We Tested Over 50 Meal-Delivery Services — These 11 Were the Best Low-Sodium Ones for Your Heart and Kidney Health

Mom's Meals is more affordable than many other services, costing $7.99 to $8.99 per serving. Some Medicare or Medicaid recipients may qualify for free or reduced-cost meals. It also offers a number of other medically tailored menus (including renal- and diabetes-friendly), which are designed by registered dietitians and made with minimally processed ingredients.

Our tester Julie Cunningham, RD, notes that while the portions are small for most adults, they are appropriately sized for the target market of older adults. But she cautions that the meals don't contain many vegetables. "I think older adults who can no longer cook at home but choose to stay in their homes would benefit from the nutrition in these meals," she says. However, 800 mg may be too high per serving for people with a stricter sodium restriction like 1,500 mg per day.

Sprinly's fresh prepared meals also contain a very balanced level of sodium. They are minimally processed, so they don't contain many salt-rich ingredients, and most total 200 mg to 500 mg of sodium per serving. Its menu includes meals like Roasted Tahini "Butter" Sweet Potatoes With Red Rice and Sweet Lemon Kale, and Royal Beet Medallions With Ancient Quinoa and Greens.

I tried Sprinly for a week, and I was pleasantly surprised by the large portions and interesting flavor combinations. I appreciated that the meals feature only organic ingredients. However, many of Sprinly’s meals are low in protein, and Sprinly is one of the most expensive meal-delivery services around — with prices starting at $18.05 per serving.

Magic Kitchen's low-sodium and CKD-friendly meals all contain 700 mg of sodium or less, although most contain fewer than 500 mg. Menu items include Breaded Fish With Parma Rosa Sauce, Corn With Peppers, and Italian Green Beans, as well as Chicken Patty and Penne Pasta Alfredo With Carrots and Butternut Squash.

Our tester Brittany Scaniello, RD, says some of the meals were surprisingly tasty and filling, but some were more like frozen dinners. "This meal service fills a need for those recently discharged from a hospital with severe medical needs, as well as older adults who live alone," she says.

Some older adults may qualify for free or reduced-cost meal delivery from Magic Kitchen. However, the website has several navigation menus, which may be difficult for older adults to use without help.

If you're looking for a wide choice of prepared low-sodium meals so you always have something new to try, CookUnity may be right for you. CookUnity features chef-designed and prepared meals for a variety of tastes and dietary needs. Selections vary based on your area. For my ZIP code in suburban Arkansas, there were 12 low-sodium meals available. In a central California ZIP code, there were 24 low-sodium options.

CookUnity's bestselling low-sodium meals include Chef Ruben Garcia's Pesto Chicken Breast With Roasted Potatoes and Baby Kale Salad, as well as Chefs Bhanu Kakaraparthi and Brad Turner's Creamy Butter Chicken With Basmati Rice. All of the low-sodium meals contain 600 mg of sodium or less.

Our tester Mary Sauer enjoyed her experience with CookUnity. "I really liked the variety of meals and flavors," she says. "I wanted there to be more veggies in the meals, but overall, I liked what I ate." She adds that some of the dishes didn't reheat as well as others, particularly those with potatoes.

Each week Green Chef features a handful of Sodium Smart options, containing fewer than 600 mg of sodium per serving. These options include Salmon Bulgur Bowls and Turmeric Carrots, and Organic Chicken With Farro and Broccoli. Or you can drastically reduce the sodium content of Green Chef's other meals by simply not adding salt to the recipe when it's listed in the instructions.

Tori Martinet, RD, tested Green Chef recently. She likes the protein content and the use of a variety of fruits and vegetables in the meals. However, she notes that produce quality can be hit or miss and that you may receive conventional produce in your box if an organic ingredient isn't available. She was taken aback by the high sodium content of some meals, so it's important to stick with the Sodium Smart category if you've been instructed by your healthcare provider to follow a low-sodium diet.

Most of Splendid Spoon's meals contain less than 700 mg of sodium per serving. These may not fit strict low-sodium diets, but they are a good choice if you're trying to meet the sodium recommendation of 2,300 mg per day for healthy adults. The smoothies and wellness shots are lower in sodium than Splendid Spoon's savory soups, noodles, and entrées. There is no specific low-sodium meal plan or filter to use when browsing the menu, but you can view the complete nutrition facts for all meals before you order.

