other health issues. These diets involve removing certain foods for a period, followed by a gradual reintroduction to monitor for any adverse reactions.

Top Elimination Diet Meal Delivery Services

Navigating an elimination diet can be challenging, but meal delivery services can simplify the process. Here are some of the best options available:

1. Epicured: Best for Inflammatory Bowel Disease/Conditions

Epicured specializes in providing meals for individuals with bowel conditions and digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), irritable bowel disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), Crohn’s disease, and colitis. All of Epicured’s meals are gluten-free and low FODMAP. The company's low-FODMAP Elimination Program is a standout feature, offering meals that can be tailored to vegan or pescatarian preferences. The program is available in two, four, six, or eight-week durations, providing a structured approach to FODMAP elimination.

Tori Martinet, RD, founder of Tori’s Table in Carlsbad, California, notes the extensive variety on the Epicured menu, with over 150 items and numerous add-on options like side dishes, snacks, and desserts. While Epicured is the most expensive service on this list if you pay for an Elimination Program up front, Martinet believes it’s worth it due to the effort put into ensuring that the meals avoid everything you’re supposed to. Epicured emphasizes the importance of consulting with a registered dietitian or doctor during a low-FODMAP program elimination phase, though the company does not provide this service directly.

2. Territory: Best for Low-Carb Diets

Territory stands out for its low-carbohydrate meal options, with all meals containing less than 30 grams of total carbs. The entire menu is rooted in anti-inflammatory cooking, excluding gluten, dairy, and refined sugars. Customers can specify a carb range between 0 and 90 grams for any meal category.

The rotating menu offers a selection of freshly prepared meals, emphasizing sustainability through humanely-raised and wild-caught protein sources. Meals are produced by chefs and restaurants across the country, utilizing regional ingredients. Territory also offers add-on items like breakfast options, prepared protein, extra veggies, and desserts.

Territory Foods suits low-carb and keto lifestyles without the needs for prep, cook, or clean up. You can get fresh (not frozen) prepared meals delivered directly to your door for less than $20 per meal. Territory Foods is our pick for the best sustainable Whole30 meal delivery because of the ingredients and the efforts around the packaging. Product tester and GGR senior editor Nicole Davis gives Territory a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating for ingredient quality saying, “The brand focuses on responsibly-sourced and nutrient-dense ingredients. Plus, the meals are shipped fresh, not frozen, with a best-by date. Perry Nix, registered dietitian, adds to that by saying, “Every meal is loaded with colorful vegetables that provide a rich source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Territory earns a 4.5 out of 5 stars for sustainability efforts in the shipping and packaging category for a few reasons. Secondly, Territory has multiple locations across the United States, so each location offers a different menu based on seasonal ingredients and what is available in that area. Nicole also mentions Territory has the best packaging of all the meal services she tried. “The meal containers fit inside the box perfectly so there wasn’t any crazy movement.

3. BistroMD: Best for Heart-Healthy Programs

BistroMD's Heart-Healthy Program is designed for individuals with a history of heart disease or related conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The meals and snacks are designed to support weight loss, with meals containing 600 milligrams (mg) of sodium or less and 3.5 g of saturated fat or less. Snacks have 250 mg of sodium or less and 2.5 g of saturated fat or less. The calorie level is low, averaging 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,400 per day for men.

Martinet notes the variety in cuisine, with flavors reflecting Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Latin American influences. She also highlights the variety of protein types available, including bison and barramundi. BistroMD meals can support individuals aiming to consume the recommended sodium levels (under 2,300 mg) per day.

4. Green Chef: Best for Gluten-Free Diets

Green Chef simplifies gluten-free eating by providing meal kits with pre-portioned ingredients and recipes. The company is a validated “Gluten-Free Safe Spot,” ensuring the quality and safety of its gluten-free items. Green Chef also offers free consultations with registered dietitians.

While Green Chef doesn’t have a specific anti-inflammatory meal plan, its Mediterranean and plant-based plans offer meals that align with anti-inflammatory principles. The recipes emphasize vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Meal kits are customizable, allowing users to swap proteins, increase protein portions, add more vegetables, or upgrade to wild-caught seafood or free-range proteins. Meal kits can be portioned to feed two, four, or six people, and full nutrition information is available for informed choices.

Green Chef also has a “Hero Discount Program” that offers 65 percent off your first box, free shipping, and 15 percent off the rest of your boxes for the year if you’re a first responder, teacher, medical provider or nurse, hospital employee, military member, or veteran.

Read also: Understanding the AIP Diet

5. Sunbasket: Best for Mediterranean Diets

Sunbasket offers a variety of Mediterranean diet meal options, including fresh meals, frozen meals, and meal kits. The meals feature fresh, mostly organic produce, fresh herbs, whole grains, and a variety of protein options. Meal kits serve two or four people, prepared meals are single portions, and customers can choose between Classic Kits (ingredients are not pre-prepped) or Pre-Prepped Kits.

