Home prepared meal delivery services have exploded in popularity in recent years. This isn’t just modernized pizza or Chinese food delivery (or even Door Dash or Uber Eats), these delivery services provide convenient and health options to match any lifestyle. And compared to traditional shop/prep/cook process, weekly meal prep can be accomplished by a few tap on your phone.

Is a meal delivery service right for you? With all of the options that are now available, trying a service or two may provide some extra free time or a boost to your health. Choosing between all the delivery companies and options can be tricky – and there are multiple rankings for the best services (15 Best for 2020 and Services for your Lifestyle) – here are some tips when selecting a service or two to try:

Consider dietary restrictions and meal variety

Some services focus on main courses and side dishes for dinner, others provide options for all meals including soups, salads, desserts and snacks. Plus, the meals can usually be tailored to meet dietary and allergy restrictions and follow common diet guidelines (low carb, low salt, gluten free, etc.)

How much to you want to cook?

Different services cater to those with different culinary levels: form the master home chef to the kitchen-challenged. If you want control over the entire cooking process, pick a service that provide recipes and ingredients while leaving the chopping and cooking up to you; if you are looking for the ultimate convenience, select a service with pre-cooked meals ready to pop in the microwave.

Pick to fit your lifestyle

Most companies offer subscription services that deliver a specified number of meals to your home. These services provide you the convenience of not having to order items a la carte and may be more cost effective.

If you travel or tend to eat out a lot or just want more control over your choices, subscribing to a meal service that only offers weekly subscriptions may not be a wise choice. If this is the case, pick a service that provided flexibility to order what you want when you want it.

Think local

If you want to keep a low carbon footprint, look for services that are based near you or provide local food prep. In these cases the food is sourced locally not only reducing transport costs but also supporting neighboring farms and businesses. Some services even provide convenient pick up locations as alternative to home delivery.

Still unsure is a meal delivery service is right for you? Your local grocery story may sell some healthy meal kits from a delivery service that you can try without signing up for a service or making any commitment. Even if that is too much, go ahead, order pizza or General Tsao’s from your regular restaurant.