ModifyHealth Review: Low FODMAP Meal Delivery

Meal planning can be one of the biggest challenges when starting your low FODMAP journey. The idea of eating low FODMAP can leave you feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and confused. Fortunately, there are some companies out there that make low-FODMAP products to help ease the burden.

In this article, we review ModifyHealth’s low FODMAP meal plans. We discuss the overall pros and cons of the service. Then we dive into a review of nine of their meals.

Full disclosure – I did receive my meals at a 50% discount. And yes, I am an affiliate for ModifyHealth. But I think you will be able to tell that this is a pretty honest review!

What is ModifyHealth?

ModifyHealth is a meal delivery service that started with gut health in mind. ModifyHealth originally offered fully prepared meals compatible with Low FODMAP, Gluten Free, or Mediterranean diets. Their lineup of offerings has since expanded to include diabetic, heart healthy, and low carb meals.

ModifyHealth is a subscription service. You pick a minimum of six meals per delivery. These meals are single-serve and ready to heat and eat.

ModifyHealth Review: Overall Pros and Cons

Below is a big picture ModifyHealth review including my list of pros and cons of their overall meal delivery system. Weighing these pros and cons may help you determine whether the service is right for you.

Overall Pros

• Remove the Guesswork. ModifyHealth low FODMAP meals are certified low FODMAP by Monash University.

• Easy to order. Select your plan, enter the number of meals you want, enter any optional exclusions like allergies or dislikes, choose your meals, and place your order.

• Easy to heat.  No chopping or cooking is required. Simply follow the instructions on the package to heat. Meals are easily heated in the microwave.

• Adequate Portions. Most of the meals we tried were substantial enough to leave us feeling satisfied but not overly full. Unlike some frozen dinners that leave you searching for more.

• Most of the lunch and dinner entrees fall into the range of 350-500 calories. And most breakfast meals were in the 300-400 calorie range. The nutrition information is available on their website, so if you need bigger or smaller meals to meet your needs the you have some numbers to help guide your choices.

• No cleanup. With ModifyHealth low FODMAP meals there are no pots or pans to scrub. And if you heat your meals in the trays they arrive on, there are no plates or bowls to deal with either. So obviously, clean-up is a breeze.

• Recyclable Packaging.  Meal delivery services come with a lot of packaging. Fortunately, the packaging used by ModifyHealth is recyclable.

• Freezable. Not ready to use the meals by the date on the package? They lend themselves well to being frozen for later use. However, there may be a few exceptions. For example, I wasn’t so sure about freezing the dish with rice noodles, knowing they are a bit fragile. So I made sure to eat that one fresh -although the noodles fell apart anyway, so it may not have made a difference.

• Optional Upgrade. Looking for more than meal delivery? ModifyHealth packages that include visits with a dietitian, downloadable resources, and virtual cooking demonstrations. I have not tried these services, but it seems like a nice option for those looking for a little more support.

Overall Cons

• Price. As with most meal delivery programs, the service comes with a price. Is it the most expensive option out there? Certainly not. However, it might not be a great choice for budget-conscious consumers. The pricing at the time of this writing was $9.95 per breakfast and $12.95 per lunch or dinner entrees. And there is an order minimum of 6 meals. But shipping is free.

• Difficult to Open. You need a knife to get the individual meal packages open. And even with the knife, it can be hard. But hey, at least you know it’s sealed well.

• Lots of Packaging. As mentioned above, the packaging for this service is recyclable, which is a pro. But there is a lot of it, which is a con.

• Now to be fair, you aren’t going to escape the “lots of packaging” issue with any meal delivery service because they have to keep the food cold. But still, it can be a lot to deal with. Especially if you don’t have large recycling bins to dispose of the material.

• Set Delivery Dates. You are not able to select your own delivery date, which could be a problem if you have plans to go out of town. But they do inform you of the delivery date, so it’s not a surprise when it shows up. And you can skip deliveries if you know you will not be home to get it in the fridge.

• Repetitive. There isn’t a huge selection of meals to choose from, so it could get a little boring after awhile. But they do add new meals occasionally. And the low FODMAP certification process takes time, so that may be why the options are limited.

