Dial H for Healthy Food

Whether you would like to take a break from cooking or are bored of the limited variety being prepared at home, these meal subscription services ensure that you have something nutritious and delicious on your plate, three times a day

- SMITA TRIPATHI

IF THERE is one question that irritates 34-year-old Seema Bhatia, a Gurugram-based management consultant, more than anything else in the world, it is her house help asking her every morning, “Aaj khane mein kya banega? (What should I cook for you today?).”

Bhatia, who lives alone in the city and is health conscious, says ruefully, “I like to eat healthy, but I also want variety. My cook’s skills are limited and I don’t have much time to try my hand at fancy cooking. So the answer to her question is generally aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower) or paneer, hardly exciting.” It was to add more variety to her daily diet that Bhatia decided to try out Food Darzee, a healthy meal subscription plan. She initially opted for a one-day trial plan for three meals for ₹608. “The next day, a nutritionist spoke to me and after understanding my requirements, a meal plan was designed.” The day after, Bhatia received all three meals in the morning, packed in microwave-friendly containers. “I had a cheese omelette, grilled chicken and a teriyaki bowl. Definitely more exciting than what I had been eating,” she laughs. Happy with the experiment, Bhatia signed up for the monthly meal plan.

AT A COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF 14 PER CENT, THE GLOBAL HEALTHY-MEAL SUBSCRIPTION MARKET IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE TO $13.76 BILLION IN 2032 FROM $3.73 BILLION IN 2022

“It’s been two months and since my aim was to maintain my weight, things are on track. Plus, I really like the variety and the fact that I don’t have to think about what needs to be cooked. Also, the added headache of grocery shopping, etc., has been taken care of,” she says. A monthly meal plan at Food Darzee for non-vegetarians costs ₹13,800 for breakfast, lunch and dinner.