BistroMD Review

BistroMD is the closest you can get to a personal trainer and nutritionist at your fingertips for only a fraction of the price. Instead of paying thousands for customized meals each week, bistroMD offers plans that easily compete with restaurant prices. Designed for your dietary needs and appropriate for your body type, bistroMD gives you the knowledge of an M.D. with flavors fit for a foodie.

Pros:

• Free diet analysis upon sign-up.
• Each meal combines protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates to best accommodate your needs.
• Customizable meal plans with Registered Dietitians recommendations.
• No trans fats, artificial colorings, MSG, chemical fillers, nitrates, added sulfites or the artificial sweetener aspartame.

Cons:

• No vegan or lactose-free meal programs currently.
• Meals are flash-frozen and need to be heated rather than cooked in-home.

Complete Review of bistroMD

Meal prepping and planning can be difficult, especially when you don’t normally plan out the nutritional value of your food. Making lifestyle changes can feel like an overwhelming hurdle, so bistroMD helps you make those difficult jumps.

Jump to:

• Who is Behind BistroMD?
• A Weight Loss Community to Help You Thrive
• Pick your Plan: Standard, Gluten-Free, Heart Healthy, Diabetic, Menopause
• Standard Plan
• Gluten-Free Plan
• Heart Healthy Plan
• Diabetic Plan
• Menopause Plan
• Vegetarian, Low Sodium, High Caloric Intake, and Other Alternatives
• BistroMD Cost
• BistroMD in the Context of its Meal Delivery Competitors
  • BistroMD vs. Sun Basket
  • BistroMD vs. HelloFresh
  • BistroMD vs. Nutrisystem
• BistroMD Summary
  

Who is Behind BistroMD?

Started in 2005, Dr. Cederquist, an M.D. in bariatric studies, and her husband, Ed, combined her knowledge of weight management with his love for flavors and making food. Together, they came up with the idea to make nutritional meals accessible to busy professionals, inexperienced chefs, and anyone needing a specialized meal plan. After 20 years, bistroMD has involved a team of Registered Dietitians and chefs who create delicious meals composing of important macronutrients like protein, fiber, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Each meal follows the nutritional guidelines set forth by the M.D., and with 150 recipes to choose from, clients can find the perfect flavors to help them excel at healthy, smarter weight loss.

A Weight Loss Community to Help You Thrive

BistroMD is not just a meal planning program. When you create your bistroMD account, you enter your specific body type based on height and weight, as well as your weight loss goal. After a free assessment of what kind of plan you should turn to, you get to dive into your MybistroMD account, a dashboard that is available to you 24/7.

From here, you’ll be able to check in to a huge database of resources, including access to an online community of bistroMD users who are also in the midst of their weight loss journey. As you start developing your new lifestyle, these resources can help you maintain new, healthy habits and keep you moving along a progressive path towards a healthier routine.

Pick your Plan: Standard, Gluten-Free, Heart Healthy, Diabetic, Menopause

BistroMD offers one of the most diverse ranges of plans that we’ve seen in the meal delivery world. Once you’ve talked with a Registered Dietitian about your weight loss goals and dietary preferences, you’ll get pointed to one of five plans designed for both standard and more specially aligned diets.

If you have a specific allergy or you have other concerns about your diet, you can contact a Registered Dietitian to customize your plan. This will help you nail down your own personal requirements so you can spend less time finding the perfect recipes out of a vault of 150 each week.

Each meal comes with quantity options that range from a 7-Day Full Program down to the 5-Day Lunches and Dinners Only. With the Full Program, you can choose from getting each meal of the 7-day week tailored by bistroMD, or you can cover just the 5-day workweek. This means that you’ll receive breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to cover all the cravings you might need for a specific number of days. On the 7-Day Full Program, you’ll even get a “My Night” meal included, which encourages you to spend one night without the bistroMD meals to help give you a mental break from your structured program.

With the Lunches and Dinners plan, you’ll have exactly what the name entails: Lunch and Dinner. You have the option of getting a 5 or 7-day plan with this option.

For each plan, men and women are given different balances of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to meet the needs of their daily intake and output. This can also be changed around depending on circumstances like breastfeeding, extra exercise, and other factors. Calories will be different between men and women within each pre-designed plan.

Standard Plan

The Standard Plan is the middle-of-the-road weight loss plan without any dietary restrictions other than balanced calories. This is ideal for anyone looking for a healthier way to lose weight without having any specific restrictions. With this plan, you can choose from 150 recipes that are all chef-prepared and delicious. Each one is attuned to the nutritional platform created by bistroMD’s creators, Ed, and Dr. Carolyn Cederquist.

