Meal delivery services have made meal times a breeze. This is especially the case if you have a hectic schedule. While it’s true that you can get some type of food delivered to you in under an hour, it’s essential to always choose an option that provides you with healthy choices.
One of the simplest ways to ensure that your family eats the right mix of healthy, nutritious food is to have the family meals delivered Melbourne locals enjoy so much. In addition to this, several other tips will help you make the right choices when ordering food from a meal delivery service.
Make the Right Choices
Meal delivery services have made it possible to ditch unhealthy takeouts and choose healthier lunch and dinner options. Here are a few top tips that will help you ensure that your family will still eat healthily, even when you’re not cooking.
1. Find the Right Meal Delivery Service
The number one way to ensure that your family is eating healthily is to choose the right meal delivery service. The service you choose should offer the following:
- Food prepared by experts who understand the value of a balanced meal
- Fresh ingredients
- Quality meals served in manageable portions
- Cater to a range of different dietary requirements such as vegan and gluten-free
- A wide variety of choices that include fruit and vegetables
2. Choose Grilled Food Over Fried Options
One of the reasons that fast foods are so unhealthy, is that they are mostly fried. Submerging food in cooking oils increases carbs, calories, and the overall fat content of food. Keep in mind that this fat content is the unhealthy kind. Regularly indulging in these foods also teaches your children that it’s acceptable to consume large amounts of unhealthy foods.
With a homemade meal delivery service, you can switch fried options for healthier grilled variations. The most common example of going grilled involves opting for lean proteins such as fish and chicken. It’s a good idea to choose different grilled options to give your family variety and increase their nutrient intake.
3. Opt for Healthier Sides
There’s no point in having a grilled piece of meat but then filling the plate with unhealthy sides. Substitute chips with a non-starchy veggie such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beans, cauliflower, peas, or even broccoli. If your kids aren’t keen on having veggies, this is an ideal way to get them to try a new one with each order.
Having your kids choose the veggies will go a long way toward getting them to try them. Consider adding a bit of grated cheese or sauces to add flavour to veggies your family may find bland. Many meal delivery services are aware that veggies aren’t everyone’s favourite, so they look for fun ways to incorporate them into kids’ meals.
4. Consider Adding Salads
Another fun way to get your children to eat veggies and increase their nutrient intake is to include healthy salads in your daily choices. Remember to opt for salad types with healthy sauces and lean proteins.
Healthy salads should include plenty of raw veggies such as carrots and leafy greens. Pasta and potato salad may be a healthy choice now and again but shouldn’t be the norm as they can be loaded with calories. Encourage your family to eat at least one serving of salad with lean meat. Switching a calorie-filled lunch for a chicken or tuna salad is a great place to start.
5. Split Bigger or Heavier Meals
There are those days when your family may just be in the mood for a large plate of comfort food such as Bolognaise or macaroni and cheese. On these days, consider splitting individual servings between people if they seem too big for one person.
This is an excellent way to avoid wasting food and also to avoid overdoing it. It’s also especially necessary for anyone who is on a special diet for medical reasons. You can always serve a smaller portion of high-calorie food with a healthy side.
6. You Don’t Need Dessert Everyday
You may be tempted to over-order and include dessert, especially if you’re telling yourself that you’re opting for healthy food. Teach your children that they don’t have to have dessert every day as these are usually just high-calorie, sugary treats. Rather switch the desserts out for a few fresh fruits. Consider limiting desserts to special occasions.
Final Thoughts
Ordering from a meal delivery service doesn’t mean that you have to ditch healthy food options. Finding a meal delivery service that offers healthy, portion-controlled meals will make it so much easier to maintain any special dietary restrictions in your household.
Fortunately, many meal delivery services that offer homemade meals already have special menus to cater for everyone’s unique requests. Finding healthy alternatives to take out has never been easier. Give yourself a break from the stress of meal prep and cooking and sign up with a quality meal delivery service. You’ll be glad you did!
