I was excited to try Eat Clean Meals. Readers know I love meal delivery services that are precooked because they make great lunches and occasional dinners at work.
In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging. Meal delivery services like Eat Clean aim to simplify this by providing prepared meals that cater to various dietary preferences.
Before we start: Eat Clean Meals and Eat Clean Bro Meals are not the same. It can get kind of confusing with two meal delivery services that sound (and even look) similar.
Before Trying Eat Clean Meals, I Had a Few Questions:
- Does Eat Clean Meals taste good? I think so. Compared to other meal delivery services, they definitely use more flavors and spices. Most of the meals I thought were pretty tasty but there were some that just tasted weird.
- Are the Eat Clean Meals big enough to stay full? That depends on your activity level. As a runner, I don’t always get full with 500-calorie meals. I found them to be good enough for lunch, but they weren’t quite enough for dinner.
- Is Eat Clean Meals worth it? I’m not really sure. Most meals have around 500 calories or less, which may not be enough for some people. I enjoyed about 75% of the meals so that still left me with two meals (out of 8) each week that I wasn’t a huge fan of.
Now, let’s get into an honest review of Eat Clean Meals.
About the Brand
There wasn’t a ton of information about Eat Clean, which surprised me because I love reading about how companies are founded. Eat Clean is a meal delivery service that provides fully prepared, single-serving meals tailored to specific diets, including keto, paleo, plant-based, and traditional options. The company emphasizes convenience by offering meals that require minimal preparation, aiming to support individuals seeking healthier eating habits without the hassle of cooking.
About Eat Clean Meals
Eat Clean offers a variety of meal plans designed to accommodate different dietary preferences:
- Keto Plan: Low-carb, high-fat meals suitable for those following a ketogenic diet.
- Paleo Plan: Meals free from grains and legumes, focusing on whole foods.
- Plant-Based Plan: Vegan meals rich in vegetables, legumes, and plant-based proteins.
- Traditional Plan: Balanced meals that don’t adhere to specific dietary restrictions.
Each Each Clean Meal plan offers a rotating weekly menu with options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, allowing you to select meals that best fit their tastes and nutritional needs. Of any meal delivery service, Eat Clean has the most amount of breakfast meals. To add: breakfast meals that look good. Some meal delivery services will say we have breakfast and it’s like a meal shake or something (ew).
What Makes Eat Clean Meals Different?
There are so many meal delivery services out there, so most of us want to know: What makes Eat Clean Meals different? Why should we spend money on this particular meal delivery service?
- Diet-Specific Options: Eat Clean caters to niche diets such as keto and paleo, providing tailored meal plans that align with specific nutritional guidelines.
- Convenience: All meals arrive fully prepared and only require reheating, making it easy for those with busy schedules to maintain a healthy diet.
- Freshness: Meals are delivered fresh, not frozen, aiming to preserve flavor and nutritional value.
- Portion Sizes: Customers can choose between regular and large portion sizes, accommodating different appetites and dietary goals.
My Experience with Eat Clean Meals
Upon trying Eat Clean Meals, I found the ordering process straightforward. You can choose between regular portion size and large. I chose the “large” and even then the meals only topped about 500 calories. That’s not a large meal to me, so I would be curious what the regular size was like.
The meals arrived in insulated packaging with ice packs to maintain freshness. I appreciate they didn’t use a huge box and the box was just big enough to fit the meals. Sometimes with meal delivery services, you are left with these huge boxes that are so unnecessary. Reheating was simple, with microwave times averaging 2-3 minutes and oven options taking longer. That’s what I like in meal delivery services…an easy way to reheat.
I always check how meals look when they arrive, and I noticed they didn’t look the most appetizing. One thing I dislike about meal delivery service reviews is when people plate the options and make them look “good”. I want to see exactly what they will look like when they arrive. Why must people do that?
I love good cheese, but half of the meals had shredded cheese on top. Most meals have 500 calories or less, which makes them a great option for those looking for lower-calorie meals. Unlike CookUnity, where some meals go up to 1,200 or 1,300 calories (which most people don’t need), Eat Clean Meals keeps portion sizes smaller. I felt satisfied after eating, but I wasn’t completely full. I’ve had a couple of meals for dinner, but typically, I prefer something with a little more substance at night.
Taste: Most of the Eat Clean Meals tasted good. I did have a few issues, though…some meals were just too flavorful. I like flavorful of course but some dishes were weirdly flavorful and the flavors didn’t always go together. For example, I wasn’t a huge fan of the pulled pork or plantains flavors in certain meals. This seems like a weird turn of events considering most other meal delivery services don’t have enough flavor.
I also found some of the sides, like the vegetables, to be watery or bland. Occasionally, there were odd combinations of watery vegetables and overly spiced meals. There were some weird combinations that left me feeling a bit blah but nothing that I was straight up like “this is gross”.
An another example of a weird flavor option was the “protein scone”. When I think of scones, I think of biscuit type of option, but this tasted like a rubbery piece of cake. No part of it resembled a scone, so I was disappointed. It tasted…interesting…but not like a scone at all.
Another thing of note is I didn’t really find any you can eat cold and you’ll need to heat them up. I appreciate that some meal delivery services have some options that you can eat cold so you don’t always need to be next to the microwave.
Overall, most Eat Clean Meals taste good, and I’m a fan. Maybe 1 in 4 meals wasn’t my favorite, and I wouldn’t order them again. That said, they weren’t inedible like some meal delivery services I’ve tried…just not my top pick.
Cost
For 8 meals, it costs $117, which is more expensive than many other meal delivery services. I also think some of the quality is a little lower compared to some competitors.
A flat shipping fee of $9.99 applies to all orders, which is standard for most meal delivery services.
Is Eat Clean Meals worth it? That really depends on the flavors you like and your dietary needs. It’s hard to justify it being more expensive than competitors. I think I would justify it better if it was the same price or cheaper.
Eat Clean Meals Conclusion
Eat Clean provides a convenient solution for individuals seeking diet-specific, prepared meals. The variety of Eat Clean Meal plans and the option to choose portion sizes are notable benefits. However, some meals are overly spicy or watery. Would I order them again? Yes, but I wouldn’t call them my favorite meal delivery service. There are some meal delivery services that I most definitely would not order again.
Who Should Buy Eat Clean Meals:
- Individuals Following Specific Diets: Those adhering to keto, paleo, or plant-based diets may find Eat Clean’s meal plans beneficial.
- Busy Professionals: Anyone seeking convenient, ready-to-eat meals without the need for cooking.
- Single Servings: Suitable for individuals or small households requiring single-serving meals.
Who Should Not Buy Eat Clean Meals:
- Those with Severe Allergies: The lack of detailed allergen information on packaging makes it risky for individuals with serious food allergies.
- Those Who Don’t Like Spice: Some Eat Clean Meals are definitely flavorful and not in a good way.
- Individuals Seeking Meal Customization: If you prefer to customize ingredients or have specific dietary requirements beyond the provided plans, Eat Clean may not offer the flexibility you need.
- Budget-Conscious Consumers: While competitive, the pricing may be higher compared to cooking at home or other meal kit services.
You can purchase Eat Clean Meals and see all food reviews here.
Curious about how I do gear reviews? You can read about that here. Love running? You can subscribe to my weekly newsletter or read more about running shoes in my ebook.
Other meal delivery services I’ve tried:
- Factor Meals Review (Update for 2023)
- Trifecta Meal Service
- Metabolic Meals
- ICON Meals Review
- HelloFresh
- CookUnity Review: Probably my favorite due to flavor and meal choices.
Questions for you:
What is your favorite meal delivery service?
Have you tried Eat Clean?