Gluten-Free Plan

Every meal is tested to FDA gluten-free standard, so this isn’t just a semi-calculated approach at a gluten-free diet, this is formulated for anyone with gluten intolerance. Your Registered Dietitians will make the appropriate changes to your recipe selections, which also means accounting for the calories missing from gluten.

Heart-Healthy Plan

On this plan, enjoy meals at or below American Heart Association recommendations for calories, sodium, total fat, and saturated fat. With AHA-certified meals, you can enjoy a simple, delicious, healthy pre-prepared meal without having to shop for any ingredient. Choose from over 100 recipes that promote a healthy heart.

Diabetic Plan

After choosing a Diabetic Plan, you’ll find that your meals are equipped with lean proteins to regulate your blood sugar in a safe manner. Not only will your recipes be prepared with your blood sugar in mind, but they will also be eyeing progressive steps toward your weight loss goals.

Menopause Plan

For a woman going through menopause, the hormones in your body can throw your metabolism out of whack, causing unforeseen weight gain. You’ll receive more lean proteins in your meal that helps your body adjust to changes and complex carbohydrates that your body needs. Each meal will be balances perfectly to give you the calories you need to remain healthy while also losing weight.

Vegetarian, Low Sodium, High Caloric Intake, and Other Alternatives

Not everyone can fit into one of the plans provided by bistroMD, so they’ve provided a team of Registered Dietitians that can help you customize your diet in whichever way you need. Are you looking to lose weight while also training for a marathon? You’ll need a higher caloric intake to match your energy output. Vegetarian but allergic to soy? Adjust your ingredients appropriately so you can still get the protein you need for daily activities.

As soon as you talk with a Registered Dietitian, all of which is included with your plan, you’ll get a customized list of recipes aimed at your goals and needs. There’s no reason to feel stuck or overwhelmed, especially when you have a team ready to help you with your daily meals.

BistroMD Cost

With all of bistroMD’s specialized meal planning and nutritional guidance, you might think that the price range would be out of reach, but bistroMD has made healthy meal planning an affordable, accessible goal.

For a fully catered morning, afternoon, and night, along with snacks included, you’ll spend $179.95. If you think about your most recent grocery bill, you’ll soon realize that this will save you money. No more grocery store runs, no money spent on spinach that will eventually go bad — every cent you spend will go towards a meal that will direct you towards healthier habits. Divided into 7 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (not including the bonus snacks), you’ll see that each meal is about $8.50.

At this price and with the benefits it offers, bistroMD easily competes alongside the heftiest of meal delivery services.

From the 7-Day Full Program, you’ll see a gradual progression into a more affordable price range. In the 5-Day Lunches and Dinners program, you’ll pay $119.95 per week. Divided into 5 dinners and lunches (10 meals), you’ll see that each meal costs you $12. This does not include free shipping, so please note that each week you will have to pay for shipping after your first week of free shipping.

BistroMD in the Context of its Meal Delivery Competitors

While bistroMD offers a healthier look at weight loss and meal prep, it’s not alone in the world of delivering dinners to your doorstep. That’s why we’ve taken a look at its closest competitors to give you a sense of where it stands.

BistroMD vs. Sun Basket:

Sun Basket offers a healthy assortment of different plans that almost serve as customization to your preferences. Where it falls short against bistroMD is its lack of dietitians ready to put together a meal plan designed specifically for each consumer.

BistroMD vs. HelloFresh:

HelloFresh offers free shipping with its meals, and you’ll find that its pricing is on the lower end of the spectrum. Along with this, HelloFresh gives its customers the ability to create homemade, home-cooked meals made from fresh, seasonal produce. In return for this, HelloFresh does not offer a “Lean” or “Weight Loss” program, and its meals are usually higher in calories. If you’re looking for a weight loss program, bistroMD is the obvious winner in this bracket.

BistroMD vs. Nutrisystem:

Nutrisystem is a close competitor that offers detailed meal plans for its users. Rather than focusing on flavorful meals designed to keep you on track with your weight loss journey, Nutrisystem is heavily focused on keeping their meals low calorie. BistroMD, on the other hand, prides itself on the flavorful entrees it offers, despite being a microwaveable meal. Nutrisystem also falls at a few dollars more per serving than bistroMD.

BistroMD Summary

You won’t find a meal delivery service that is more tailored to its customers’ needs than bistroMD. With Registered Dietitians on-hand, along with online resources available 24/7, you’ll find the motivation to keep your weight loss goals. If you want to lose weight but don’t know where to start or what food to even think about eating, check out bistroMD to take the first step towards a healthier you.