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Dietary catering, also known as the box diet, is an interesting alternative for people who want to eat healthy. Choosing this service has some advantages, and above all, it will save us a lot of time – we are not responsible for shopping or cooking, and ready meals for the whole day are delivered straight to our door. Trying out catering can also help you discover new, healthier tastes or serve as a culinary inspiration.
Dietary catering in Poland has developed very dynamically in the last few years, and currently several dozen companies are operating on the market. Having a large selection is not always an aid, so it is worth paying attention to several aspects when choosing a boxed diet. We have prepared a list of the most important issues for you.
Box diet – where to start?
Before we decide to buy dietary catering, it is worth asking yourself a few questions about our expectations and possibilities:
- Is our goal to reduce / maintain / gain weight?
- Is the diet supposed to take into account the elimination of a certain product / group of products?
- Are there any disease entities that require modification of the menu?
- Will all meals be delivered by catering?
- What funds are we able to allocate?
- Is reheating meals a problem for us?
The answers to these questions should only be a starting point for further research, and due to the individual needs of each of us, we will also discuss aspects closely related to dietetics and food in the following section.
Dietary catering and balanced meals
In addition to adjusting to our expectations, it is worth checking whether the prepared dishes are supervised by a dietitian and based on what guidelines or rules the chosen diet is prepared.
Number of kilocalories
The main issue is choosing the amount of calories. The supply should be appropriately selected taking into account gender, age, height, body weight, physical activity and the planned goal. There are special calculators available on some pages that can be used to calculate the corresponding calorie requirement. If the website lacks such a function, please visit our calorie calculator.
In the case of very active people (or athletes), the supply of kilocalories is large, and many caterers offer meals only up to 3000 kcal. In such a situation, it will be necessary to supplement the calorie pool with additional snacks or meals from outside the ready-made boxes.
If the intended goal is weight reduction, the caloric intake should be reduced accordingly. Cutting kilocalories in the menu should not be drastic, however, and too little amount will not have a good effect on our well-being or health. Therefore, the 1200 kcal (and less!) Proposed by some companies will be a good choice only for a few people.
Macronutrients
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are macronutrients. It is worth paying attention to whether the selected box diet pays attention to their amount and what the forks in individual diet models are, and what distribution is appropriate for us.
Elimination
Allergies and intolerances, or elimination diets – most dietary catering offer different diet options. The most common options are excluding animal products, gluten, lactose, or milk and dairy products.
Few companies allow the elimination of individual allergens or selected products (e.g. unpopular). This is due to the organization of work and the preparation of meals in larger quantities – therefore it is not possible to adjust the menu 100% to our preferences.
Box diet – what else is worth paying attention to?
Price
Classic diet models are available from about PLN 35-40 per day, including delivery. The price varies depending on the diet plan (elimination diets are often more expensive), the number of calories and the place of delivery. Some companies offer discounts when delivering more meals to one address – then it is worth persuading work friends or neighbors.
Delivery
The time and place of food delivery are very important for people who are away from home most of the day. It is important that the meals for the day are delivered before leaving the house. The offers include the delivery of meals in the early morning hours (even 4.00 am) or late evening hours (one day in advance). An alternative is to choose to deliver the diet to the workplace – here, however, unfortunately, we delay the consumption of the first meal.
Containers
The vast majority of companies offer plastic containers with the option of heating in a microwave oven. It is a simple and convenient form, but unfortunately not very environmentally friendly. It is worth looking for catering with ecological packaging – several suppliers, for example, have glass packaging, and meals are delivered in jars.
Opinions, test days
Before making a decision, it is worth getting acquainted with the opinions of other people. Often you can find out if meals are filling, whether they contain vegetables, what the variety of meals looks like, and how fresh and tasty they are. After selecting several caterers that meet our expectations, the ideal solution is to order test days, on the basis of which we will select the winner in our category.
Location
Finally, it is worth paying special attention to where the ordered meals come from. Why? One of the reasons is that these, regardless of the day of the week, are always fresh. How much time earlier must meals be prepared, which will cover several hundred kilometers on their way to our door? Are we sure we will get a fresh menu on Monday? Of course, some companies already have branches in several cities, but it is worth asking for this information at the source when placing an order.
Is dietary catering really for me?
When choosing a box diet, it is worth analyzing the catering available on the market in advance and setting our priorities for meals. People who are sick, do not like many products or have allergies, may not find an offer that meets their requirements. You should also be aware of the fact that the box diet for the whole family will be associated with a significant cost. The box diet is certainly an interesting alternative for people with limited time or cooking opportunities, but who want to eat consciously and healthily.
Be sure to share with us in a comment your experiences with catering, which you liked the most and which the least, what else is worth paying attention to when choosing a box diet!
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