NextAdvisor.com Releases 2014 Diet Taste Test Results

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- NextAdvisor.com, a leading consumer information web site, has announced the results of its 2014 diet meal taste test. Meal delivery diet programs conveniently deliver healthy and portion-controlled meals to your doorstep, offering an easy-to-follow meal regimen for people who want to get on track to a healthier lifestyle.

While all of these programs are effective in theory, the actual taste of the food is an important factor in the dieter's ability to stick with the plan. NextAdvisor's annual taste test and associated diet program reviews can help prospective dieters choose the diet plan that maximizes their opportunity for success.

NextAdvisor anonymously ordered a week's worth of standard meal plans from top diet programs including Bistro MD, 17 Day Diet, Jenny Craig, Diet-to-Go and Nutrisystem. Participants paid out of pocket, and posed as regular consumers wanting to start a diet plan. The results of the taste test varied from previous NextAdvisor taste tests from October 2010, January 2012 and January 2013, placing 2012's winner, Bistro MD, back in the top spot.  

"With a new year comes new health goals ¾ we want to make sure that people who are interested in starting a diet program in the new year know what they're getting into before making the monetary commitment," said Lifestyle Editor Polina Polishchuk. "Since many of these services change their inventory, it is important for us to have the most updated insight on these programs as possible, since we believe that people want to know how the food will actually taste."

Twelve individuals of varying ages, both male and female, participated in the taste test. Since the taste test was done blind, the testers never saw the brands they tasted or any other identifiers. Participants in the taste test sampled each meal, rating the taste on a scale of 1 to 10 and providing additional comments. Their commentary was brutally honest – with feedback ranging from "chicken is juicy and flavorful" to "pizza crust tastes like cardboard."

"This was a completely independent taste test. We had no input from the diet companies and the taste-testers had no idea which brand they were trying." said Polishchuk. "The overall scores you see in the taste test chart are the outcomes of averaging the ratings from breakfast, lunch and dinner of each plan."

So who is the tastiest? Bistro MD came in first, followed by 17 Day Diet (whose food is made by Bistro MD), Jenny Craig, Diet-to-Go (last year's winner) and Nutrisystem. While Bistro MD's ratings for breakfast, lunch and dinner got five stars across the board, other plans were less consistent, noted Polishchuk. "For example, though Nutrisystem's simple bars and muffins got 5 stars in the breakfast category, their scores plummeted when it came to lunch and dinner." The experts at NextAdvisor believe that these taste factors are important tools for dieters who are deciding which program to try.

The taste test results were only one of several components used to calculate the overall rankings for NextAdvisor's complete diet meal delivery program reviews. Other factors include price, meal portions, fitness tools, and support strength and availability, i.e. access to nutritional experts online, over the phone or in person.

You can read the complete NextAdvisor.com diet food taste test results here:
http://www.nextadvisor.com/diet_services/taste_test.php

See the overall NextAdvisor.com diet program reviews at:
http://www.nextadvisor.com/diet_services/index.php

About NextAdvisor.com:
NextAdvisor.com provides independent reviews of online services for consumers and small businesses. The company's mission is to help its visitors save money and make optimal buying decisions by presenting them with useful comparisons and reviews of service providers and a clear explanation of each service and how it works. The company currently reviews, compares and explains many different types of services including credit cards, credit report monitoring, web hosting, online backup, internet fax, VoIP, and identity theft protection.

SOURCE NextAdvisor.com