Convenience is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, especially when it comes to meal preparation. Additionally, health and nutrition are also a huge focus, yet many of us don’t know where to start. As a Nutritionist (you may be shocked to hear this), I believe frozen readymade meals are a great option, and services such as We Feed You, not only tick the box for convenience, but they also tick the box for quality, healthy meals whilst also supporting local ingredients and using recyclable packaging.
| The Good: | The Not So Good: |
| Delicious meals | Portion sizes may not suit everyone |
| Highly convenient | Some meals are lower in protein |
| Large menu variety to suit a range of dietary preferences | Only some meals suitable for families |
How does We Feed You work?
We Feed You provide healthy, readymade meals, delivered to your door. The meals are created by their world-class chefs, using quality local ingredients. We Feed You take pride in the ingredients they use with no added no preservatives, fillers, bulking agents or stabilisers. However, some may appear in pre-made ingredients such as organic coconut milk powder. One of their chefs Dave has seven years of experience as head chef at the iconic Melbourne restaurant MoVida. Dave insisted that We Feed You meals are frozen as it is one of the purest forms of preservation – locking in all the nutrients and goodness. We Feed You are one of the only frozen readymade meal services on the market.
There is a large menu of nearly 50 meals to choose from each week, offering a huge variety! This range is competitive with readymade meal providers Dineamic and Youfoodz which offer up to 60 meals on their menu.
One of than standout features of We Feed You, is that they cater to a range of diets including gluten free, low FODMAP, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, diabetic friendly, onion and garlic free, less than 1600kJ, active lifestyles and lactose free. Their low FODMAP meals are Monash University Low FODMAP certified, and all gluten free meals are made in a dedicated gluten free kitchen. This provides peace of mind to those following a low FODMAP or gluten free diet. We Feed You also offer a ‘we feed two’ option; a selection of their popular main meals that have been doubled in portion size to make a main for two. There are options for nearly everyone!
The prices of We Feed You meals range from $11.95 – $14.95 (or $8.96-$13.96 with the rewards program) for one serve and $15.00 – $17.00 for the ‘we feed two’ options. Whilst these meals are higher in cost compared to some competitors such as Youfoodz, We Feed You’s focus on using high-quality ingredients to create nutritionally balanced meals justifies the price. The cost per serve for their ‘we feed two’ meals is particularly good.
The We Feed You rewards program offers ongoing discounts to members of 10-25% off each order. This can reduce the meal price significantly to as low as $8.96 which is a great option for those who would like to save more on their meals! There are no lock-in contracts with We Feed You and they offer free delivery on orders over $99.
My Experience
I received five pre-selected meals:
- Thai green curry (vegan, gluten and lactose free, low FODMAP)
- Tomato and basil baked fish (gluten and lactose free, pescatarian, low FODMAP)
- Sweet potato and cauliflower (gluten and lactose free, vegan, onion and garlic free)
- Vegetable coconut curry (gluten and lactose free, vegan)
- Tofu laksa noodle (gluten and lactose free, vegan, low FODMAP)
The readymade meals were packaged neatly within the box and kept cool with a large icepack. All the meals were in fact frozen upon delivery. Both the gel pack outer and the insulation bags are 100% recyclable, and suitable for soft plastic recycling. The outer boxes and trays are made from recycled material and are also 100% recyclable and there is a large focus on sourcing, not just Australian ingredients but also Australian-made recyclable packaging. It is great to see how much consideration has gone into the packaging of these meals!
All meals looked appetising – I was excited to try them all! On the back of each meal was a clear list of ingredients, the nutritional information panel, cooking instructions and a best before date. The allergens and ‘free from’ icons were easily identifiable. The ingredient list for each meal contained mostly whole food ingredients, however, they do use ingredients such as maltodextrin and preservative 202. These ingredients are found in some sauces and pre-made ingredients they use like red wine, coconut milk and oyster sauce. It’s great to see transparency on their ingredient list.
As the meals were frozen, they had excellent best before dates – with approximately 5-6month shelf life. This is a great benefit of frozen meals – they can be stored for an extended period and still maintain their quality and flavour. The heating instructions were easy to follow with two options – microwave or oven. I tried both methods and found that both resulted in a perfectly heated meal.
