What’s better than a meal kit delivery service that curates and delivers fresh food recipes to your doorstep? Hellofresh allows you to skip the tiring process of meal planning and grocery shopping, and they cater to people with different eating habits, such as low-calorie food preferences. However, there are some questions about why Hellofresh is so high in calories, even in their acclaimed low-calorie foods.
Hellofresh is so high in calories due to the protein and fat content in their meals. Combined with the carbs, the ingredients with high protein and full fat make the average Hellofresh meal contain up to 792 calories. This count is healthy, but may exceed the standard calorie intake for most people.
The rest of this article will answer why Hellofresh is so high in calories, whether Hellofresh calories include oil, and give tips on how to lose weight with Hellofresh. Keep reading to know if this is the best meal service to suit your feeding choices!
The Reason Hellofresh Is High in Calories
Most Hellofresh meals have significantly high calorie contents because the major ingredients in the meals contain high amounts of protein and full fat. While full fat is healthier, it contains about twice the amount of calories in proteins and carbohydrates, significantly increasing the calorie content of HelloFresh meals.
Hellofresh offers a variety of food recipe packages divided into Family, Vegetarian, and Classic. Their main package is the Classic Box which contains servings enough for two to four people with three to five recipes. This package has an average calorie content of 792 calories per serving/person.
According to the NHS, the recommended daily calorie intake is 2000 calories for women and 2500 calories for men. This isn’t a fixed amount, though. The number of calories you should take in per day can vary based on your personal weight goals and your level of physical activity.
Generally, most people who eat three meals a day should take about 300-400 calories for breakfast and 500-700 calories for other meals. With an average calorie content of 792 calories per serving, the standard Hellofresh meal goes above the recommended amount.
There are various reasons for a high-calorie count in Hellofresh meals. For example, in a typical Hellofresh meal, there is usually no allowance for salt or oil to be used in preparing the food. When you add salt or oil to your Hellofresh serving while cooking, it’ll increase the total calories in that meal. You can track your calorie intake by using the MyFitnessPal App. Learn more about it here How to Track HelloFresh on MyFitnessPal
Do Hellofresh Calories Include Oil?
Hellofresh’s calorie count does not include oil. The ingredient list for each meal is contained on a card attached to the food upon delivery. This list doesn’t state the amount of oil usage that has been factored into the measurement of the total calorie count.
Most Hellofresh meals only mention a “drizzle” of oil in the recipe. The amount of a “drizzle” of the oil depends on the size of what the oil is needed for. For example, you may only need two tablespoons (29.57 ml) of oil or six teaspoons (29.57 ml) of oil for an individual meal. However, for a meal of five or six people, you’d definitely need a lot more.
What a drizzle of oil means depends largely on what the oil is being used for. If you use precisely the amount estimated as a drizzle of oil in your Hellofresh cooking recipe, you just may hit the exact calorie count prepared for. Using a lot of additional ingredients, including oil, will affect the calorie count for the recipe.
A quick tip for drizzling oil is using a bottle with a cruet design. This way, you can control the amount that comes out.
How To Lose Weight With Hellofresh
While it has been established that a bulk of Hellofresh Meals are on the high-calorie side, it can still be used as part of your weight loss journey. The simple trick to losing weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn. To lose weight with Hellofresh, here are a few tips that could prove helpful:
Use a Calorie Calculator
An average female and male need 1500 and 2000 calories respectively to lose 1 pound (.45 kg) each week. A standard meal from Hellofresh contains up to 700 – 900 calories. To ensure you eat within your recommended intake every day, you can use a calorie calculator.
This calculator would prove helpful in knowing your Basic Metabolic Rate and how much of your Hellofresh meal should be consumed daily. Calculator.net has an excellent calorie calculator that can offer effective results!
Choose Hellofresh Meal Plans That Align With Your Calorie Intake Goal
Hellofresh provides a detailed nutritional value list in the recipe that comes with your meals. This way, you have a range of food options to pick from and can avoid high-calorie foods.
An example of a really good food box to pick is the newly introduced Calorie Smart Meals, which has a count of about 650 calories. A few menu items from the Calorie Smart Meals are:
- Veggie Couscous Bowl
- Salmon Limone
- Penne Rustica
- Sweet potato and Black Bean Tacos
Reduce Ingredient Use
To reduce calorie intake, a good idea is to use only half of the ingredients in cooking your Hellofresh. For meals like rice or spaghetti, using substantially fewer ingredients helps reduce carbohydrate intake drastically. You might also want to substitute healthier ingredients for a healthier meal.
Dividing Food Portions
If you have a Basic Metabolism Rate of around 1480 calories, for example, a good way to reduce calorie intake is splitting a Hellofresh 2-serving meal into three. This could also help save you money! Of course, this is easier to do if you’re living alone and cooking only for yourself.
Exclude Your Hellofresh Meal Calories From Your Daily Calories
The calorie count of your Hellofresh meal should already be contained in your recipe card. You can subtract these calories from your daily calorie goal. For example, if your daily calorie goal is 1500 and you have your Hellofresh 650-calorie meal for dinner, that leaves you 850 calories left for breakfast and lunch.
Conclusion
Most Hellofresh meals are high in calories, but the service now offers low-calorie meal kits with recipes that all make up to about 650 calories. They’re called the Calorie Smart Meals, with about 100 calories less than the regular meals. These have been curated to cater to those who choose a low-calorie dietary lifestyle, making it easier for you to eat tasty and healthy meals!
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