Thistle vs. Daily Harvest: Which Meal Delivery Makes Healthy Eating Easy?

I’m a Pilates instructor and just a general lover of all things wellness, but I’m also so busy that I never find myself in the kitchen. I tried meal prepping and takeout, but meal prepping takes hours between the grocery shopping, prepping, cooking, cleaning (who has time for that?!). And the takeout I buy myself is always unhealthy.

My ideal solution? Having nutrient-dense and delicious foods shipped right to my door, so I don’t have to suck up time chopping veggie after veggie. Enter: Thistle and Daily Harvest, two highly popular meal delivery services that I heard about from friends.

I took both for a test drive, and here’s what I thought:

If you want delicious meals that are fresh, not frozen… Thistle

Why stay loyal to a meal delivery if you don’t love the taste, right? With Thistle, I was so impressed by the rainbow of colors that showed up in my meals—and they didn’t disappoint.

Thistle offers a wide variety of delicious meals that’ll please even the pickiest eater. They deliver ready-to-eat dishes that are full of fresh, crisp, cool greens to satisfy all your nutritional needs. My favorites are the Crispy Chickpea Mediterranean Salad and the Green Grain Taco Salad 😋🥗. So yummy, plant-based, and filling? Sign me up!

Daily Harvest offers some great options, but everything comes frozen, and it doesn’t deliver on that crispy, crunchy, fresh texture I crave.

If you want more variety in your meal plan… Thistle

I don’t want healthy eating to feel boring or like a chore, so it’s not ideal when meals get repetitive. Thankfully, Thistle’s meals, which are designed by nutritionists and brought to life by chefs, have a rotating menu with seasonal offerings.

Daily Harvest offers around over 100 options, but their menu items are mostly permanent. While it’s nice knowing exactly what you’re going to get, I missed Thistle’s variety!

If you want a meal plan that adjusts to dietary restrictions… It’s a tie

Thistle is dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten free, and while the meals are plant-based, you have the option to add sustainable meats like pork and poultry, if you want. On top of that, Thistle can accommodate many dietary restrictions, you can select the number of meals, or swap meals as desired. 🙌

Daily Harvest is plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy free, but since the menu doesn’t change very much, I found I was missing fresh, seasonal changes.

If you want less prep time… Thistle

Daily Harvest is known for their smoothies, which require getting out that blender (and potentially making a mess while you’re at it). For best results, you have to have a milk option on hand, and sometimes my fridge is completely empty….hence why I’m getting my meals delivered in the first place, anyway!

Many of Thistle’s meals are ready-to-eat,—no planning, prepping, or shopping required. And they’re so healthy:

• 40+ superfoods – like turmeric and spirulina – across Thistle’s menu 🧘🤸
• An average of 5.8 fruits and veggies per meal 🥦🥕🥬
• Packed with protein and fiber 💪

So I know I’m getting the vitamins and minerals my body needs!

And my winner is… Thistle!

After comparing Thistle vs. Daily Harvest, I’ve decided to stick with Thistle. While Daily Harvest offers nutritious options, too, Thistle takes all the hassle out of fueling myself. I love that the menu is always changing based on what’s fresh and in season, and I never have to think about what foods to make for which days — everything is planned for me!