Our tester Caitlin Beale, RDN, notes that Splendid Spoon's meals can be part of a low-sodium meal plan but shouldn't form the bulk of your meals. "Due to the sodium content, I wouldn't rely just on these for all meals," she says. However, a few each week, balanced with fresh foods, could be a quick and convenient option that's still much lower in sodium than dining out. She adds that some of the portions are small, so they may not be sufficient if you're active or have a large appetite.

While most meal-delivery services offer gluten-free meals, you may want a service that uses only gluten-free ingredients if you have a severe gluten intolerance like celiac disease. Veestro is an excellent choice because all of its meals are fully gluten-free and vegan. Its robust search function allows you to select items based on your exact sodium requirements, down to the milligram.

For example, I filtered for meals with 600 mg of sodium or less per serving, and my search returned 14 options from that week's menu, including a Smashed Black Bean Wrap With Couscous, Hearty Chickpea Stew With Garlic Spinach and Quinoa, and Portuguese White Bean Soup and Garlic Roasted Broccoli in the family size.

Our tester Alexandra Klausner says the flavors were hit or miss and not memorable overall. The portions were on the small side and wouldn't be satisfying for highly active people. But in general, she says this service would be a good option for health-conscious people who need an occasional quick and easy meal.

Hungryroot — both a meal kit and grocery-delivery service — is great for families. In addition to thousands of recipes made from just a few simple ingredients, users can get quick snacks, breakfasts, and desserts as well as grocery staples.

Unfortunately, you can't filter for low-sodium recipes when searching the Hungryroot website. However, after a few minutes of browsing, I found several meals with less than 600 mg of sodium per serving, like Pork Medallions and Garlicky Spinach, and Chicken Avocado Black Bean Bowls. You can also reduce the sodium content of other Hungryroot recipes by omitting salt while you're cooking.

Although using Hungryroot is more expensive than going a grocery store, the flexibility of the subscription makes it a great choice for families with only one person following a low-sodium diet. Our tester Ashley Brafman, RD, says that the meals were satisfying and filling, and came together quickly. However, they were a little boring because they required more assembling than actual cooking.

If you have a family to cook for, you may want a meal-delivery service that provides low-sodium options that are still tasty and crowd-pleasing. Sunbasket delivers meal kits suitable for two or four people, and most of its meals are at or around 800 mg of sodium per serving.

To guarantee that your meals contain 800 mg of sodium or less, stick with meals tagged Lean and Clean, like Steaks With Peppercorn Sauce, Smashed Potatoes, and Spinach, and Sausage and Pear Salad With Pumpkin Seeds and Warm Sage Vinaigrette. To reduce sodium across the board, you can also omit salt while you're preparing these meals.

In addition, Sunbasket has single-serving meals and grocery add-ons. You'll need to check the sodium of each item before ordering.

Martinet was satisfied with Sunbasket, although some of the portions seemed a little small. "Overall these meals felt pretty healthy," she says, "though some were quite high in sodium." If you need to restrict sodium, it's important to stick with the Lean and Clean options. "Not every dish will be a home run on flavor," she says, "and don't expect leftovers."

In addition, Diet-to-Go doesn't add salt to its recipes beyond what's already included in components like bread. This ensures that, on average, its meals contain no more than 800 mg of sodium per serving. Many meals, such as the Savory Morning Muffin and the Blackened Salmon, contain less than 500 mg of sodium per serving.

Our tester Emily Hirsch, RD, was impressed with the value of these meals, noting that they were inexpensive compared with other meal-delivery services and also high in quality and made with whole foods. However, she says, "Long term, there would be issues, including cost, lack of calories, lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, and insufficient calorie intake, particularly for those who are active."

One of the most difficult aspects of following a low-sodium diet is that convenient foods are typically high in sodium. Most fast food and packaged food is off the table if you need to restrict sodium, leaving quick and easy options limited. Fortunately, Epicured is a medically focused meal-delivery service specifically for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Its large variety of convenient, ready-to-eat meals contain 500 mg of sodium or less.

Epicured's low-sodium search filter allows you to view only meals that are less than 140 mg of sodium per serving. Choices include Country Cinnamon Oatmeal and Roasted Turkey With Gravy. However, this is an extreme level of sodium restriction that is excessive for most people. The larger Epicured menu has dozens more options that contain 500 mg of sodium or less, like Fish Tacos With Red Cabbage Slaw and Zaatar Chicken With Quinoa Tabbouleh.

Martinet recommends Epicured only if you have IBS along with a sodium restriction. "I felt a little disappointed in some of the meals, but I wasn't surprised by that," she says. "Flavors were a little bland at times, but there were some real winners, too."