NutriFit

NutriFit prepares fresh, ready-to-eat meals planned for one person's goals and needs, and delivers them in Southern California or ships them across the continental United States. Its customized plan page promises "Fully prepared, ready-to-eat, fresh meals" that are "planned, portioned and prepared specifically for you." Nothing needs cooking, and the meals are "Always fresh, never frozen."

The company has been at this a long time. Founder Jackie Keller co-founded NutriFit in Los Angeles in 1987; the About page says she trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, worked for Westin Hotels and Stouffer, and is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach. Alongside meals, NutriFit sells "full-service nutritional support, biometric testing, wellness coaching and health-related products."

How ordering works

Instead of a fixed box, you build a plan. The sign-up tool lets you "Customize, tailor and price your meal plan" with "no obligation to purchase and no email or phone number required." After that, "Our nutritionist team will use our proprietary system to make meal selections for you," or you choose meals yourself, drawn from what the company calls "our database of over 2,500 recipes." You can take any combination of breakfast, lunch and dinner, add snacks, smoothies, pressed juices, salads and soups, and schedule anything from 1 day a week to 7.

Plans come at an Essentials level and a Premium level. Essentials is "our more economical option, tailored for people with simpler needs," with calorie levels of 1,200, 1,500 or 1,800 a day and "Up to 8 allergy exclusions & dislikes." Premium is "Fully Customizable," with calories and macros set up to 2,500 a day and conditions such as diabetes, heart health, cancer, renal disease and celiac listed as manageable. The online member platform lets you suspend or add meals, skip days when you are away, and give feedback on each dish.

Premium plans with breakfast, lunch and dinner, or 2 meals a day, come with an afternoon and evening snack or dessert if you want them; dinner-only plans add a soup or salad; Essentials plans charge a "nominal fee" for snacks. Families can sign up for a Family Fare menu sent by email 3 times a week and order ahead online, or call to design a "Family Feast."

You don't have to commit up front: the FAQ offers to let you "try us for one delivery at our standard rate before deciding."

What it costs

NutriFit's customized-plan page doesn't print a single price itself; it explains that cost depends on "the number of meals received daily, desired billing frequency, and the complexity of your individual nutritional requirements." It links to a Standard Pricing table that does list per-day dollar figures: Essentials runs $18.95 for Breakfast Only, $22.95 for Lunch Only and $24.95 for Dinner Only, up to $50.95 for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner; Premium matches the Essentials rate for a single breakfast or lunch but charges $33.95 for Dinner Only (with a soup or salad and dessert or evening snack) up to $63.95 for all three meals with a snack, soup or salad and dessert or evening snack. The table offers those rates as 28 Day, 14 Day or Weekly plans, and says you "may be able to save by selecting a 14-day or 28-day package, if available in your area." Delivery fees "vary based on your location and delivery method," and pickup at the west Los Angeles facility is always free. The sign-up tool shows your delivery price after you enter a zip code, again without asking for contact details.

The food

The meal prep page lists "Anti-Inflammatory, Low Carb, High Protein, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo meal planning and more," and the About page adds dairy-free and vegetarian plans. Specialty programs cover sports nutrition for athletes and bodybuilders (sample menus include a Tri-athlete Meal Plan and one called Strength and Might), pregnancy and "Body After Baby" meals based on Keller's book, and family meals, where the company offers "over 100 fresh, wholesome entrees, salads, soups, side dishes, lunch box fare and snacks." Medical conditions it names on the customized plan page are "diabetes, kidney/renal disease, heart disease, hypertension and cancer." Those are programs the company offers, not outcomes we can vouch for.

On ingredients, it says produce is organic "when seasonally possible" and partly grown on its own farm, SimpliHealth Growers, which it says the National Wildlife Federation recognizes as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Meat is described as grass fed and antibiotic and hormone free, poultry as organic and free range, and seafood as wild-caught. Produce is also grown for NutriFit at The Mesa, which the company describes as its "sustainably operated Central Coast farm." Meals are "preservative-free, antibiotic free, non-GMO and pesticide free" by the company's account.

One unusual choice: NutriFit doesn't print exact calories on customized meals. The FAQ says "we do not provide the exact caloric information on our customized meal program," offering calorie ranges and daily macro percentages instead, so the focus stays off calorie counting. Family meals are labeled with servings and heating and storage instructions.

Where it delivers

Local drivers cover "the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County, Santa Clarita and some of Ventura County." Deliveries arrive "in the early morning hours of Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays": Monday brings Monday and Tuesday meals, Wednesday brings Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday covers the weekend. Daily delivery is available in most local areas "for a nominal delivery charge." Local orders come in green insulated cooler bags with ice packs, swapped at each delivery, and returned containers go to homeless shelters and other charities.

"Nationwide shipping is to the continental United States is also available," by UPS or FedEx in insulated liners with ice packs. The site doesn't give delivery days or transit times for shipped orders.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The main unknowns are shipping costs outside Los Angeles and how long shipped meals take to arrive; standard per-day pricing is published, but the customized-plan sign-up tool shows your own delivery price only after you enter a zip code. The customized-meal policy of not printing exact calories will suit some people and frustrate others who track closely.

NutriFit suits people who want a plan built around them rather than a menu to scroll, especially Los Angeles-area clients who can use the early-morning delivery or free pickup, and anyone who needs meals for a named medical condition or strict exclusions and wants a nutrition team involved. Its long history and farm-grown produce are real draws, and meals can go to a home or an office. It suits bargain hunters and people who like to see a price list before engaging less well.