Nutrisystem
Nutrisystem Reviews - Prepared Meal Delivery Reviews
My Chef Review. Below you will see some of the products I have tried from this supplier. My review scoring is simple: I give each meal a thumbs up or a thumbs down based on the quality of the meal at the price I paid for it. A thumbs up means I would buy it again at the posted price.
I also take into consideration everything I think would be important to a consumer, including the shipping process, the condition of the goods received, the packaging, and the ease and quality of the reheating process. Below is my NutriSystem review based on the prepared meals I have tried.
Advantages of Nutrisystem Diet Meal Delivery
- 100% satisfaction guarantee within first 14 days of service
- Gift cards available
- Many tools to help customers lose weight and eat healthfully
- Individualized counseling online or by telephone
- Grocery guide to supplement meals
- My 3 Personalized Activity plan
- Large discounts for auto-delivery customers
Nutrisystem Review by Chef Piquanti
Disadvantages of Nutrisystem Diet Meal Delivery
- The food is terrible and hard to associate with healthy diet food meal plans
- Options for ordering a la carte, month-to-month and by packages is hard to find
- Shipping information is difficult to find on the website
- A la carte and month-to-month ordering is significantly more expensive
-Chef Piquanti
Nutrisystem Review of their Diet Meal Delivery Service
A sampling of photos of Home Bistro Prepared Meals
For roughly $275 a month, you will eat powdered eggs, cereal, a muffin, or a granola bar for breakfast, soups or more bars for lunch, and a very forgettable "shelf-stable" meal for dinner. I did not buy any cereal, muffins, or bars to review. I am sure you don't need me to do that, but I did get a dozen of their dinners from their very hard to find a la carte menu. If you click to the menu, you can see the breakfast menu for yourself, which includes a new Chocolate Frosted Donut for $2.79. This company makes me wonder what the "Nutri" means in NutriSystem.
The Beef and Wedged Potatoes, in my opinion, was similar in quality and taste to a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew, except Dinty More has more vegetables in it. You might be able to buy two cans at the supermarket for the same price as this meal, so I do not think it is a good value.
The Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
was just bad. Not the worst I have ever had from a meal delivery service, but close. Again, there is no vegetables with this meal, which makes wonder how they can call this healthy diet food.
The Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
is another meal that is far from worth $5.49. I am pretty sure you can get five cans of Spaghettios at the supermarket for about the same price, and the same texture and flavor.
The Beef with Rice and Beans
is a meal I don't think you can get in the canned section of your local market. I don't shop in this section often, but I can't recall seeing something similar. Again, there are no vegetables, and the meal tastes like it came out of a can.
The Cajun-Style Chicken and Sausage
actually received a thumbs up from me. It had respectable flavor and decent seasoning. Still, no vegetables, but if I had to survive on a deserted island with a massive supply of this food, I would eat this, and the lasagna. Then, I would eat bugs.
I consider myself an expert all prepared lasagna. Í have had them all many times over, and this Vegetable Lasagna
is pretty good. I would say upper 25%. The portion size is small, but most are. It is worth $5.49 in my opinion.
The Homestyle Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
doesn't remind me of any homes I have ever been to that served something of this low quality. Canned stew and your own instant mashed potatoes will taste better and be a better value.
The Chicken Alfredo
is another reach to say this is a good value at $5.49. The chicken bits taste like canned chicken that has not been fully drained. The noodles were okay, but the sauce is not in the same neighborhood as a real Alfredo sauce. It's just the same color. It is better with a lot of pepper.
Chicken and Dumplings. If a company is going to name their meal after a traditional American comfort food, it should be recognizable in appearance and taste. This meal is neither and not worth $5.29 in my opinion.
The Vegetarian Chili
was okay, but again, not worth $4.49 when you can find very similar canned products in your supermarket for about 25% of the price.
The Powdered Eggs
were a disaster. I have eaten and had to prepare powered eggs, and they can be done to where they are passable. This was a poor excuse for a breakfast. They should be embarrassed this is on their menu, and even more embarrassed they expect you pay $2.79 for them.
Lastly I tried the famous Thick Crust Pizza
that highlights their TV commercials. If you are frequent reader of my reviews, you know I hate that companies try to produce microwave pizza's because people want them, but they just don't work. However, this one does, which is why I gave it a thumbs up. Your supermarket has a make-your-pizza called Boboli that is this either product, or something very similar.
In summary, you can get most of the NutriSystem "diet food" from the canned section of your local supermarket at a significantly less cost. If you are serious about a using a diet meal delivery service, I would recommend you pay a little more and get a service that provides you with balanced meals.
The Cost
The price of these plans are pretty affordable, which may be part of Nutrisystem's popularity. They offer three standard plans: the Basic Plan, The Core Plan and the Select Plan. In addition, They also offer three similar plans geared for those with type II diabetes. Each plan offers an order option for women or for men. Their Basic Plan starts at $259.99, or less than $10 per day for women and a little more for men. It's considered a "Simple Start" and is their lowest priced plan.
The Basic Plan provides 4 weeks of ready-to-go, shelf stable foods that are pre-picked featuring meals that are customer favorites. You can also choose the custom menu, which brings the price up $19.99 per month. This plan includes the online tools and trackers.
