Silver Cuisine Meal Delivery Review

Silver Cuisine Review

The sole purpose of Silver Cuisine by bistroMD is to provide meals that satisfy the dietary needs of seniors. All the recipes for the meal delivery service are designed by Dr. Caroline Cederquist, who is board-certified in bariatric medicine. Bariatric medicine is the study of how our bodies break down the food we eat and turn it into fuel.

The meals are prepared by chefs and made with zero trans-fat, no added MSG, fillers or nitrates. Silver Cuisines by bistroMD says its meals are made with the freshest ingredients and have 74 percent less fat, 49 percent less sodium, and 25 percent more fiber than the frozen meals you find in the grocery store.

History and Popularity

Silver Cuisine is a division of bistroMD. BistroMD was founded in 2005 by Dr. Cederquist and her husband and is considered a leader in the meal delivery business. Dr. Cederquist saw a unique need among seniors who need proper nutrition but weren’t always able to provide it for themselves. So, she started the Silver Cuisine division in 2016 as an avenue to provide the proper nutrition and keep seniors independent longer.

Dr. Cederquist uses her knowledge and expertise in bariatric medicine to design recipes specifically for the dietary needs of anyone over the age of 50.

How to Order

The Silver Cuisine by bistroMD website is fairly easy to navigate. It has a lot of information related to the meal delivery service, but also has a section with information important to seniors. Everything from ways to get more fruits and vegetables in your diet to why your blood pressure may be fluctuating.

There’s a tab at the top of the website called “How It Works.” You can get started there by clicking on the “Select Meals” tab. There are more than 150 meal options to choose from. Simply select the meals you want and head to checkout to create an account and pay for your order.

There are breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks to pick from. The company also caters to anyone in need of Heart Healthy, Gluten Free, Diabetic Friendly, Low Sodium, Low Carb, Menopause, Dairy Free or Mediterranean food options.

If you aren’t internet savvy or just prefer to use the phone, you can call 1-844-404-FOOD (3663) and order your meals.

Selecting Your Meals

Silver Cuisine says all of its meals can be used as part of a healthy eating plan. You can pick and choose whatever meal you would like to try and order it. But if you have chronic conditions or restricted dietary needs, the meal service does provide specific menus.

Heart Healthy: Meals are either at or below the American Heart Association’s recommendations for calories and total fat. The meals have less than 600mg of sodium and less than 3.5 grams of saturated fat.

Gluten Free: The meals do not contain wheat, rye or barley and are tested to the Food and Drug Administration’s gluten free standard. The meals are made in a separate kitchen in order to keep them free of gluten cross-contamination.

Diabetic Friendly: Each meal has 25 grams or less of net carbs.

Low Sodium: Meals are either at or below the American Heart Associations recommendations for calories, sodium, total fat and saturated fat. Each meal has 600mg or less of sodium.

Low Carb: Each meal has 25 grams or less of net carbs.

Menopause Friendly: Meals support hormone regulation by reducing carbs and using lean proteins.

Dairy Free: No dairy is used in the preparation of these meals.

Mediterranean: All meals are prepared using ingredients inspired by the Mediterranean area.

Types of Meals

There are more than 150 meals to choose from and you can shop based on the category you are interested in. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, you can pick and choose the food you want.

For breakfast you can choose from these categories: frittatas, omelets and scrambles, pancakes and waffles, crepes and wraps, and breakfast sandwiches.

Lunch and dinner categories include beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seafood, pasta, plant-based, and soups and stews. Most of the meat dishes come with at least one vegetable, sometimes two.

Snacks are divided into these categories: sweet and salty crisps, cookies and bars, cheesecakes, jerky, shakes, nuts and fruit. None of the snacks require any preparation on your part, including the shakes which are in a grab and go in a bottle.

Meal Preparation

The meals are prepared by Silver Cuisine chefs and then flash frozen, which means they are frozen quickly to keep ice crystals from forming on the food. Meal preparation is quick and easy. There are instructions on each package, but the meals can be taken directly from the freezer and placed in the microwave.

Quality

The food is prepared by chefs who strive to give you healthy, restaurant quality choices. The ingredients are fresh and hand-picked and prepared in specialty kitchens. Sometimes, because of the packaging, the gravies or sauces may mix with the sides or you may have excess water in the warming trays. Transferring the food to different dishes may help with that issue.

Cost

The overall cost of the products is fairly reasonable, especially when you compare it with other meal delivery services.

Breakfast meals start around $6.49 for the Bagel Sandwich with Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Swiss. The highest priced items for the first meal of the day are crepes like the Ricotta Crepe with Berry Compote. It will cost $9.89. But most of the breakfast items run around seven or eight dollars apiece.

As you might expect, lunch and dinner portions are the most expensive menu items, but they’re still reasonably priced. You can get Chicken Meatballs with Lentils and Spiced Tomato Sauce for as low as $6.99. The seafood dishes are on the higher end cost-wise. Grilled Salmon with Dill Mustard Sauce will cost you $13.99 a serving. Most lunch and dinner meals will run between ten and eleven dollars on average.

Snacks come in packages of five to eight count and can range in price. A six pack of Pine-Orange Punch Protein Shakes will cost $17.99. The shakes are the highest priced items on the snack menu. The Very Berry Boost is a fruit and nut mix. It comes with five servings and costs $10.99. Most snack boxes run between 12 and 14 dollars.

The website offers continual discounts on orders – either a percentage off your total or a discounted price on certain foods, so there are ways to make your order even cheaper.

Delivery

Silver Cuisine by bistroMD can be delivered anywhere in the United States except Alaska and Hawaii. The company only ships from its frozen distribution center Monday through Wednesday. So, any order received after 11:59 PM Eastern time on Wednesday will not be shipped until the following Monday.

Once you place the order, allow up to two business days for your order to be processed. Once it’s processed, it will take between two and five days to arrive at your home. Packages are delivered by FedEx Ground.

Shipping is costly. Regular shipping will cost you $19.95. If you select expedited shipping, you will be charged $39.95.

Packaging

Your food will arrive frozen at your doorstep in insulated coolers that are packed with dry ice. Recycling is important to Silver Cuisine by bistroMD. All the orders are shipped using boxes made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and are printed using vegetable-based ink. The insulated coolers are made with at least 60 percent post-consumer recycled foam products.

You don’t have to be home for the delivery to be made, but Silver Cuisine by bistroMD recommends that you unpack your order immediately after it arrives or as soon as possible and put the meals in the freezer. The company claims the meals will stay fresh for up to one year after the date of production if they are stored in the freezer.

Depending on what you order, the box can be rather large, but seniors should not have too much trouble managing it.

Subscriptions and Plans

Silver Cuisine by bistroMD doesn’t require a subscription and you can choose whatever meal or snack you would like to try at any time.

Cancelling Your Plan

There is no membership fee, contract, or commitment necessary, so you can stop ordering from Silver Cuisine by bistroMD for any reason or at any time. You decide what meals you receive, how many and how often.

It’s important to note, that because the food you are shipped is perishable, it can not be returned. Once your order is picked up by FedEx, the shipment cannot be cancelled.

Summary

Silver Cuisine by bistroMD is a great option for seniors who are looking for meals that are easy to prepare, fairly inexpensive and healthy. Weight gain can become an issue as we get older, because we aren’t as active as we once were. But this meal delivery service, if you use it regularly, can help you maintain or possibly even lose weight. Most importantly, being able to order and prepare your own meals quickly and easily can help you maintain your independence longer.