• Lacking Flavor. Depending on your perspective this could be a pro or a con. For me, it was a con – I like bold flavors. But if you are sensitive to spices, it may be a pro.

The Meals

And now for the ModifyHealth review of specific meals. My husband and I were the testers of the meals. We were generally in agreement on the taste in texture of the meals that we both tried. So, I feel comfortable taking his review for the few meals that only he tried.

Ranchero Egg Scramble with Chicken

This was the first meal that my husband and I both tried. We are always looking for quick and easy options for breakfast that aren’t the same old sweet cereal, so we were excited to give this meal a try.

The ranchero egg scramble was one of the more flavorful meals we had. It was the type of high-protein savory breakfast we were looking for. And bonus – you get a small portion of vegetables first thing in the morning!

But it wasn’t all good… Unfortunately, there was a big problem with the texture of the eggs. They were spongy and oddly dry even though the dish overall had plenty of moisture.

Would I order it again? Nope. The eggs were truly a deal breaker on this one.  

Chicken Taco Bowl with Cilantro Rice, Black Beans and Corn Salsa

This one was not the prettiest meal, but the flavor was good with a nice variety of herbs and spices. The chicken was a little dry but not enough to deter me from eating it. In fact, I gobbled this one up rather quickly. And it left me satisfied.

Would I order it again? Yes, I certainly would.

Sesame Pasta Salad with Kale, Carrots and Cabbage

I wanted to try some of the vegetarian options and this one had me intrigued. I made sure not to freeze this meal because I know that rice noodles can be fragile and I wasn’t sure they would hold up to freezing and thawing.

Alas, they didn’t hold up anyway. As soon as I stirred the dish, the noodles fell to pieces. But that didn’t completely ruin the meal for me. The dish tasted ok – a bit bland, but not unpleasant. A dash of hot sauce helped (I love me some hot sauce). The portion size of this meal was adequate and it was filling enough to meet my needs.

Would I order it again? If I needed a vegetarian option I’d throw this meal in the rotation.

Grilled Steak with Mashed Potatoes, Carrots and Broccoli

The grilled steak itself was surprisingly good! The meat was tender and tasted as it should. The vegetables were ok in taste and texture. But the mashed potatoes had a slightly off texture – they were a bit mealy and dry, but edible. This meal was also a little on the bland side.

Would I order it again? Probably.

Steak with Chimichurri and Grilled Peppers

Another steak dinner where the meat was nicely done. This meal had good flavor and texture. The meat was cooked to about medium-well with just a bit of pink in the middle. It was served with brown rice which held up well. And it had a generous amount of peppers that added to the overall flavor. This was one of few dishes that did not seem bland.  

Would I order it again? Definitely – this was my favorite meal of the bunch. Kudos to ModifyHealth for getting this one right!

Roasted Maple Balsamic Chicken with Blueberries and Wild Rice

I had high hopes for this meal. Sounds delicious, right? My husband was the tester of this meal and his report… Well, it was just ok…

His biggest complaint was that the chicken breast was a little tough. Aside from that, it tasted ok. Not a bad meal, but a little bland. The name is also a bit deceiving as there wasn’t that much wild rice in the dish. There was a lot more brown rice than wild, which is understandable given the cost of wild rice.

Would I order it again? It wouldn’t be at the top of my list, but I might consider it.

BBQ Tofu with Carrots and Kale

I’m pleased that there are a handful of vegetarian options through ModifyHealth. Unfortunately, this isn’t one I would recommend.

The veggies and rice were good in both texture and taste. And the dish was visually appealing. But, the tofu was terrible! Now, I’m not one of those meat-loving tofu haters. I actually enjoy tofu when it is done right. This was not done right!

The tofu was dry, spongy, and rubbery. In fact it squeaked as I ate it. The tofu came as one big chunk. After a few bites I broke it up into bits to mix with the rice and veggies, which made it a little more tolerable. Still, I ended up throwing most of the tofu away. So naturally that left me scrounging for more food.

