Whole Body Health
Andy’s Pure Food
Rye
How it Works: Andy’s is more about learning to “let food be your medicine” than straightforward dieting. Options include three-day and seven-day cleanses. The latter includes a variety of freshly made juices (including coconut water—in a coconut) along with soups and salads. Each meal container or juice bottle is marked with the times of day you should eat or drink it.
Pros: The food tasted like it came straight from the farm with fluffy quinoa, gorgeous beets, and perfectly mashed sweet potatoes.
Cons: It’s a lot of liquids, including a soup for later in the evening. And there is no ingredients menu that lists what you’re eating/drinking.
Place your order: (914) 967-2332, andyspurefood.com; $150 (plus $10 for delivery) for three-day cleanse; $350 (plus $30 for delivery) for seven-day cleanse.
A Handy Option
Dinner In Hand
New Rochelle
How it Works: This home meal service, which brings a wide variety of family- and individual-sized entrées to clients’ doorsteps, also features a weight-loss program called Tasty Small Plates in which you receive lunch, dinner, and two snacks each evening. You tell them your targeted calorie count per day, your food likes and dislikes, and they do the rest, basically designing a meal plan especially for you.
Pros: The food was good and felt hearty, with portions that were larger than the other options tested. You never feel hungry with this program.
Cons: You still have to figure out breakfast (though the chef is happy to offer suggestions), which means taking into consideration the calorie count for that meal in order to stay on track.
Place your order: (914) 380-5084, dinnerinhand.com; $30 per day including delivery to customers in Southern Westchester; $40 per day for those in Northern Westchester (they deliver to Mount Kisco, Armonk, Bedford, excluding Bedford Hills and Pleasantville). Minimum order: three days.
Watch Your Numbers
5 Squares
New Rochelle
How it Works: You eat five meals a day, spaced approximately three hours apart. All meals—which are free of additives, dairy, wheat, and refined sugar—are part of a weight-management program endorsed by leading nutritionists. A calorie count takes into consideration your diet goals and level of exercise. Meals are delivered to your door before 6 am in portion-controlled, microwaveable containers that are numbered (so you know what to eat in which order).
Pros: You’re eating a lot of little meals all day so you’re never really hungry. The Biogenesis UltraLean Gluco-Support bars, perfect for on-the-go healthy snacking, also help keep you satiated. The goal behind the program is to go slow and be sensible for weight loss, and losing one to two pounds a week is average.
Cons: You have to stick to the one-to-five system, even if you’re not in the mood for, say, number three. There’s also no dessert. Plus, the cost can add up.
Place your order: (866) 593-2665, 5squares.com; $50 per day on a five-day trial subscription; $43 per day after the trial.
Living the Good Life
Good-Life Gourmet
Irvington
How it Works: Good-Life Gourmet is more about offering a juice cleanse and detox program than a full weight-loss meal program. The best option for those needing more “nosh” is the Good-LifeStyle Juice ‘Till Dinner Diet, which includes three juices (two green, one red) with big salads.
Pros: The juices are freshly made in the store; the salads are filled with seasonal offerings; and Chef Eric Korn makes himself personally available should you have questions or concerns.
Cons: This is more about cleansing and detoxifying your body than truly losing weight. Cleansings are only available one week every month, so you have to schedule accordingly.
Place your order: (914) 338-3476; good-lifegourmet.com; $50 per day, including delivery.
TV Dinner
Top Chef Meals
Elmsford
How it Works: What began as an idea to provide healthy, ready-to-prepare meals to the homebound elderly has morphed into a home-delivery service for a range of clients looking for low-sodium, low-salt, carb-controlled options. Nutritionist Elizabeth DeRobertis of Scarsdale Medical Group consults on the food, all of which is flash-frozen and delivered in biodegradable trays.
Pros: While it looks a bit like a TV dinner—there are individual compartments for an entrée and two sides—the food is flavorful and satisfying. They also do breakfast and desserts, offering plenty of options.
Cons: The frozen bit means you can’t eat them right away.
Place your order: (914) 372-7080, topchefmeals.com; minimum order of $35 with $19 delivery charge. Free delivery for first order; all meals for disabled people and seniors are discounted by 20 percent.
â–º For more from the 2013 Health and Fitness Supplement, click here.
