I tried a week’s worth of meals from BistroMD and they kept me full and energized every day

I’m a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, so I know that diet is just as important to your health as a workout routine.

Unfortunately, I’m not a particularly gifted chef. I’ve always viewed cooking as a chore, and any recipe that I’ve “mastered” doesn’t exactly fit well on a nutrient-dense menu (but my banana pudding is very good, if I do say so myself).

Now that I’ve got an eight-month old son, trying to cook meals every day has gotten even more difficult. My standby of relying on protein bars to power through a busy evening isn’t sustainable, and neither is trying to grill chicken or roast vegetables with a baby screaming in my ear.

I desperately needed a quick, healthy option for lunches and dinners, so I was delighted to be offered the chance to try BistroMD’s meal delivery service.

There’s a variety of tailored meal programs, with menus for heart health, diabetics, vegans, menopause support and for those using GLP-1 medications. There’s even a postpartum program which would apply to my circumstances, but since I feel the best when I’m eating a higher-protein and lower-carb diet, I chose the Keto Flex option.

Here are my thoughts after a week’s worth of BistroMD Keto Flex meals.

My experience with BistroMD’s Keto Flex

BistroMD bills the Keto Flex program as a low-carb “metabolic reset” that’s less restrictive than traditional keto—a good choice for me, since I tried keto once and absolutely hated it. I decided on the lunch and dinner plan, which gave me 14 meals to select.

Ordering through the BistroMD website was easy, if slightly overwhelming—there are over 85 meals to choose from on the plan, and after a while I got a bit of decision fatigue. That’s a good problem to have, though. There are plenty of opportunities to try something new in subsequent orders.

I filled my menu with a variety of meals, all of which sounded like a welcome departure from a typical “healthy” cuisine. I was particularly excited for BistroMD’s take on some of my favorite dishes, like chicken pad thai, sesame tofu, and bacon mac and cheese.

A few days after ordering, the meals arrived at my doorstep fully frozen.

You can pop each meal directly into the microwave, but BistroMD suggests leaving a meal in the refrigerator for 24 hours before preparing it.

Here’s what I liked about it:

My favorite meal was the chicken and pepperoni pizza bowl

You can’t go wrong with pizza, although some of the more “healthy” attempts leave me craving the real thing.

I was pleasantly surprised by BistroMD’s take on a pizza bowl. It was flavorful and filling, and even my discerning Italian husband agreed after taking a bite. If I ordered another week’s worth of meals, this would definitely make the cut.

I loved that I could still have pasta and noodles

One of the reasons I hated doing traditional keto is that I had to give up pasta completely. Since it’s one of my favorite foods, I knew it would end up being way too restrictive of a plan to follow long-term. I was happy to see that BistroMD included a few pasta dishes on its Keto Flex menu. For low-carb meals, these turned out to be pretty tasty.

I also really enjoyed the sesame tofu—the flavors and textures were almost identical to a meal I used to get at one of my favorite restaurants.

The calorie counts are low, but the meals are filling

I’ve tried meal delivery services in the past, but one of two things always seemed to be true: either the meals were filling but high in calories, or they were lower in calories but left you feeling hungry.

The Keto Flex offerings struck a happy balance between the two extremes. My meals all ranged between 200 and 340 calories, and kept me satisfied for hours. I was able to chase my son around and complete my usual workouts without feeling hunger pangs between lunch and dinner.

Why low carb may be better than keto

According to the Mayo Clinic, a ketogenic diet (or keto) is a high-fat, moderate-protein, very low-carbohydrate diet.

Net carbohydrates are restricted to less than 50g a day on a keto plan, whereas a more balanced diet usually includes 150-250g of carbohydrates a day. Because carbohydrates are so drastically reduced, the body is forced to use fat as a source of energy instead of the glucose derived from carbs.

BistroMD’s Keto Flex supports weight loss, blood sugar improvement and appetite management like traditional keto, but boasts that it’s more sustainable long term and can even include typically prohibited foods like pasta, rice and bagels.

“Restrictive diets like keto can often lead to yo-yo dieting or weight cycling, which is associated with many health risks,” according to BistroMD’s website. “Cutting carbohydrates naturally tends to lead to weight loss, because carbohydrates cause blood sugar to rise, resulting in insulin production. Higher insulin levels equate to more fat storage, leading to weight gain. [But] research shows that moderate carb diets are just as effective as ultra-low carb diets while being more sustainable without all the struggle and sacrifice.”

The “struggle and sacrifice” is what made keto hard for me, and during my brief stint I experienced a lot of the side effects that BistroMD mentions: headaches, fatigue, upset stomach and constipation.

Still, I find my energy and focus to be at its highest when I’m being carbohydrate-conscious, so Keto Flex was a suitable alternative.