We were curious about just how good the diet meals delivered to your door are. So, we asked the six dieters we've been tracking in Tropical Life to test them out. Each dieter -- or diet couple -- tried out three dinners (we paid for them). They evaluated them in terms of taste, appearance, quality of delivery.
And while the survey is clearly not scientific, it gives you honest feedback -- something you're not likely to find in a company-produced TV spot.
COMPANY
• Fresh Diet (www.thefreshdiet.com or 866-373-7450; price ranges from $34.99 a day to $49.99 a day, includes lunch and dinner with two snacks. Price varies by number of days enrolled.)
Surfside-based company tailors its meals to a client's health requirements by requiring vital statistics -- height, age, weight, health goal -- before ordering. Food, not frozen, is prepared daily and delivered via insulated coolers. Based on the Zone Diet.
DIETER
Janet Carabelli, El Portal.
SAMPLE MENU
Fresh salmon salad with green and red tomato, European cucumber, baby lettuce and citrus ponzu dressing.
Turkey breast roast with Caribbean mango sauce, black rice and steamed green beans.
Roasted meatballs with ginger jerk sauce, roasted spaghetti squash, steamed broccolini.
Chocolate cinnamon pudding, made with soy-milk.
CARABELLI'S COMMENTARY
``The salmon salad, chicken salad with baby spinach, blackberries, Mandarin orange, pistachio and mango poppy dressing and roasted meatballs were absolutely delicious. The turkey was . . . dry and bland. The black rice and green beans were good, so I heated some garbanzo beans to eat instead of the turkey breast that night as my dinner protein.''
COMPANY
• Chef's Diet (www.chefsdiet.com; 866-550-0320; $39.99 per day -- includes breakfast, lunch and dinner and two snacks.)
New York-based company bases its meal on the Zone Diet -- 40 percent carbohydrates (grains, vegetables), 30 percent meat or fish proteins, 30 percent ''good'' fats (mono-unsaturated oils).
DIETER
Glenn Terry, Coconut Grove.
SAMPLE MENU
Roasted turkey breast and natural gravy with baked sweet potato and honey/balsamic baked red onion wedges.
Asian spicy bean-glazed pork tenderloin slices with sesame snap peas and black rice.
Roasted chicken breast Madeira.
Shrimp and chicken chutney curry with basmati rice, seared carrots and pineapple.
TERRY'S COMMENTARY
``It's a good move for a desperate person who can afford $12 for a really good TV dinner. Portions were small; I had to supplement them to feel comfortable.''
Disclosure: Terry and his wife Francesca have a vegetable garden in their front yard and also bake their own bread.
COMPANY
Shape Lovers (www.shapelovers.net; 305-264-4423; main entree, soup, side dish and dessert costs $7.10 per meal daily.)
Miami company offers Latin-inspired cuisine.
DIETERS
Gustavo and Marina Lumer, Aventura.
SAMPLE MENU
Ropa Vieja de Lujo -- shredded beef cooked in a Creole sauce with green olives and bell peppers.
Pavo Festival -- roasted turkey breast, fresh cranberry, Granny Smith apple relish.
Sopa Cubana -- soup with diced potatoes, angel hair pasta.
Pechuga al Coco -- chicken breast stuffed with vegetables, cheese, coconut curry sauce.
GUSTAVO AND MARINA'S COMMENTARY
''Very tasty and quite fresh compared to other diets I've tried.'' -- Marina.
''It looks like the big secret is not a secret. It's portion control.'' -- Gustavo.
COMPANY
NutriSystem (www.nutrisystem.com; 800-321-8446; $69 weekly for daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert).
National company has been in business since 1972. Menus are built around the following formula: 55 percent low-glycemic carbs, 25 percent protein, 20 percent fat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
DIETER
Dwaine Simpson, Weston.
SAMPLE MENU
Black beans and rice.
Barbecue soy chips.
Lasagna with meat sauce.
SIMPSON'S COMMENTARY
Liked the blueberry muffin and low-fat granola cereal and blueberry lemon bar dessert. Found lasagna ''tasty'' but not firm enough. Dissed the barbecue soy chips.
``The NutriSystem works and is very good, but my handicap is that my wife is a gourmet cook. I would never want to think I'd have to eat that food for the rest of my life. The food is good, but you gotta get your mind right. That's how I feel about eating the right foods.''
COMPANY
Pritikin Eating Plan at Home (www.pritikin.com; 800-327-4914; $140-$225 weekly range includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, a la carte menu at $4 to $75 per meal, depending on items selected.
Aventura company offers low-fat, low-sodium, antioxidant-rich spa-type items.
DIETER
Thelma Kirlew, Sunrise.
SAMPLE MENU
Grilled filet of bison, sweet potato soup, peach cobbler.
Roasted lobster on couscous salad, okra soup, strawberry soufflé.
Gin-marinated salmon.
KIRLEW'S COMMENTARY
``A four-course meal -- soup, salad, main dish and dessert. Portions were heavy, with lots of vegetables. The first night I thought I was eating a prized piece of beef, but actually it was bison. The salads are awesome. Three of us ate from it and didn't finish it. For dessert I had an individual cheese cake with fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries and a sauce.
The second night I had lobster tail. It was very good, well prepared with tender juicy asparagus.''
-- HOWARD COHEN, DESONTA HOLDER, JAWEED KALEEM.
