Fit Food Home — A Healthy Bento Delivery Service in Japan
Like nearly everyone else, I’ve been spending way more time at home due to Japan’s State of Emergency. Some days I love trying new recipes for my family and other days I dread getting back in the kitchen. Seriously, just how many times do these people need to eat?! We could do delivery again, but in my area, there’ s only pizza places, curry, and family restaurants. At least now I have a new option with Fit Food Home — a healthy bento delivery service in Japan.
Disclosure: Tavenal reached out to me to promote the relaunch of their Dish Plate meal service on Instagram. This post is independent of that promotion and is a review based on my opinions.
What is Fit Food Home?
Fit Food Home is a product of Tavenal, a Japanese food service that delivers well-balanced meals to Japanese offices and homes.
Tavenal takes the adage, “You are what you eat,” and turns it into, “Eat what you wish to become” — literally. Tavenal (pronounced “tabenaru” in Japanese) is a combination of the words “eat” and “become.”
Behind Tavenal is a team of medical professionals, health care workers, and dieticians bringing delicious and nutritious meals to tables across Japan.
What attracted me to Fit Food Home meals is that they are a health-conscious alternative to bento. Bento, prepackaged Japanese meals, are affordable and very convenient, and typically found in convenience stores and supermarkets. But, they’re not exactly the most nutritious option.
On the other hand, Fit Food Home meals are handmade by chefs, and they’re free of artificial flavors, colorings, and preservatives. All ingredients are grown in Japan, and the rice is pesticide free.
Now, healthy bento delivery services are not uncommon in Japan. But, what makes Fit Food Fun different is that all meals arrive frozen, so you can store them in your freezer. What’s more, Fit Food Meals use no artificial preservatives whatsoever. It uses only natural preservatives to prevent spoilage.
Even if you have just a basic grasp of food kanji, you’ll be able to read nearly everything on the label!
Ingredient list for Hamburger Steak with Cheese and Teriyaki Sauce: pork, onions, natural cheese, soybeans, beef, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, fried bean curd, squid, yellow bell peppers, dark soy sauce, green onions, cane sugar, eggs, carrots, bread crumbs, mirn, okara, bamboo shoots, potato starch, dark vinegar, ketchup, flour, salt, ginger, nutmeg, sesame oil, nigari, vitamin C (may contain wheat, eggs, dairy, soy beans, beef, chicken, pork, squid, sesame)
How To Prepare
Fit Fun Home meals arrive frozen. Before reheating, let them thaw out in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Peel away a bit of one corner, then place in the microwave for 90 seconds at 700 W.
Here is a Fit Food Home label as a reference:
[Nutrition Facts] Calories: 284.4kcal/Protein: 24.9g/Total Fats: 13.6g/Carbohydrates: 15.5g/Dietary Fiber: 2.5g/Sugar: 13.1/Sodium: 1.3g
[Product Name] Hamburger Steak with Cheese and Teriyaki Sauce
[Best By Date] 2021.4.21
[Manufacturer] AIVICK 3-2-11 Otaguchidoori, Tomiyama-shi, Tomiyama Prefecture
[How To Prepare] (1) Let meal thaw for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator. (2) Microwave for 90 seconds at 700W *Be sure to peel back the lid slightly before reheating in the microwave
Fit Food Home — A Healthy Bento Delivery Service in Japan
Fit Food Home Meals
Choose from 4 different meal plans:
Dish Plate — おかずプレート
Dish Plate meals consist of one main dish and two sides. They are 5,800 yen for 10 meals.
Supplement Rice — サプリごはん
“Suppli” (short for “supplement”) are packages of pesticide-free rice fortified with minerals and vitamins. This rice is mixed with konnyaku (devil’s tongue) for a filling serving that also reduces your sugar and carb consumption. Suppli Rice is 4,800 yen for a set of 10 meals.
Mama Meal — ママミール
These meals are formulated with the nutritional health of pregnant and nursing women in mind. Mama Meals are fortified with folic acid, B12, B6, Vitamins D & E, iron, magnesium, calcium and fiber. These come in a two tier bento and include a serving of konnyaku rice, a main dish and 4 sides. Mama Meals are 5,800 yen for a set of 5 meals.
Diet Meal — ダイエットミール
For those counting calories but don’t want to restrict themselves to portion control. Diet meals are around 400 kcal each. In one study, participants who replaced just one meal with a Diet Meal lost an average of 4 kg in 3 months.
Like Mama Meals, these come in a two-tier bento and include a serving of konnyaku rice, a main dish and 4 sides. Diet Meals are 5,800 yen for a set of 5 meals.
Fit Food Home — The Review
I like that all the ingredients are made in Japan and the rice is 100% pesticide free. The containers are super compact so they take up little space in the fridge, freezer, or trash can.
Although the portions are smaller than bento, I feel like the prices are reasonable considering the quality of ingredients involved.
To be clear, one Dish Plate and one Suppli Rice was enough for me and my daughter to eat. She’s content with karaage and nori seaweed strips anyway, though!
On the other hand, my husband felt that the Dish Plate portions were too small (but delicious!).
(For reference, I’m comparing the price of one Fit Food Home meal to an Oisix Meal Kit for two. Oisix Meal Kits range from 1,180 yen to 1,690 yen and come with almost all the ingredients you need to make a meal.)
I definitely would stock my freezer with a few Dish Plates. But, I’d also need to keep one or two in my fridge as a backup because they need to be thawed completely before reheating.
If you would like to try Fit Food Home, Tavenal is currently offering a Trial Set, which consists of 2 Dish Plates and 2 Supplement Rice packs, for 1,480 yen. Details here: https://store.tavenal.com/set/trial-set
Fit Food Home is one of 7 Japanese subscription services that I have tried so far. Check out the other entries, and I do hope you’ll find a service that interests you!
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