How it works, costs, and menus

For example, a person can purchase meals for a low carb, ketogenic, or vegetarian diet or for a diet suitable for those with diabetes.

It offers a convenient way for a person to stick to a diet plan by delivering a weekly rotation of meals to their home. The company aim to make it as simple as possible for people to eat meals that help them lose weight.

This article looks at how Diet-to-Go works, how much it costs, what menus a person can choose from, and the benefits and risks. It also compares the service with a few competitors.

Please note that no one at Medical News Today, including the writer, has tried this service. All information in this article is research-based.

Diet-to-Go is a weight loss meal delivery service. Chefs make the meals, and the service delivers them every week. As every meal comes preprepared, all a person has to do is heat it, which keeps preparation time very low.

Diet-to-Go aims to simplify the process of following a diet. It offers four different menus, all comprising portion-controlled meals, for people following certain diets.

People subscribing to Diet-to-Go can also benefit from support staff, such as dietitians, nutritionists, and certified health coaches, as well as diet tools and analysis.

People who sign up to Diet-to-Go can choose from four different diet plans:

• Balance
• Balance-Diabetes
• Keto-Carb30
• Vegetarian

There is also the option to choose a men’s or women’s plan. The men’s plan provides up to 1,600 calories per day, while the women’s plan totals 1,200 calories per day.

The Diet-to-Go service includes delivery for 5 or 7 days per week, with the option of two or three meals per day.

Every meal is preprepared, meaning that a person just needs to heat it before eating.

The costs of the Diet-to-Go meal delivery plans include the cost of the meals plus a delivery fee.

However, the service does include free delivery for the first 2 weeks of every plan and a $20 discount for the first order.

Delivery fees range from $9.99 to $19.98.

For each plan below, a person can choose either a 5-day option or a 7-day one.

Those opting for the 5-day option will get two meals per day, including lunch, dinner, and sides, for 5 days. This equates to 10 meals per week.

The 7-day option provides 7 days of three meals per day, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sides. This package provides 21 meals per week.

Balance plan

The 5-day option costs approximately $121.99 per week, or $12.20 per meal, and the 7-day option is about $179.99 per week, or $8.57 per meal.

Balance-Diabetes plan

It costs approximately $121.99 per week, or $12.20 per meal, to get the 5-day option. The 7-day option costs about $179.99 per week, or $8.57 per meal.

Keto-Carb30 plan

A person will pay about $137.99 per week, or $13.80 per meal, for the 5-day option and close to $204.59 per week, or $9.74 per meal, for the 7-day option.

Vegetarian plan

It costs about $121.99 per week, or $12.20 per meal, for the 5-day option. A person will pay about $179.99 per week, or $8.57 per meal, for the 7-day option.

Each Diet-to-Go menu focuses on different nutritional needs and offers a specialized selection of meals depending on the particular plan and its aims.

Balance

Diet-to-Go’s Balance plan is the most popular plan for people aiming to lose weight. The Diet-to-Go website also recommends this plan for people with prediabetes.

The Balance plan is calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced to make sure that people get a varied and balanced diet to help them lose weight in a healthful way.

The company limit the amounts of sodium, carbohydrates, fat, and cholesterol in each dish.

Scientific studies have found evidence that a diet containing lower levels of refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and trans fats may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The Balance plan offers the largest selection of meals and includes vegetarian options and dishes that are free from seafood. Therefore, people with seafood allergies can safely follow this meal plan.

Example breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes from the Balance menu include:

• banana chocolate bar
• turkey burgers
• shrimp Alfredo

Balance-Diabetes

The company have designed the Balance-Diabetes plan to be suitable for people with diabetes. It helps control blood sugar levels naturally and is also calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced.

The company also moderate the amounts of sodium, carbohydrates, fat, and cholesterol in these meals.

Example breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes from the Balance-Diabetes menu include:

• cinnamon walnut cereal
• blackened salmon with spinach cauliflower puree
• Thai turkey tenderloin

However, a person can choose to customize meals on the Balance-Diabetes plan.

Keto-Carb30

The company created the Keto-Carb30 plan for those on a low carb diet. It is a good option for people who wish to follow an Atkins-style, carb-restricted diet to promote weight loss.

The menu includes meat, cheese, and eggs but only provides 30 net carbs per day on average, making it suitable for people following a ketogenic diet.

For this reason, the company recommend against consuming fruit, bread, sugar, or other carbs alongside the Keto-Carb30 menu.

Example breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes from the Keto-Carb30 menu include:

• bacon and sausage egg bites
• hamburger with Swiss cheese
• pork spare ribs

Vegetarian

The Vegetarian plan includes all of the meatless and fish-free dishes from the Balance plan.