The Core Plan is their most popular plan. This plan starts at $279.99, or $10 per day for women and $11.07 for men. This meal plan offers over 100 shelf stable, ready-to-go meals to choose from. Counseling is included and there is no additional charge for customization.
The Select Plan is their premium, top-rated plan. This plan starts at $329.99, or $11.79 per day for women and $12.86 for men. This meal plan offers over 150 meals to choose from and includes both shelf stable and their premium frozen cuisine. Counseling is included and there is no additional charge for customization.
The Diabetes Program works in the same way. This plan, though, helps stabilize blood sugar as well as help promote weight loss. This allows diabetics to receive the proper nutrients and portions while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The prices for these plans are comparable to their non-diabetic counterparts.
The prices of these plans are based on the Auto Delivery option, which includes a free week. Prices run higher when ordering the plan without Auto Delivery.
Although their plans seem affordable, the customer still has to purchase their own supplemental vegetables and fruits on their own. In our opinion, this just creates added cost onto an already somewhat overpriced meal for the meal quality that you receive.
Summary
We felt that the idea of this plan was a good one. Meals are prepared for you, portion-controlled, they could be thrown in a bag and ready to go because they didn't need refrigeration, they could even be eaten cold if you really wanted to if you couldn't find a microwave. The issue that we had was that most of these meal choices could be found similar in quality and portion size in a can at the grocery store for less money. The following are some of what we liked and didn't like:
Positives
- Shelf stable meals do not require refrigeration
- Ease of portability and storage
- Affordable price plans
- Auto delivery discounts
- Many online tools for helping customers succeed
- Extensive online grocery guide to supplement meals
- Meal plans for different needs: women, men, diabetics and your own body's metabolism
- Money back guarantee within 14 days
Negatives
- Quality of meals are quite low compared to the prices per meal
- You must register online in order to receive a lot of the ordering information
- Shipping information is very hard to find on the website
- Meals rarely provide any vegetables in them
- Although they claim that they will provide you with the portions, the customer still has to purchase their own additional vegetables and fruits
- The general non-member website gives you the runaround when attempting to view any of the tools, in-depth meal plans and prices, shipping information, etc.
- No mention of who delivers their meals until after ordering
Nutrisystem Reviews from Consumers
Nutrisystem Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Poor
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
Nothing about this breakfast is convenient or worth the time it takes to make. It is nothing more than a bag of powdered eggs with vegetables that have to be hydrated in water for 5 minutes before you can microwave it. Even then, you have microwave it at 30 second intervals and stir before the start of the next cycle. It took me 5 times.
The eggs are flavorless and unsatisfying. I feel like I didn't have a breakfast at all.
-J.M., NY
Nutrisystem Cheese Tortellini
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Fair
This "meal" was actually okay, but nothing that you couldn't get at the supermarket for about one third of the cost. The nutritional values are about the same as the ones you would find in the store too. The sauce tasted like a sauce that comes from a jar. The tortellini were soft and almost mushy, like you would expect coming from a can. It was very easy to microwave, but I prefer a complete weight loss meal that has a side and vegetable.
-J.M., NY
My Advice Would be to Read the Fine Print
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Fair
- Reheating: Good
- Customer Service: Poor
- Shipping: Poor
- Taste and Food Quality: Good
- Value: Fair
Most of the foods were actually pretty decent and I really like the tracking system online. It helped me to maintain my daily intake and taught me how to track other foods.
Nutrisystem has terrible customer service. I was given the wrong information regarding the auto delivery option and attempting to delay it so I ended up being charged before I anticipated and having the wrong items shipped to me. I was told the situation was fixed and the right order would be shipped to me; all I needed to do was refuse the original shipment and have it sent back to Nutrisystem, which I did.
The correct order was never shipped so I had to spend another 20 minutes on and off hold trying to get what I already paid for sent to me. We will see if I actually receive it without any issues.
It really seemed as though customer service reps who work for Nutrisystem are not all educated about the company's policies. I was told several different things and my complaints were quelled but the promised actions were never taken with anything that I called about, not even by a supervisor. Very disappointing for such a large and apparently reputable company.
If you do decide to go with Nutrisystem, my advice would be to read the fine print on their materials when ordering and expect long wait times when you do actually need to contact them.
-Jocelyn, Boston MA
Nutrisystem Meatloaf and Potatoes
Overall: Silver Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Good
- Value: Good
I may be marking this meal on a curve a little, because I understand Nutrisystem is the least expensive diet delivery company out there, that sells meals. The meatloaf is small but good. It's not your Mom's meatloaf, but it works. The mashed potatoes are instant, but there is a generous portion. The gravy gets lost in the reheating process. Again, I'd like to see a vegetable, but this Nutrisystem meal I would recommend for the dieter on a very limited budget.
-J.M., NY
Nutrisystem Southern-Style Biscuits and Gravy
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Poor
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
I ordered this breakfast because I it had 4 out of 5 stars, on 382 reviews, on the Nutrisystem website. I also love biscuits and gravy. It is one of my favorite meals I seek out when I travel down south.
