Are there diabetes-friendly meal kits? Here are the best
Meal delivery services are great for maintaining a healthy diet while enjoying the added convenience that pre-portioned meal kits bring to the table. Many popular meal kits let customers build a personalized meal plan, making it easy to follow dietary restrictions like gluten-free or low-sodium meals. For those with diabetes, meal kits can be a great way to manage blood sugar levels while eating healthy throughout the week.
A high-protein, low-sugar diet is important to managing diabetes. Eating a lot of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can help to reduce the risk of diabetes, as well as improve blood sugar levels. Thankfully, the best meal kits can help, thanks to a number of nutritionally balanced recipes available week after week.
Below, we review the best diabetic meal delivery services available today.
Are there diabetes-friendly meal kits? Here are the best
If you're tired of lengthy meal prep times getting in the way of a healthy and consistent diet, it may be time to make the switch to meal kits. Make your weeknights easier with one of the best meal delivery services that offer diabetes-friendly meal plans and recipes:
- Best diabetes-friendly meal plan: SunBasket
- Best plant-based: Purple Carrot
- Best gluten-free : Splendid Spoon
- Biggest savings: Green Chef
Get a kickstart on the ideal diabetes-friendly meal plan with the best meal kits for diabetics listed below.
Best diabetes-friendly meal plan: SunBasket
At the top of our list is SunBasket, a meal delivery service that caters to a variety of dietary preferences and lifestyles. Find plenty of organic fruits and vegetables in interesting dishes meant for gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian, paleo, and -- of course -- diabetes-friendly diets.
What sets SunBasket apart from other meal kits is its personalized meal plan built for a diabetic diet. This comes with a number of nutrient-packed meals that contain 10 grams or more of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and a limited number of carbs to complement a diabetes-friendly diet.
SunBasket has both meal kit and meal delivery plans, with the price per serving starting at $12 and $10, respectively. Sign up now to save $90 across your first four boxes (plus free shipping on box number one), which means subscription prices as low as $4.28 per serving.
Best plant-based: Purple Carrot
Our top pick for vegans and vegetarians, Purple Carrot made our list thanks to its focus on delicious and nutritious dinners using all organic ingredients. Enjoy a vegan-friendly weekly menu, with additional tabs for breakfast and lunch recipes, that makes it super easy to stick to a plant-based diet.
Purple Carrot claims that a healthy plant-based diet can help to lower unhealthy cholesterol levels and may lower the risk of diabetes altogether. Purple Carrot's nutritionally stacked meals (which include both DIY meal kits and prepared meals) come packed with a healthy dose of whole fruits and vegetables, making this a great pick for meal variety as well.
Purple Carrot prices start at $11 per serving, with prepared meals costing a bit more. Sign up today with code HOLIDAYGREENS25 to save $100 off your first four boxes and bring serving prices down to $9 a piece.
Best gluten-free: Splendid Spoon
Splendid Spoon provides an assortment of healthy, plant-based prepared meals -- made with vegan, gluten-free, and GMO-free ingredients. A gluten-free diet may contribute to a lower risk of diabetes, so if you want to sign up for delicious meals that fit both diets, Splendid Spoon is the meal delivery service for you.
Unlike meal delivery services like Blue Apron or HelloFresh, Splendid Spoon specializes in ready-made meals that take no time at all to prepare. Enjoy healthy soups, entrees, and grain bowls, as well as sides and snacks like whole fruit smoothies.
There are three meal plan options customers can choose from:
- Seven meals at $12 per serving, plus $13 in shipping
- Fourteen meals at $8.67 per serving, plus free shipping
- Or 21 meals at $9.13 per serving, plus free shipping
Items can also be purchased a la carte from the Splendid Spoon marketplace, with meals averaging between $12 and $14 apiece. You can buy in bulk with bundles like the 'bestseller's box' ($120), which comes with seven of Splendid Spoon's highest rated meals and three smoothies.
Sign up for one of Splendid Spoon's meal plans today to save $105 off your first three deliveries.
Biggest savings: Green Chef
Once again, Green Chef makes the cut for one of our favorite meal kits that can save you money in the long run. Green Chef's delicious and beginner-friendly recipes are currently available at a reduced price thanks to the meal delivery service's ongoing holiday discount.
Green Chef serves up an impressive variety of 10 or more low-carb meals each week, giving people plenty of choices when it comes to diabetes-friendly dishes. Meal plan options like protein-packed, calorie-smart, and gluten-free preferences mean that you can easily tailor your weekly deliveries to meet your dietary needs.
Green Chef prices typically start at $11 per serving, but customers who sign up today can enjoy a whopping $430 in savings spread across their first nine boxes -- bringing serving prices to as low as $4.80.
How we chose the best meal kits for a diabetes-friendly diet
For a closer look at how we review certain products and services, these are the biggest factors that we considered when comparing diabetes-friendly meal kits and meal delivery services:
- Organic ingredients: Every meal kit company on this list is committed to shipping sustainably sourced, organic ingredients with every delivery.
- Nutritional info: Surprises are great for Christmas gifts or ongoing Cyber Monday deals, but not so much when it comes to your diet. We prioritized meal delivery services that offer clearly labeled meals with readily available ingredient information.
- Healthy recipes: Every meal delivery service on this list includes choices packed full of nutrients.
- Easy meal prep: Figuring out dinner each night for the whole family can be a big challenge, so we focused on meal kits that took most (if not all) of the guesswork out of your nightly meals.
