After nearly a month of nonstop gluttony over the holiday period (not that we’re complaining – we wouldn’t have it any other way), we started the new year on a healthier track by sampling NOSH by Secret Ingredient’s meal-delivery service.
NOSH offers the option of delivery of two or three nutritionally balanced meals a day (plus snacks), with meal plans available for two, three, four or five days. You can customise your meal delivery based on the number of daily calories you want to consume, from super low for slimming at 1,000 calories per day to 2,200 calories if you’re looking to pack on the muscle. Low-carb and high-protein plans are also available – there’s something for just about everyone’s dietary and fitness needs.
We kept it simple and went with the 1,500-calorie Signature Lean Plan ($600 for two days, with delivery included). Delivery is between 7–9:30am on Mondays–Fridays, but the exact time can’t be specified. On both days, our meals were dropped on our doorstep closer to 9am, which was fine since it was a holiday but wouldn’t be ideal had it been a weekday (workday).
Packaged in biodegradable containers, the general consensus was that our meals were fresh, healthy, filling and tasty (each container was topped with a sticker providing the nutritional breakdown of the meal in question, which we found very useful). Our favourites were the breakfasts on both days – egg-based dishes that were high in protein – the visually enticing pan-seared halloumi with quinoa, loads of roasted veggies and parsley vinaigrette and the salad plump with perfectly seared tuna slices. The snacks were a let-down. On day 1, we were given two hard-boiled eggs, while day 2 saw us munching on a pile of carrot sticks alongside a feta-based dip. The creativity was lacking here.
Verdict
We enjoyed our NOSH meal-delivery trial and can understand how its convenience factor would appeal to busy consumers, specifically those who are watching their weight. The food was freshly prepared, and we could tell that the quality of ingredients used was high. Most importantly, we didn’t think feel like we were depriving ourselves even though the daily calorie count was likely a lot lower than our usual intake. The price tag is definitely high, but that seems to be a given with most meal-delivery services around town.
Orders can be placed on NOSH’s website or via the newly launched ChatBot ordering service through Facebook Messenger. Individuals orders are also available.
