Whether you’ve been inspired by the culinary legends on MasterChef or are on a mission to eat healthier, more and more people are trying their hand in the kitchen to whip up delicious, nutritious, gourmet meals.
However, as you get older, living independently in your own home may become difficult. Many older adults may find it difficult to cook nutrient-dense meals themselves which leads to nutritional frailty, a condition that leads to the loss of muscle mass and strength.
Luckily Australia offers an abundance of food delivery services and food subscription boxes to ensure you continue to eat well without losing your independence.
With that in mind, Starts at 60 compiled a list of meal delivery services in Australia that offer nutritious meals or nutrient-packed meal kits that should take little to no time to prep.
Help can look different for many people, but it doesn’t mean you have to lose your independence. The Australian Government does offer Help at Home to help assess whether you are eligible for home-delivered meals.
To see if you’re eligible, all you have to do is apply to have your current living situation assessed by the Aged Care Assessment Team. If you’re eligible for a Home Care Package, then your home-delivered, ready-made meals will be covered by the government.
Below you’ll find a list of approved and preferred suppliers of prepared and delivered aged-care meals.
Gourmet Meals is a family-owned and operated business that has been producing and delivering healthy and nutritious meals that taste like good old-fashioned home cooking since 1993.
Gourmet Meals is a convenient solution for those who are time-poor or are no longer able to cook for themselves. Simply visit their website to view their seasonal menu, order your chosen selection of meals and have it delivered straight to your doorstep.
Gourmet Meals offers a wide range of nutritionally balanced and portion-controlled meals in regular lunch and large dinner sizes, as well as a variety of scrumptious desserts and wholesome hearty soups.
The meals are prepared by professional, internationally trained chefs who are passionate about using only the finest and freshest ingredients. No added colours, flavours and preservatives are required, as the meals are snap-frozen to ensure the quality is maintained and all the nutrients and flavours are preserved naturally.
The Good Meal Co. is best known for perfecting the balancing of flavours and nutrition so you can help look after yourself without having to compromise on great flavour.
If your Home Care Package enables you to have ready meals delivered, you can opt to have The Good Meal Co as your meal provider. Simply get in touch with your Home Care Service Provider and organise which meals you would like to have delivered to your home. From there, The Good Meal Co will directly send you Home Care Service Provider with an invoice for your order.
This meal service provider has been preparing fantastic meals for more than 20 years, offering a variety of tasty, classic, homestyle meals and world-inspired flavours that spread the joys of food with every bite.
Each meal is cooked fresh and snap-frozen allowing you to effortlessly pull it out of the freezer and heat it when you’re hungry.
There’s no denying the importance of consuming food with good nutrition, which is why Meals on Wheels delivers food straight to your home.
To qualify for meals on wheels you must be at least 60 years or older and unable to come to your local Meals on Wheels centre for their meal. To start receiving Meals on Wheels services you can call your nearest centre to start an interview and assessment process.
All the meals from Meals on Wheel are specifically designed to meet the daily nutritional needs of older Australians to reduce the risk of malnutrition faced by millions of older Australians today.
They offer a wide variety of meals full of flavour and cater to special diets such as gluten-free and offer texture-modified dishes modified for people who may have swallowing difficulties.
For older adults who enjoy cooking but can’t seem to find the time to go duck to the shops for a few groceries, you may want to consider subscribing to a meal kit delivery service.
Many meal kit delivery services offer healthy and balanced meal options that are tailored to specific dietary needs and restrictions. Seniors who may have special dietary requirements or conditions can benefit from having access to pre-planned and portioned meals that meet their nutritional needs.
Here are a few meal kit delivery services perfect for over 60s:
If you don’t want to overthink your food delivery process, HelloFresh has consistently ranked as one of the best meal delivery services in Australia.
HelloFresh offers its subscribers easy, curated ways to cook and enjoy new recipes without the hassle of having to go to the shops to individually buy ingredients. Each chilled meal box offers premeasured ingredients, pre-portioned meats, and an easy-to-follow meal card that gets delivered to your home on the days of your choice.
HelloFresh offers a variety of chef-created meal plans based on your dietary preferences. They also post the nutritional information for each recipe you receive so you can better track your dietary needs.
HelloFresh also offers a senior discount. You can get 10 per cent off every box you order, and if you’re a new customer, you also get an additional 40 per cent off your first box and 30 per cent off your second one!
For those looking to meet their macronutrient intake, Marcos might be the delivery service for you.
Macros are ready-made meals that make healthy eating easy and delicious for every Aussie. Nutritionally balanced and portion-controlled, Macros meals are dairy-free and cater to a range of dietary requirements, also offering pre-planned guides to help you achieve your wellness goals.
Macros‘ meals are all made fresh with locally sourced ingredients and can cater for every dietary requirement and preference. Macros also offer a zero-commitment subscription service, so you can pause, skip or cancel your subscription as needed and you are always in control over your orders.
Another affordable meal kit option is Dinnerly. Dinnerly is popular for its low price and wide selection of easy-to-cook meals. Like other delivery services, all you need to do is pick a meal kit that appeals the most to you and have it scheduled for a day and time that suits you best.
Dinnerly features a weekly rotating menu of recipes that are ready to enjoy in 30 minutes or less, with all their meals only requiring six ingredients or less. Each order comes with a digital recipe and a list of the necessary ingredients to prepare up to six meals each week.
Gutrition is a meal kit delivery business that is designed for people with sensitive tummies. Gutrition’s meal kits are perfect for those aged 60 years or over who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal symptoms, including symptoms like diarrhoea and constipation.
Their meal kits are free from common food triggers that can cause gut symptoms for people with IBS, including garlic, onion, wheat, lactose and legumes (i.e. foods that are high in a particular class of carbohydrates known as FODMAPs).
They deliver everything you need to create delicious low FODMAP meals at home, catering for two- and four-person households. Everything is delivered in the perfect portion sizes and our dietitian-approved recipes guide you each step of the way. Gutrition currently delivers to the Greater Brisbane and Gold Coast regions.