Would I order it again? Hard pass! And based on this experience I think I would pass on the other tofu dishes as well.

Layered Chicken Enchiladas

My husband tried this one, so I’m going entirely off his reports here. And the report was… not great. The flavors were there, but he described the texture and taste of the corn tortillas as “soggy cardboard”.

Would I order it again? Based on his report, probably not. I know he wouldn’t eat it again.

Mac & Cheese with BBQ Roasted Chicken and Broccoli

Mac and cheese, barbecue, broccoli – dang! This one sounded fantastic! But sadly, it didn’t live up to expectations. The chicken was tough. The noodles in the mac and cheese were soggy (yes, gluten-free noodles are prone to this). And the overall dish was swimming in water.

The flavors were ok. Not offensive, but not pronounced. But again, the textures just killed it for me.

Would I order it again? Definitely not.

Suggestions for Ordering from ModifyHealth

I would invite you all to try ModifyHealth (affiliate link) for yourselves and see what you think, but consider the following based on our experience and the above ModifyHealth meal reviews…

Avoid the eggs. Granted this was based on one meal. But the texture was just bad. Unless you like eating wet sponges, I’d skip it.

Avoid intact chicken breasts. We found the chicken breasts to be tough and dry. But the pulled chicken and chicken thighs were enjoyable in flavor and texture.

Avoid large blocks of tofu. Squeak, squeak, squeak! This was the worst of the worst. If you’ve never had tofu before, don’t start here – you will never want to try it again! I think if it was a tofu scramble or something it may have been better.

Avoid noodles. Gluten-free noodles tend to be fragile. They don’t hold up well as leftovers. And not surprisingly, they didn’t hold up well in these meals either. Skip them.

Go for mixed dishes, chicken thighs, and beef. And opt for quinoa and rice instead of noodles or tortillas.

There are a good handful of dishes we didn’t try that I think might be pretty good. If I were to order again, here are a few I would consider based on our experience with other meals:

• Quinoa and Veggie Bowl with Chipotle
• BBQ Pulled Chicken with Broccoli and Roasted Potatoes
• Beef Skillet with Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes
• Paprika Salmon with Herb-Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans
• Savory Pot Roast with Thyme and Rosemary
• Stuffed Pepper Casserole and Green Beans with Basil Pesto
• Sweet and Spicy Chicken with Bell Pepper and Sweet Potato

Other Low FODMAP Meal Services

My review of ModifyHealth isn’t what you might call “glowing”, but I still think it is a decent option for the right person. But you might be wondering… Are there other low FODMAP meal services out there?

Well, yes! But only one as far as I know. The other low FODMAP meal delivery service is called Epicured.

Have I tried it? Yes, I have – as part of a promotion offered to dietitians. But it was over a year ago and it looks like a lot has changed with Epicured since then. I did enjoy most of the meals I tried with Epicured. The flavors were good, they had a nice selection, and they even offered snacks.

Overall, I’d say I was more impressed with Epicured than with ModifyHealth. However, it comes at a higher price point that was comparable to eating at a restaurant. You can use my affiliate code L12UX to get a discount if you would like to try Epicured.

In Conclusion

This review of ModifyHealth is completely subjective and there are plenty of people who may argue that the meal service is better (or worse) than I claim. If you consider yourself a foodie, like me, ModifyHealth’s meals might not be a great fit with rather bland flavors and some off-textures.

Will this stop me from recommending it to clients? Well, it depends on the client.

For people who are looking for low FODMAP meals to fill their bellies without thinking too hard or dirtying up their kitchen, ModifyHealth might be worth a shot… If there are no significant financial constraints.

ModifyHealth might also be a good choice for those who are too busy to meal plan and cook, those who hate cooking, or those who want to stock their freezer with low FODMAP options for the occasional heat-and-eat meal.

Honestly, the service isn’t bad, but it could also be better. And maybe it will evolve in the future. If you’ve tried ModifyHealth or another low FODMAP meal service, please let other readers know what you thought in the comments below!

And if you are looking for help with your low FODMAP diet, book a connection call with me today!