Weight Loss & Diet Plans

The Fresh Diet

The Fresh Diet: What It Is

It sounds like a dieter’s dream come true – chef-prepared meals delivered to your doorstep, and they taste so good you don’t even know you’re on a diet. The Fresh Diet is one of the nation’s fastest-growing fresh meal delivery services, even though customers must live within the program’s delivery areas and be able to pay at least $35 per day.

It’s ideally suited for busy people like South Florida dermatologist Melissa Lazarus, MD, who says she loves the food.

"I am super busy, and never have enough time or energy to eat healthy food, cut up vegetables, or prepare meals," says Lazarus, who lost seven pounds using the Fresh Diet plan. "Although the plan is expensive, it costs less than eating out."

Fresh Diet chief executive officer Zalmi Duchman founded the program in Miami Beach in 2005. At first, Fresh Diet meal plans were roughly based on the Zone Diet concept, of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% healthy fats. But Duchman says the company is moving away from that model; currently, only 70% of the meals are Zone compliant.

The program allows you to set your goal weight and indicate how much exercise you get. You’re then assigned a daily calorie allotment that is divided into three meals plus two snacks (one sweet and one savory). Most women are prescribed a 1,200-1,400 calorie plan and most men get 1,600-1,800 calories. But the plan can go as high as 2,400 calories per day to meet individual needs.

Meals can be customized according to your food likes and dislikes. You can get vegetarian or gluten-free meals as well as those suitable for certain medical conditions, including food allergies, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and pregnancy.

"The food is prepared by expert chefs using natural ingredients ... never frozen, and delivered to your doorstep every day except Saturday in insulated containers between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.," Duchman says.

The executive chef oversees the nutrition component of the program using a nutrition data analysis program. Certified chefs prepare the food in four kitchens in Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. (The New York kitchen also services customers in New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and Boston.)

The Fresh Diet: What You Can Eat

You can choose from two different Fresh Diet programs. The chef’s choice plan allows you to indicate up to eight food dislikes, and starts at $35/day for a one-month plan. The premium choice plan, which allows unlimited dislikes, starts at $45 per day for the 31-day plan.

Clients select their menu items from among the tantalizing pictures on the company web site. They log on to the online meal planner to choose from a selection that includes four entrees, six side dishes (whole grains and vegetables), three desserts, and three savory appetizers/snacks. If you choose too many carbs and not enough vegetables, a pop up warning alerts you, but the system allows the client to be the ultimate decision-maker.