The meals in this plan are calorie-controlled and provide balanced nutrition. The company claim that they promote heart health due to the limited amounts of sodium, carbs, fat, and cholesterol in each dish.

To replace the protein that meat products provide, the Vegetarian plan includes dairy products, eggs, beans, and soy to create a balanced, vegetarian meal plan for weight loss.

Example breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes from the Vegetarian menu include:

• banana walnut muffin
• spinach quesadilla
• soy stir-fry

Convenience is one of the main benefits that Diet-to-Go meal plans offer. The company prepare, pack, and deliver every meal, which a person can reheat and eat within minutes.

The range of different meal plans means that people following different diets, such as a ketogenic diet or vegetarian diet, can find a plan that will suit their dietary needs.

The portion-controlled meals may help a person reduce their daily calorie intake, and the ability to customize the meals may make them more appealing for some people.

Although meal delivery plans are convenient and can help with weight loss, there are some risks and downsides to consider.

Diet-to-Go meal delivery plans may be too expensive for some people. The costs begin at $121.99 per week and can reach more than $200 per week, which may not be sustainable for people living on lower budgets.

The delivery of food through courier services also comes with some risks. For instance, food needs to stay at a safe temperature to prevent germs from contaminating it, as this could lead to food poisoning.

However, it is worth noting that all food delivery services come with this risk, not just Diet-to-Go.

People who are more likely to get food poisoning are:

• adults over 65 years of age
• children under 5 years of age
• those with a weakened immune system
• pregnant people

Once the food has arrived, a person should refrigerate or store it appropriately as soon as possible. Storing food properly helps prevent food poisoning.

Animals or pests may also contaminate meals if food sits outdoors for long periods. This scenario is possible if there is no one present to accept the meal delivery.

Additionally, some of the Diet-to-Go plans may not be safe for everyone. The calorie counts may not be enough for some people.

For example, the average sedentary female aged 30 years burns about 1,800 calories per day, according to the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The daily calorie needs of males and people with more active lifestyles are generally higher than this.

Experts advise that males should not eat fewer than 1,500 calories per day and that females should not eat fewer than about 1,200 calories. Some people’s safe lower limit may be higher than these estimates.

Diet-to-Go plans for men restrict calories to about 1,600 calories per day, and their plans for women place the limit at 1,200 calories. These totals are close to or at the lower recommended limit.

People with diabetes should not go on the Keto-Carb30 diet, according to Diet-to-Go. A keto diet may also increase the chance of kidney stones.

A person should speak with a doctor before beginning a new diet.

Other diet meal delivery services that a person can choose from include BistroMD, Jenny Craig, and Nutrisystem.

Cost

The average price of a Diet-to-Go meal is $10.50, while Jenny Craig’s average meal price is $15.00, Nutrisystem’s is $11.00, and BistroMD’s is $9.20.

Meal delivery is another cost to consider. Diet-to-Go charge an extra shipping fee of between $9.99 and $19.98 on top of the meal price. Nutrisystem offer free shipping on orders of $50 or more, but Jenny Craig add a $29.00 delivery fee on top of meal prices. BistroMD add $19.95 shipping to the cost of meals.

The Diet-to-Go service may, therefore, be one of the cheaper options.

Diet-to-Go meals are only available in 48 U.S. states, whereas Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and BistroMD deliver to all 50 U.S. states.

Variety

The number of menu items varies among these meal delivery services.

Nutrisystem and BistroMD each offer more than 150 options, while Jenny Craig have 100 options, and Diet-to-Go include 75 different recipes on a rotating weekly menu.

The Diet-to-Go meal options are, therefore, the most restricted out of the four meal delivery companies.

Diets

Diet-to-Go, Nutrisystem, and BistroMD are similar in that they all offer a wide range of plans for different diets.

The Diet-to-Go service caters to people who have diabetes, are trying to lose weight, or are following a vegetarian or ketogenic diet. The company offer a wide range of meat and fish options, but people also have the option to exclude seafood from their menu.

Nutrisystem offer a similar range to Diet-to-Go, with extra options to exclude allergens, such as milk, eggs, wheat, shellfish, fish, and tree nuts.

BistroMD can also provide meals for people requiring gluten-free food, which Diet-to-Go do not offer.

Jenny Craig offer a limited number of vegetarian dishes, but some of their meals are suitable for people with diabetes.

Diet-to-Go is a popular meal delivery service that the company claim has been helping people achieve their weight loss goals for more than 25 years.

Although the company offer fewer dishes than some of their competitors, the service costs less per meal than some of the other diet meal delivery services available. It also offers four tailored menus for specific diet types.

When picking a meal delivery service, a person may wish to consider cost and food safety, as well as the menus available and the calories and nutrients that each meal provides.

They should also speak with their doctor before trying a new diet to make sure that it is safe for them.

People can find out more about Diet-to-Go and sign up for the service here.