Nosh (healthy frozen meal delivery)

[adamu]

I just signed up so can't vouch for them yet, but joining via this link gets you and me 3x1000 yen coupons each.

https://nosh.jp/share/friend-202103/tDNMd

Not sure if the link expires, but if so can re-issue if you send me a PM

(Edit: link is now Haystack's link from further down in the thread)

[OkiBum]

Interesting. Let us know how the taste is. Very keen on this!

[RetireJapan]

Seeing online ads for this everywhere now (thanks, adamu )

[KCLenny]

Would be interested in this too if it’s cheap.

[Teflon]

I subscribed to their service at the beginning of the pandemic just after I started working from home full-time. So that was maybe April or May of 2020. It was very convenient and the price per meal was on par with a combini bento (about 600 yen per meal) but Nosh is much healthier and more satisfying.

The main problem was finding room in my freezer for the 10 weekly meals I would get. These things take up a lot of space and if you have any meals left over from the previous week it begins to add up quick! Also, the selection of entrees is very good but if you're a picky eater (like me) you'll be lucky if you can identify 10 different meals that you like. I mainly stuck to 5 different meal types that I liked and doubled up on them to get the 10 per week.

However, it got boring after a while and I ended up canceling after about six months. If you are not a picky eater and you eat the same number of meals regularly then probably there would be no issues. It was definitely a convenient service but ultimately didn't work well for my tastes and my irregular eating habits.

[adamu]

It's going well so far - 4 meals in. I've tried the fish, chicken, pork and beef dishes.

Teflon's review is accurate.

The meals are tasty and well balanced - much better than your average frozen food. The boxes are split into four compartments - a big one for the main (which usually has some kind of dressing and a couple of garnishes) and three small compartments for sides: these are also well-flavoured. It's probably as close to home cooking as you will get in a frozen meal

I have the same criticism about the size of the boxes - 10 of them will fit in a standard Japanese freezer but then you won't get anything else in there (for one person, a family size one will be fine but you'll have to make space). For me one of these is not enough for a satisfying meal without adding some carbs (rice, typically). Another thing I wonder is the sodium content. They have up to 2.5g salt equivalent in each meal. The UK RDA is 6g (the Japanese guideline is higher - 8g for men, 7g for women) so it's on the high side, but manageable I suppose - and definitely helps it taste good!

[Haystack]

I just signed up so can't vouch for them yet, but joining via this link gets you and me 3x1000 yen coupons each.

https://nosh.jp/share/friend-202103/0Q5Y8

Not sure if the link expires, but if so can re-issue if you send me a PM

Just signed up for 6 meals as a trial!

[adamu]

For me it didn't work out to be so healthy after all. I check my cholesterol levels regularly, and readings went from borderline high when eating nosh every day to very good when replacing nosh with home cooked pasta (with fish, no meat) and occasional sushi dinners.

I might be abnormally sensitive to fatty foods though. Even Japanese bread (contains margarine/shortening) sends me off the charts.

[captainspoke]

For me it didn't work out to be so healthy after all. I check my cholesterol levels regularly, and readings went from borderline high when eating nosh every day to very good when replacing nosh with home cooked pasta (with fish, no meat) and occasional sushi dinners....

It's google-able, there's at least a tentative link between high carb consumption and elevated cholesterol. I think the carbs have to be processed (at least not complex), and maybe also with a simultaneous low fat tactic. Something about this can trick a person's body (liver) into compensation mode--producing more cholesterol on its own.

[adamu]

For me it didn't work out to be so healthy after all. I check my cholesterol levels regularly, and readings went from borderline high when eating nosh every day to very good when replacing nosh with home cooked pasta (with fish, no meat) and occasional sushi dinners....

It's google-able, there's at least a tentative link between high carb consumption and elevated cholesterol. I think the carbs have to be processed (at least not complex), and maybe also with a simultaneous low fat tactic.

The book Fat Chance goes into it in detail. However, in my own experience processed carbs do not seem to have much effect, but saturated and trans fats do. So no cheese or ice cream for me, but bread (not shokupan) and pasta are fine.

In general, nothing beats simple home cooked whole foods.