How Meal Kits Can Make Caregiving Easier

As a caregiver for your elderly loved one, you’re fully aware of how difficult it can be to put together healthy, delicious meals some days. Between doctor’s appointments, housekeeping, and tending to your loved one’s needs, meal planning can feel like a near-impossible task. This might lead you to select unhealthy options for the sake of putting something on the table. While they may taste good, they aren’t good for you.

In the past decade, meal kits rose in popularity as a solution for busy Americans, including caregivers. Even if you’ve only heard of the trend in passing, it’s quickly obvious how meal kits can make caregiving easier once a little research is done.

How can meal kits make caregiving easier?

Meal kits are subscription-based services. In most cases, you visit the food service’s website, fill out a questionnaire, then select how often you’d like meals delivered to your home. Some services are strictly for dinner, while others offer breakfast and lunch options. Then, you select from a list of deliverable meals.

Some services deliver pre-cooked balanced meals to warm up. Others provide pre-portioned ingredients designed to be cooked in a short period of time.

For caregivers who are short on time, both of these are fantastic options. When you want a fresh meal in a short period of time for you and your loved one, you don’t have to worry about looking up recipes or running to the grocery store. All you have to do is fire up the stove and start cooking. On the days you don’t have time, or energy, to cook, you can heat up a meal that is as delicious as it is healthy.

What are the best meal kit options?

Currently, there are more than 150 meal kit companies in the United States. However, there are a few that reign supreme. When looking into meal kit brands, look for options that have registered dietitians or even doctors on staff. This way, you can be certain you are preparing quality meals for your elderly loved one.

Hello Fresh

Hello Fresh is one of the most popular meal kit options on the market. With hundreds of meals and relatively cheap pricing, you can satisfy just about any cravings no matter your dietary restrictions. What’s most appealing to caregivers, however, is how a majority of the easy-to-cook meals are completed in less than 30 minutes.

Factor

While there are plenty of meals you can pick up from your freezer section at the grocery store, many are full of unhealthy chemicals and preservatives. When you order meals from Factor, you are purchasing chef-created meals that are fresh and healthy. These pre-cooked meals are easily warmed up in minutes. Hello Fresh actually owns Factor, so you can be confident you’re getting nutritious meals.

EveryPlate

Another subsidiary of Hello Fresh, EveryPlate is one of the most affordable meal kit delivery services. Similar to the above options, you can select your meal choices from a set number of weekly meals that you can make in a short period of time. However, with this cheaper meal service comes fewer options for those with dietary restrictions or preferences. That is something to keep in mind while you place your orders.

Magic Kitchen

While the other meal kits are perfect for any age, Magic Kitchen was designed specifically for seniors. The service includes two menu options—a “Complete Meals” menu with entrees and side dishes packed together, and an “A La Carte” menu where you can mix and match your soups, main courses, and side dishes as your please. Magic Kitchen has great breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sides, and desserts.

Additional help is just a phone call away

Even with meal kits taking some of the stress of caregiving off your shoulders, some days you may feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of care, your own career, and your personal life. Relieve some of that stress by hiring the help of an at-home caregiver.

For 30 years, Home Care Powered by AUAF has offered seniors and their families the support they need. Our staff proudly assists with any activities of daily living your loved one requires help with, from personal care to companion care. To learn more about our home care services, give us a call at 773-274-9262.