Commercials and ads touting the benefits of healthy meal delivery services designed to improve family life seem too good to be believed, yet plenty of people are getting onboard this “gravy train” because they see it as a way to simplify their lives and save time.

Where did this idea begin? In 2012 Blue Apron, Inc. took restaurant food delivery to a higher level by marketing ingredient-and-recipe meal kit services to consumers eager to find ways to feed their families healthy meals without having to do the time-consuming prep work.

Fans adopting this service joked that they were putting pizza delivery kids out of business, but it was the idea of freshly-prepared meals plus pre-planned menus that sold the concept to busy men and women. By 2016, Blue Apron had shipped 8 million kits and went public.

These days, competitors are popping up faster than dandelions from coast to coast, and that includes healthy meal delivery Orlando services that are becoming especially popular throughout the middle of the Sunshine State.

Will meal delivery services ultimately be declared a fad or a trend? It’s hard to tell, but for consumers looking for any way they can find to save time while keeping family members healthy, the future looks promising and every cardboard box landing on a doorstep is greeted with relief and at times, joy.

What constitutes a healthy meal?

According to the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a healthy meal provides nutrients the human body needs daily to fuel activity. For meal kit manufacturers, sticking to NIH guidelines is a big reason meal delivery kit popularity continues to grow. Included in the NIH guidelines are:

-Emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.

-The inclusion of lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and nuts.

-Limited saturated fats, sodium, and sugars.

-Controlled portion size.

-Calorie consumption appropriate for an individual’s activity level and size.

10 Pros of using a healthy meal delivery service

1. Kits dramatically reduce the number of supermarket runs harried homemakers dread.
2. For unimaginative cooks, tips, ingredients, and recipes help them turn out gourmet meals effortlessly.
3. Consumers use downtime more productively once meal prep is streamlined via kits.
4. The variety of menus offered by meal delivery services far outweighs most cook’s repertoires.
5. Meals get to the table in 30 minutes or less, which eliminates snacking.
6. Because ingredients are fresh, there are more nutrients in each dish than fast foods deliver.
7. Busy cooks say they like preparing meals once the prep work is eliminated.
8. Meal delivery companies hire nutritionists and dieticians to verify the flavor and health of dishes.
9. Children are exposed to healthy foods their parents may not have the time to prepare.
10. Because healthy meal delivery resources are growing, consumers have myriad choices.

10 Cons of using a healthy meal delivery service

1. Because ingredients and proportions are set in stone, deviating from recipes isn’t possible.
2. For consumers committed to sustainability, packaging requirements may be a deal breaker.
3. In return for this convenience, meal delivery subscribers pay a healthy price for this service.
4. Households with big eaters may find the amount of food in portions to be insufficient.
5. Because these programs are subscription-based services, quitting can be a hassle.
6. Some consumers count on leftovers for additional meals or lunches thus delivered meals don’t work.
7. For people on restrictive diets, choices of meal delivery services could be limited.
8. Though dishes are rotated, continue use of just one meal delivery service could lead to menu burnout.
9. Service users have no control over the sourcing of produce and meats and must trust the provider.
10. Though meal delivery businesses try hard to avoid it, package mix-ups have been reported, thus consumers wind up with someone else’s meal components.

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It’s hard to even think about when having to find aged care for your parents or an elderly relative. However, as life continues this is something, we will have to face no matter how much we don’t want to think about it. Aged care isn’t an old topic, in fact, many people seek it out to smooth things along as their relatives age. We can’t always be there for our elderly relatives as much as we would like. This pushes us to reach out to professionals or organizations who can assist us with this task. Here are some things to think about if aged care is for you and your family.

Your Elderly Loved Ones
It’s a fact that all of us are going to get elderly and need some help. Many of us block this out of our minds until the time comes where are parents need extra care. While we are busy with work and minding to our own family needs, our aging relatives need our help. Deciding to get aged care mostly comes about if an elderly relative has taken a fall and it has impaired them from taking care of themselves. This is not uncommon as things like this do happen. Finding the right aged care facility or in-home professional who can come in an assistance can be lifesaving.

Who Will Do It?
Finding the right organization is the best thing you can do in the long run. Your goal is to keep your elderly loved one comfortable with their new professional. That said, seek out ones that are very compassionate about what they do. Many organizations will come directly come to your home and make a full assessment of needs to be done. Trust in these individuals to give you guided advice. Most professionals have the skills to get the things that you need done. You can always find an Aged Care Store near you.

Cost
The cost of aged care can certainly grow if you are not careful. Create some kind of budget and understand specifically what your relative or aging parent might need. Be realistic on what you can afford and what you can’t. Some organizations offer help if you just don’t have the funds to cover everything that needs attention. Costs can be scary because you want your loved one to have the best care. Don’t skip on the important details of aged care and you won’t run into problems.
The decision to decide if aged care is right for your family entirely depends on you. Some families forgo the care and come together and start taking shifts. This could turn out to be good or bad. Keep in mind, aged care takes away from your time with your own family. Banding together to help with certain duties could become a hectic thing in the end. You don’t want to find out that you’ve burnt yourself out or have become resentful from taking the tasks on at all. Aged care doesn’t have to be a hard decision as long as you go about it correctly.

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