T1D Friendly Food

While there is no one correct way to eat with type 1 diabetes, there are certain factors that make a meal T1D-friendly or not.

Being able to easily count or discern the number of carbs is important, as is finding meals made with fresh, healthy ingredients that are low in saturated fat, salt, and sugar.

If you are preparing your own food, crafting meals that meet these criteria is easy. But if you are strapped for time, have difficulty making healthy food choices, or simply aren’t a good cook, it can be very difficult to eat the way you should.

Meal Delivery Services

Meal delivery services can be a life-saver. 

Many of these services offer healthy, fresh, premade, or ready-to-make meals that meet all the needs of someone living with type 1 diabetes. Some even go above and beyond to offer meal plans that align with specific dietary preferences like keto, veganism, and low-carb.

If you are struggling to eat a healthy diet that works with your diabetes instead of against it, you may want to consider a meal delivery service. 

We recommend looking into any of these five great choices that cater to the special dietary needs of people with type 1 diabetes.

Freshly

• Service Type: Ready to eat
• Preferences Available: Gluten-free, low-carb, low-calorie, paleo, high-protein
• Subscriptions Available: 4, 6, 9, or 12 meals per week
• Price: $7.99 to 1.50 per servin$1g

Description of Service

Freshly is a ready-to-eat style meal service that features a large selection of meal choices each week. Unlike other services that pre-pick your menu for you, this one allows you to choose which fresh, ready-to-heat dishes you want to try.

This customization makes it easy to find meals that fit with your particular dietary needs. All meals are gluten-free and the service offers a special selection of plates that are under 35 grams of carbs and even more that are under 500 calories. 

On the downside, Freshly does not have a lot of meal options available for vegans or vegetarians. But all meals are crafted without added sugars or artificial ingredients. 

Since all dishes take under five minutes to heat, this is a great option for those tight on time.

Green Chef

• Service Type: Ready to make recipes
• Preferences Available: Keto, paleo, balanced living, plant-powered
• Subscriptions Available: 2, 4 or 6 servings per recipe (3 recipes per order)
• Price: $10.99 to $12.99 per serving

Description of Service

Green Chef is a recipe-style meal delivery service that features diet-specific subscriptions that make it easy to find meals that fit your needs. This meal plan is more limited than some, as you cannot venture outside your preference type without committing to a different diet preference (and price point) for that week.

Each order includes three sets of ingredients plus recipe cards so you can cook like a pro without the headache. Nutritional information for each recipe is included and can even be viewed before you commit to a dish via the website.

All ingredients included in your Green Chef box are organic and all meals are health-focused. Plus, each meal can be made in under 30 minutes. On the downside, this meal plan has fewer options available each week than others on the list which can make it more difficult to find exactly what you need if you have additional dietary restrictions.

Hungryroot

• Service Type: Ready to make meals and snacks
• Preferences Available: Variety of plant-based ingredients available
• Subscriptions Available: 4 or 5 meals ( 2 servings each)
• Price: $6 to $7 per serving

Description of Service

Hungryroot is a little different than the other meal service options out there. Instead of getting a recipe card and ingredients or a precooked, ready-to-heat meal, you get something in between. Each week you choose from meals, ingredients, sides, and snacks that fit your tastes and you receive precooked ingredients that can be combined as recommended or any way you like.

Because each ingredient can be selected separately, it is super easy to create meals that fit your needs as well as your preferred carb intake. And since almost all the ingredients are vegan and freshly prepared, you can feel confident that your sodium and saturated fat intake is well within the recommended ranges for people with diabetes.

One of the best things about Hungryroot is the inclusion of healthy snacks and desserts in addition to dinners. And since this service stays clear of refined sugars and other simple carbs, it’s easy to enjoy these little treats without having to worry about skyrocketing blood sugars.

Sun Basket

• Service Type: Ready to make recipes plus premade breakfasts and lunches
• Preferences Available: Paleo, low-carb, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, Mediterranean, gluten-free, and more
• Subscriptions Available: 2, 3, or 4 dinners per week with 2 to 4 servings each
• Price: $10.99 and up per meal

Description of Service

Sun Basket is a health-focused recipe delivery service with a few extras features. In addition to their all-organic ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards, this service also offers an option to add some pre-made breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to your weekly order. 

Both the premade meals and the ready-to-make meals are available in a variety of diet types including low-carb options. And, all the food, including the snacks, are free from the types of ingredients that tend to lead to skyrocketing and rollercoastering blood sugars.

This meal plan is more expensive than many others given the organic nature of the food but it is well worth it for those looking for healthier meal and snack options. 

Blue Apron

• Service Type: Ready to make recipes
• Preferences Available: Vegetarian, traditional
• Subscriptions Available: 3 meals (2 servings each) or 2-4 meals (four servings each)
• Price: $8.74 to $9.99 per serving

Description of Service

Blue Apron is a traditional recipe delivery service that offers tasty make-them-yourself meals from a constantly rotating menu. These meals are meant to take under 40 minutes to prepare but can be a little more difficult for the novice cook.

While the service has recently added a vegetarian meal preference, they don’t offer much more in terms of meeting other dietary restrictions. They do, however, offer specific “diabetes-friendly” meals that contain fewer than 48 net carbs per serving. There is always at least one of these reduced-carb meal choices available each week for the 2-serving plan.

Nutrition information is also readily available on Blue Apron dishes via their website and can be viewed in advance so you can be sure you are choosing the best recipes for your needs.