Prepared meals contain at least 10 g protein and 5 g fiber per serving, as well as healthy fats from olives, nuts, seeds, or avocados. Sunbasket has a food preference questionnaire process for all of its food plans, allowing users to specify ingredients to avoid or filter for meals that are lower in sodium or sugar, free of certain allergens, and more. All recipes and meals are approved by Sunbasket’s in-house registered dietitians.

Sunbasket features extensive add-on items, like beverages, spreads, nuts, and seeds, as well as prepared side items (salad kits), and veggie dishes like Greek potatoes with a spicy feta sauce. EA Stewart, RDN, founder of Spicy RD Nutrition in San Diego, notes that the meal kits are not pricier than regular meal kits, and may even be less expensive if you’re consuming less animal protein on your anti-inflammatory diet plan. Sunbasket offers a "100 percent mouthwatering" guarantee, refunding or crediting the cost of any unsatisfactory meal.

6. Paleo on the Go: Best for Autoimmune Protocol Meals

Paleo on the Go provides meals that adhere to the elimination diet constraints of the autoimmune protocol (AIP), even for those not specifically following a paleo diet. The AIP is often recommended for individuals with autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

The AIP aims to remove inflammatory triggers, starting with a strict removal phase that cuts out grains, legumes, dairy, nuts, seeds, nightshades, eggs, and processed foods. After several weeks, foods are gradually reintroduced to identify any that cause symptoms. Hultin emphasizes that the AIP is not a general anti-inflammatory diet and recommends seeking guidance from a healthcare professional.

Paleo on the Go meals feature sustainable, wild-caught seafood, high quality, grass-fed or grass-finished meats, lots of organic, non-nightshade vegetables (no potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, or peppers), gluten-free starches, some fruits, coconut oil, and animal fats.

7. Purple Carrot: Best for Vegans

Purple Carrot specializes in 100 percent vegan meals, offering both prepared, frozen meals, and meal kits. The company’s expertise is evident in their Jumpstart Program and mix-and-match meal approach. The fact that you can choose from meal kits as well as premade meals in one order makes Purple Carrot unique (although you are required to choose either the premade meal plan or meal kit plan when you sign up). Following a vegan diet doesn’t guarantee that inflammation in the body will automatically decrease. But research indicates that plant-based eaters are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, obesity, or heart disease - all conditions associated with chronic inflammation.

Other Meal Delivery Services to Consider

In addition to the top picks, several other meal delivery services cater to specific dietary needs and preferences:

Trifecta: Offers a Paleo/Whole30 option with high-protein, macronutrient-balanced meals geared toward athletes.
The Good Kitchen: Delivers prepared meals with quality ingredients, including grass-fed beef, pastured pork, and hormone-free poultry and eggs.
Daily Harvest: Provides plant-based frozen meals and snacks, including smoothies, grain bowls, flatbreads, and soups.
Factor: While not specifically Whole30 compliant, Factor offers meals that align with paleo principles, avoiding legumes, grains, dairy, added sugars, and highly processed foods.
ModifyHealth: Trusted for specialized, gluten-free diets, ModifyHealth offers Low-FODMAP, Mediterranean, Gluten-free, Heart-healthy, Low Sodium and Diabetes-friendly meal plans.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Meal Delivery Service

When selecting an elimination diet meal delivery service, consider the following factors:

Dietary Needs: Ensure the service caters to your specific elimination diet requirements, such as low-FODMAP, AIP, gluten-free, or vegan.
Ingredient Quality: Look for services that prioritize high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients, including organic produce and responsibly raised meats.
Menu Variety: Opt for a service with a diverse menu that offers a range of options to prevent boredom and ensure adequate nutrient intake.
Customization: Check if the service allows for meal customization or substitutions to accommodate individual preferences and allergies.
Cost: Compare pricing among different services and consider your budget.
Convenience: Evaluate the delivery frequency, packaging, and ease of meal preparation.
Nutritional Information: Ensure the service provides detailed nutritional information for each meal.
Sustainability: Consider the service's commitment to sustainability in terms of ingredients, packaging, and environmental practices.

The Importance of Professional Guidance

While meal delivery services can be a valuable tool for navigating elimination diets, it’s essential to seek guidance from a registered dietitian or healthcare professional. A qualified professional can help you:

Determine if an elimination diet is appropriate for your individual needs.
Develop a personalized elimination diet plan.
Monitor your progress and identify potential nutrient deficiencies.
Guide you through the reintroduction phase to accurately identify food triggers.
Ensure that your diet remains balanced and sustainable in the long term.

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