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What Green Chef’s dietary categories really mean

March 13, 2024
What Green Chef’s dietary categories really mean

Green Chef is one of the few companies like Hello Fresh that can stand up to the original food box delivery company. Read any of our Green Chef reviews, and you’ll see that the company provides high-quality food delivery boxes that help people create delicious food time and time again.

However, one of the ways that Green Chef is not similar to Hello Fresh is how it categorises its recipes.

Green Chef groups its recipes into different dietary categories that can help people stick to their diet and its restrictions far more easily. That’s great news because when it comes to sticking to a low carb diet, for example it can be tough as you may not always know what is low carb and what isn’t.

While companies like Hello Fresh may say that some of their recipes are low carb, they may not do it as obviously as Green Chef.

However, Green Chef reviews show that customers are not always that sure what the varying categories really mean. That’s especially true for potential new customers who are looking for something similar to Hello Fresh, but feel they need to try a different company - perhaps due to how Hello Fresh categorises their food.

Here, we look to take out the mystery spoken about in Green Chef reviews and delve into what the dietary categories really mean and why they are so helpful. You’ll see that they’ll become a real selling point of Green Chef and why it does things similar to Hello Fresh well - as well as a handful of other unique things that make it a brilliant food box delivery company.

Green Chef’s Dietary Categories

Green Chef has 5 different dietary categories that their recipes can fall into. They are Keto, Flexitarian, Vegan, Vegetarian and Low Carb. Here’s what that really means in practice.

Keto

The Keto diet became popular a few years ago as an effective way to lose weight when following a sensible eating plan coupled with regular exercise. Keto is short for ketogenic and a keto diet is typically high in good fats, moderate in protein and very low in sugars or carbs.

The intention with keto is to replace carbs with foods that are rich in good fats - which will often mean meat, fish or nuts.

It gets its name from the fact that the diet aims to kick the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. Achieving that means that ketones are produced in the liver for energy instead of glucose which the body usually gets from carbs. It means that the body has to work harder as getting energy from ketones is more difficult so the body naturally burns more fat as a result.

Green Chef offers customers the UK’s first keto box so it is easy to follow this diet plan. Given how scientific it is, achieving ketosis is far easier with Green Chef than without. Customers can choose from 4 keto or 3 lower carb options each week.

Flexitarian

The Flexitarian dietary category is perhaps the most confusing to understand at first glance. In practice, the flexitarian diet with Green Chef is a balanced diet which means that this meal plan has been designed to offer customers the right mix of carbs, vegetables and protein. It means you can be sure you are satisfying your body with all the nutrients you will ever need.

It’s the most varied of all the diet plans so you can pick from a selection of meat, seafood or vegetarian dishes to keep mealtimes exciting at all times.

Importantly, all the recipes are easy to follow too - and they can be cooked quickly as well so that you can create tasty meals that you enjoy eating and never worry about preparing. Plus, as Green Chef puts such a heavy emphasis on delivering high-quality ingredients, you can be happy that you’re eating the best of the best.

Vegan

Being Vegan is increasingly more common, so Green Chef is right to have created a Vegan meal plan and dietary category so they can provide the ease and convenience of their boxes to those following a plant-based diet. If you’ve been a vegan for a long time or have recently made the change to eradicate animal products from your diet, Green Chef’s Vegan food boxes are a great choice.

That’s because Green Chef doesn't just include a couple of token Vegan dishes to their recipe hub, as so many companies do. At Green Chef, there are a wealth of mouthwatering dishes on its menu that are Vegan - and, of course, jam-packed with the same high-quality ingredients you would come to expect.

Green Chef achieves tasty vegan dishes by including a whole host of interesting and tasty flavours such as cashew butter or coconut cream. Recipes are easy to follow making the switch to Veganism a breeze.

Vegetarian

If you’re not quite ready to give up all animal-based products such as cheese or eggs, Green Chef’s vegetarian meal plan is a good compromise. Their meal plan is full of colourful and tasty meat-free meals that are a cinch to make at home. Importantly, like their Vegan options, there is plenty of variety to be had, meaning that going meat-free doesn’t have to feel like a terrible sacrifice. In fact, many people barely notice the difference as dishes are so delicious, they’ll not realise they didn’t have any meat on their plate.

Green Chef achieves that by looking at a wide range of cuisines and creating some innovative fusion dishes. They’ll also be some traditional old favourites, but they’ll all be nourishing and incredibly moreish. The company includes dairy products in this meal plan that have been sourced from top-quality suppliers.

Low carb

Going low carb is similar to following a keto diet with a few key differences - with Green Chef’s low carb plan you can still enjoy a measured amount of quality complex carbohydrates. Not that users will notice the lack of carbs in their meal.

Even those that love a pasta or rice dish will find meals full of flavour that are a joy to eat. Plus, no one ever feels hungry when following this diet plan as the lower carb count is balanced against the inclusion of plenty of veg and protein.

Crucially, Green Chef ensures there’s plenty of choice on this plan to keep customer’s taste buds happy. Food is inspired from all over the world so you’ll never be bored if you choose Green Chef’s low carb plan.

Read Our Full GreenChef Review

Why Green Chef’s dietary categories are great

So while these dietary categories are clearer now, why are they so useful? We investigate that here:

Ease

One of the main reasons that people don’t stick to a diet is because it’s too difficult to stay within the strict rules. Green Chef’s dietary categories and meal plans mean that customers can easily follow a complicated diet like the keto diet without any complex meal planning.

Simply by viewing all the recipes that are part of their meal plan on Green Chef’s website, and a few clicks of their mouse, customers can quickly pick the dishes that are right for them. Then, all they have to do is wait for the food box of goodies to be delivered right to their door - at a time that is convenient for them.

Variety

Another reason people do not stay on a diet is that, with the subsequent restrictions the diet imposes, they become bored of the food they eat. Green Chef cuts through that by offering up a wide variety of dishes even in some of the strictest dietary lifestyles.

Vegans will never have to worry about eating the same salads or veggie stir fries day in, day out when they purchase a Green Chef food box subscription.

Stress free

Cutting out all the complexity and pressure of providing a varied diet is a huge reason that Green Chef’s dietary categories are such a big help to its customers. So much of our lives are time pressured or stressful as we try to fit in more and more into our busy schedules.

That can make cooking in the kitchen and catering for ourselves or our families a chore - as opposed to the joy that eating around a table should bring. Green Chef does all the hard work for you so that catering remains stress free.

Green Chef - why it remains one of the best

It’s really important for the food box delivery market that companies like Hello Fresh differentiate themselves and have unique selling points. Green Chef does that through being a carbon-neutral company, but also through the food it provides too.

Its dietary categories and meal plans are different to its competitors, which can help people with those dietary requirements easily. That’s a massive attraction for those that are looking to cut down on the time they spend in the kitchen but also the time they spend planning their meals too.

What Green Chef’s dietary categories really mean

Rachel Lee

Having worked at Morgan Stanley and BNYMellon for over 10 years in pensions and investments, Rachel now works as a full-time business and financial writer.