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Written by 
David Watsky

Written by 
Corin Cesaric-Epple

Article updated on 

David Watsky Managing Editor / Home and Kitchen

David lives in Brooklyn where he’s spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

David earned his BA from Northeastern and has toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom.

Right now he’s likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or tinkering with a toaster. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week.

Expertise Kitchen tools | Appliances | Food science | Subscriptions | Meal kits

Corin Cesaric-Epple Editor

Corin Cesaric-Epple is an Editor at CNET covering home and kitchen tech and meal kits, and reporting regularly on artificial intelligence. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Before joining CNET, she covered crime at People Magazine and national and international news for NBC Local Television Stations.

Expertise Home | Kitchen | Meal Kits | Appliances | AI

The Mediterranean diet has long been considered one of the healthiest diets to follow by nutrition experts. That’s thanks to its balanced emphasis on healthy fats, whole grains, legumes, fruits and veggies, with limits on sodium, processed foods, refined carbs and saturated and trans fats.

Marley Spoon offers more than 100 recipes each week, and there’s even a Mediterranean meal preference you can choose when picking your plan. The description under the plan reads: “Balanced, heart-healthy recipes that prioritize plant-based foods, ‘good’ fats and are lower in sodium.” There is also a pescatarian option, among others.


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Pros

  • Extremely fresh ingredients
  • Thoughtful recipes


Cons

  • On the pricey side at $9-13/serving

Overall, Green Chef is the best healthy meal kit service we’ve tested. The ingredients are fresh, the recipes are compelling and most of the meals don’t take more than 30 minutes to make.


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Pros

  • Allows protein swaps
  • Most ingredients are organic


Cons

  • Can be pricey at $14/serving
  • Smaller selection than Marley Spoon

ModifyHealth’s Mediterranean diet-inspired meal program leaves nothing to chance. This prepared meal service puts your health goals front and center and offers a more rigorous selection of Blue Zone meals, allowing less room for impulse or human error. 


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Pros

  • There’s a specific Mediterranean diet program
  • Optional one-on-one support from an expert dietitian for an extra cost


Cons

  • Some meals needed extra seasoning

If you’re not keen on cooking, CookUnity delivers boxes of prepared meals, and the quality rivals any service I’ve tested. The subscription sources recipes from a collective of chefs across the country, with no shortage of Mediterranean diet-friendly options on the menu.


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Pros

  • Many meal options that fit every diet


Cons

  • Some meals can be very high in sodium

If you want to eat as they do in the Blue Zones, you’ll need access to seafood. Fresh fish is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, but it isn’t always easy to hook, depending on where you live. A reliable seafood delivery service will help keep your fridge or freezer stocked with healthy salmon, arctic char, tuna and trout to keep your Mediterranean diet in form. 


Jump to details


Pros

  • Huge selection
  • Sustainable practices
  • Small portions available


Cons

  • Expensive, starting at $14/dish
  • Shipping cost can be high, but is free over $150

This subscription service sources from sustainable fishermen, and Sizzlefish’s Wild Seafood Box contains only that — wild seafood — which earns better overall nutrition scores than farmed fish. 


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Pros

  • Almost everything is wild-caught
  • Affordable options


Cons

  • Smaller variety than Fulton Fish Market

Fresh fruits and vegetables also play a central role in the Mediterranean diet, and our favorite produce delivery services can help you keep a steady supply on hand. Misfits Market, which sources odd-looking but perfectly edible produce to keep prices low, is our top subscription pick.


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Pros

  • Flexible options for subscription or shop-as-needed membership
  • Competitive pricing

Nuts and seeds are another food group to prioritize if you’re aiming for a Blue Zone lifestyle. Nuts.com offers dozens of healthy varieties that work well in recipes or as a midday snack. The service also provides curated boxes and a recurring subscription option if you’d rather not build a custom order each month.


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Pros

  • Dozens of healthy nut varieties
  • Offers curated boxes and a recurring subscription


Cons

  • Some users report a decline in quality over the years
  • Prices can be high

To live like a Blue Zone inhabitant, you have to drink like one, and that means plenty of red wine. The Mediterranean diet allows — nay, encourages — a daily glass of red for women and two glasses for men. To keep a flow of good wine coming in, try one of these CNET-tested wine clubs.


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Pros

  • Rating algorithm learns your likes and dislikes
  • $99 for six bottles per month

Mediterranean diet benefits include supporting a healthy body weight, healthy blood sugar levels and a healthy gut microbiome, as well as lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Many meat kits and meal delivery services have recognized the popularity and benefits of the Mediterranean diet, launching complementary menus and even plans in response. If you’re looking to give the Mediterranean diet a try, but don’t want to take on all of the effort of preparing everything yourself, one of the following meal services can help. They deliver Mediterranean diet-friendly ingredients — and even entire meals — right to your door.

Best meal delivery services for the Mediterranean diet

Pros

  • Extremely fresh ingredients
  • Thoughtful recipes

Cons

  • On the pricey side at $9-13/serving

Marley Spoon offers more than 100 recipes each week, and there’s even a Mediterranean meal preference you can choose when picking your plan. The description under the plan reads: “Balanced, heart-healthy recipes that prioritize plant-based foods, ‘good’ fats and are lower in sodium.” There is also a pescatarian option, among others.