Again, this another powdered breakfast that is far from convenient and not worth the effort. My biscuit never amounted to anything more than a blob, and the gravy didn't have any flavor at all. Southern-style? I don't think so.
-J.M., NY
Nutrisystem Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Overall: Bronze Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Fair
Again, I'm marking this meal on the "NutriSystem Curve." The meal is far from a spaghetti and meat sauce meal your Mom would make, and much closer to a Chef Boy-a-de canned spaghetti.It is more like meat and spaghetti than spaghetti and meat sauce. You can't twirl the spaghetti with a fork. It's like eating sauce from a jar with some spaghetti tossed in. The sauce is a little watery too. Eat it with a spoon.
-J.M., NY
I Did Lose the Weight I Wanted to
Overall: Silver Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Good
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Good
I expected to have lesser quality meals from a diet plan, so I was prepared for the worst. I just figured I would tough it out until I lost ten pounds. Granted, this is not a gourmet meal plan, but I thought the food wasn't as bad as most others think, maybe because of my low expectations.
The sizes of the meals are tiny, but they are portable and that makes it easy to take them to work. I carry a spare in my pocketbook, in case I need to eat a meal when my schedule changes unexpectedly.
I did lose the weight I wanted to in about a month. I might buy some packages on eBay instead of going through Nutrisystem and paying full price. Then I can do the program for a few days, or as often as I like. It worked for me, but we all know dieting isn't fun.
-Allison V.
Nutrisystem Chicken and Penne Alfredo
Overall: Silver Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Good
- Value: Good
I was pleasantly surprised with this NutriSystem meal. Of the meals I tried, it had the most substantial portion size. Although no one could make the mistake of this being a gourmet meal, the penne was good, as was the sauce.
The chicken cubes were plentiful and tasty, but they did have an after-taste like they came from a can, which extended to the sauce. Some vegetables would be nice to make it a complete meal, but this was good.
-J.M., NY
Still Have To Buy Meals at the Store
Overall: Bronze Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Fair
The Nutrisystem Diet is not totally truthful with their advertising. I know because I had been on it, and very dissapointed. They certainly give you meals to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. However these "meals" are, in fact, just the "shell" of their total plan. You have to include your own food items around their plan. If you don't, you can almost starve.
The things they do not disclose in their commercials, as well as on their website, is that you have to go shopping and purchase additional food items to supplement their meals to get enough nutrition in your diet. I thought I was a buying all the food I needed when I signed up.
-Laura J.
Nutrisystem Chicken and Pasta
Overall: Bronze Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Fair
Here is another meal that you can get at your local supermarket for about one third of the price. I always thought of these little microwave cans as food for small children. There is nothing about the food that is "diet," it's just the tiny portion.
It did have a very strange taste that took me a bit to figure out. Sliced black olives are hidden in the sauce. It doesn't quite go with my tastes, but this meal is okay.
-J.M., NY
Nutrisystem Lasagna
Overall: Gold Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Excellent
- Value: Excellent
Lasagna is one of my favorite foods, and whenever I get the chance to order it from a meal delivery service, I do. I have to say that most places give very small portions of their lasagna, so NutriSystem was able to maintain pace on portion size.
But it was pretty good too. I'd say it is in the top five of all the lasagnas I've tried. It's not a lasagna you'll get in Italy, but none of them are. Be sure to get a few of these, and at $6 it's not a bad deal.
-J.M., NY
Nutrisystem Fettuccine Alfredo
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Poor
- Customer Service: Good
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
There is nothing to say about this meal than it is just bad. It is something like cups of noodles meets Italian cuisine, but this is far from any cuisine you would want to have, and have it count as you mid-day power lunch.
It is so not worth the inconvenience of reheating the product. For me, the noodles never absorbed the liquid (notice I didn't say sauce) and the only it had in common with a Alfredo Sauce is that it is white. The cup of noodles at the supermarket are better and about 1/6 the cost.Try another lunch.
-J.M., NY
Tastes Awful
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Poor
- Reheating: Poor
- Customer Service: Poor
- Shipping: Poor
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
Nutrisystem did help me lose 97 pounds in 8 months, but it gave me a lot of problems with my gallbladdar. I suggest that you lose weight on your own. Their food tastes awful.
-M. Haines, GA
I Returned the Whole Thing
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Good
- Reheating: Good
- Customer Service: Poor
- Shipping: Good
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
They claim that they have nutritionist who can answer any question the customer has. I tried but only got to talk to somebody who had limited knowledge. They claim their food have 0 trans fat but most of them have hydrogenated oil which is trans fat. Most of their food tasted and smelled of fish.
Fish oil and fish jelly-whatever that is-were among the ingredients. I returned the whole thing. The guarantee does not cover shipping, which was very costly. I will strongly suggest to do thorough research before considering NutriSystem. Too bad I did not come across Prepared-Meal-Delivery-Reviews.com before I wasted my money and time!
-Kaly Baskaran of Saginaw, MI
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Founder and Director
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Chef Aldo Piquanti,
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Formerly of Gourmet-Reviews.com
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Formerly of Prepared-Meals.com
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