A lot of people are sceptical of frozen foods, however often frozen products such as vegetables, are just as nutritious if not more nutritious, than raw produce. By freezing their meals after cooking, We Feed You have captured all the flavours and freshness of their ingredients, resulting in a high-quality readymade product that is superior to some other readymade meals on the market. The meals were all delicious! The tofu laksa noodle was my favourite – the spices gave a real hit of flavour, and the eggplant melted in the mouth, I felt like I was eating a restaurant quality meal!
The portion sizes ranged from 350g – 400g and I found I was satisfied after each meal. Whilst We Feed You portions are suitable for one to two people; they may not be suitable for a family. However, the meals would suit families with kids eating at different times or for individuals with different dietary needs. There are share packs available that may be suited for families or couples.
Furthermore, for individuals who engage in regular physical activity, these portions may not be adequate. However, We Feed You do offer meals for active lifestyles, which contain at least 20g of protein and 30g of high-quality carbohydrates. I would be interested in trying these meals to see how they compare to other active lifestyle readymade meals such as Muscle Chef.
Nutritionist Review
The meals I tried had a lower protein content, containing between 9g-19g (although across the range the protein content in some meals is as high as 40.8g/serve) As a vegetarian it is important for me to make sure I am consuming enough protein in my diet, and so it would have been great to see a higher amount of protein included in the vegetarian range. Research shows that we should be aiming for at least 25g of protein with each meal.1
There was an adequate amount of carbohydrates included in each meal, derived from wholefood sources including sweet potato, pumpkin and brown rice. These sources provide a steady release of energy as opposed to a ‘quick hit’, often experienced after eating refined carbohydrates (e.g., white pasta).
The fat content of each meal was good, with the highest amount of fat in the tofu laksa noodles (23g). The source of fat is always important to consider, as some readymade meals may contain high amounts of saturated fats (the not good for you fats!). Cold pressed Australian made Extra Virgin Olive oil was used in each meal which is a high-quality fat as well as peanuts and pepitas which provide beneficial micronutrients.
There was an excellent selection of vegetables with each meal; at least four different types. The vegetables were also vibrant in colour indicating the freshness of the produce. Some other readymade meals (such as Herbidoor) contain less vegetables and more carbohydrates to ‘bulk’ up the portion sizes.
Final Thoughts
We Feed You is a very convenient meal service for singles or couples who are short on time in the kitchen and are wanting to eat better. They offer a huge variety of meals similar to that of Dineamic and Youfoodz and provide nutritionally balanced options to suit a wide range of diets. The flavour of their meals is excellent, and the portion sizes were adequate. Some other readymade meals such as Herbidoor did not carry the same freshness in flavours. I would absolutely recommend this service! Discounts are available on your first and ongoing orders.
References
- Noakes M. (2018) Protein Balance: New Concepts for Protein in Weight Management; CSIRO, Australia. Retrieved from: https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/pub?list=ASE&pid=csiro:EP18027&expert=false&sb=RECENT&n=7&rpp=10&page=35&tr=1373&dr=all&csiro.affiliation%7Ccsiro.projectBusinessUnit=50012450
We Feed You Meals
Summary
We Feed You is a very convenient ready made meal service for singles or couples who are short on time in the kitchen and are wanting to eat better. They offer a huge variety of meals and provide nutritionally balanced options to suit a wide range of diets.
We Feed You FAQs
We Feed You meals are created by their in-house Nutritionist and chefs. They provide a variety of nutritious meals to suit a range of dietary preferences including active lifestyles and pescatarian.
The prices of We Feed You meals range from $11.95 – $14.95. These meals are higher in cost compared to some competitors such as youfoodz, however their use of high-quality ingredients to create nutritionally balanced meals justifies the price.
Yes, We Feed You offers a range of vegan options as well as vegetarian, gluten free and lactose free meals.
Lite n’ Easy do offer some readymade frozen meals, however We Feed You is one of the only 100% frozen readymade meal services on the market that caters to a wide range of dietary preferences at a reasonable price.