Marley Spoon offers creative, never-boring recipes and an unusually large selection of seafood each week, which helps keep meals interesting since the Mediterranean diet emphasizes lean proteins like chicken, turkey and fish.

Pros

  • Allows protein swaps
  • Most ingredients are organic

Cons

  • Can be pricey at $14/serving
  • Smaller selection than Marley Spoon

Overall, Green Chef is the best healthy meal kit service we’ve tested. The ingredients are fresh, the recipes are compelling and most of the meals don’t take more than 30 minutes to make.

There are more than 80 recipes to choose from each month, and, like Marley Spoon, there’s a Mediterranean preference you can choose when picking your plan. Most of the recipes feel like they’ve been plucked from an Italian, Greek or Turkish cookbook, and, as the first CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers)-certified organic meal kit company, many of Green Chef’s recipes use organic ingredients.

Pros

  • There’s a specific Mediterranean diet program
  • Optional one-on-one support from an expert dietitian for an extra cost

Cons

  • Some meals needed extra seasoning

ModifyHealth’s Mediterranean diet-inspired meal program leaves nothing to chance. This prepared meal service puts your health goals front and center and offers a more rigorous selection of Blue Zone meals, allowing less room for impulse or human error. 

You can use regimented foods to improve heart health, control diabetes, or root out GI issues through a calculated elimination diet. Choose the Mediterranean diet plan to receive weekly meal deliveries made exclusively with ingredients allowed under the popular nutrition program. Each menu cycle offers more than 30 options, with meals priced around $13 and a minimum order of six meals per week. The food is expertly prepared, although it’s deliberately shy on salt and may need a pinch from time to time.

Pros

  • Many meal options that fit every diet

Cons

  • Some meals can be very high in sodium

If you’re not keen on cooking, CookUnity delivers boxes of prepared meals, and the quality rivals any service I’ve tested. The subscription sources recipes from a collective of chefs across the country, with no shortage of Mediterranean diet-friendly options on the menu.

The options vary by region and season, but you’ll find as many as 15 seafood dishes (lots of salmon) to choose from, along with even more that use lean chicken or vegetables. This service emphasizes interesting, inventive fare that aligns with a healthy diet filled with lean meats, healthy fats and green vegetables.

Pros

  • Huge selection
  • Sustainable practices
  • Small portions available

Cons

  • Expensive, starting at $14/dish
  • Shipping cost can be high, but is free over $150

If you want to eat as they do in the Blue Zones, you’ll need access to seafood. Fresh fish is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, but it isn’t always easy to hook, depending on where you live. A reliable seafood delivery service will help keep your fridge or freezer stocked with healthy salmon, arctic char, tuna and trout to keep your Mediterranean diet in form. 

Fulton Fish Market is a great place to start. This fresh fish delivery service sources from one of the largest fish markets in the world, and packs any of its hundreds of seafood varieties for you with next-day shipping. Fulton is pricier than Sizzlefish, with subscriptions starting at $130 for six portions, but the quality and selection are unmatched by any service I’ve tested.

Pros

  • Almost everything is wild-caught
  • Affordable options

Cons

  • Smaller variety than Fulton Fish Market

This subscription service sources from sustainable fishermen, and Sizzlefish’s Wild Seafood Box contains only that — wild seafood — which earns better overall nutrition scores than farmed fish. 

Fish fillets are flash-frozen and packed with dry ice before being shipped to your door, ready for thawing and cooking — or refreezing for later. Each box contains up to 12 portions for $130 per month. You can choose your selections or let Sizzlefish curate a box of wild-caught seafood for you.

Pros

  • Flexible options for subscription or shop-as-needed membership
  • Competitive pricing

Fresh fruits and vegetables also play a central role in the Mediterranean diet, and our favorite produce delivery services can help you keep a steady supply on hand. Misfits Market, which sources odd-looking but perfectly edible produce to keep prices low, is our top subscription pick.

Others we’ve loved, including Thrive Market and Hungryroot (a hybrid grocery delivery and meal kit service), offer a more robust grocery selection to fortify your good habits.

Pros

  • Dozens of healthy nut varieties
  • Offers curated boxes and a recurring subscription

Cons

  • Some users report a decline in quality over the years
  • Prices can be high

Nuts and seeds are another food group to prioritize if you’re aiming for a Blue Zone lifestyle. Nuts.com offers dozens of healthy varieties that work well in recipes or as a midday snack. The service also provides curated boxes and a recurring subscription option if you’d rather not build a custom order each month.

Pros

  • Rating algorithm learns your likes and dislikes
  • $99 for six bottles per month

To live like a Blue Zone inhabitant, you have to drink like one, and that means plenty of red wine. The Mediterranean diet allows — nay, encourages — a daily glass of red for women and two glasses for men. To keep a flow of good wine coming in, try one of these CNET-tested wine clubs.

Firstleaf is our favorite wine club for most, with plans starting at $99 (currently $45 for new members) for six bottles per month. You can select all red in keeping with the diet’s parameters, and the rating algorithm will quickly learn your likes and dislikes, suggesting new and interesting red wines to add to your rack.  

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.


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