QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
General questions
What is healmeal and what makes it special?
healmeal is an innovative food startup from Kassel that makes healthy ready meals with high-quality, plant-based ingredients. Our meals are guided by the Mediterranean way of eating and rely on complex carbs, plant protein and healthy fats – nutrients that current nutritional research often links to positive effects on energy, well-being and a balanced lifestyle.
All meals are freshly cooked, prepared by hand and delivered frozen. That makes them perfect for anyone who wants to eat healthily day to day but doesn't always have the time to cook.
How is healmeal different from other providers of vegan meals?
Healthy made simple. We rely on slow cooking to preserve nutrients as well as possible. Olive oil from Crete, our liquid gold for the body. We use complex carbs for steady energy and pack plenty of protein into our tasty meals. All of it enriched with a variety of fibre and heated up in under 15 minutes! We love it.
Where does healmeal come from? Who is behind it?
We come from the heart of Germany, the most central major city in the country: Kassel. The historic Grimm Heimat Nordhessen, one of the greenest regions in the land, keeps inspiring us to come back to nature. On countless walks or workouts, for example in the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe”, the largest hillside park in Europe, places like these simply spark inspiration again and again.
The face of healmeal is Felix – he developed, refined and perfected the meals over many years, until they became what you can enjoy today.
Not a pure business idea, just two best friends, one of them cooking passionately while the other kept tasting with enthusiasm. And then came Hendrik, the one who at some point said: „Everybody has to eat this healthily!“
With energy, motivation and drive, an idea between friends turned into a real passion project.
Lukas brought the entrepreneurial experience, Felix the passion for cooking and Hendrik the drive, and healmeal was born!
What does healmeal mean by conscious food?
A conscious choice of raw ingredients. Made consciously for your health and longevity. Conscious about the environment and without animal suffering. Consciously cooked by us, with love.
Why do you go for the Mediterranean diet with Mediterranean food?
The Mediterranean diet is guided by ways of eating from regions where people traditionally live particularly long and healthy lives. It is based mainly on plant-based foods, healthy fats such as olive oil, complex carbs and a high proportion of fibre.
Scientific research into these ways of eating shows that they can be linked to positive health effects, for example better cardiovascular health, a more stable metabolism and improved well-being overall.*
These findings relate to the entire diet and lifestyle of such regions, not to individual products. With healmeal we want to make elements of this food philosophy work in everyday life and so contribute to a balanced, modern lifestyle.
Is the food vegan?
Yes, all meals are 100% plant based and suitable for a vegan diet.
Ordering & subscription model
How does the subscription model work?
With the healmeal subscription you regularly get a selection of 7, 14 or 28 meals delivered. Delivery happens automatically at an interval you choose, so you always have healthy food in the freezer – with no effort at all.
Can I pause or cancel my subscription at any time?
Yes! You can pause or cancel your subscription flexibly, whenever you like. Simply through your customer account or our support team.
Is there a minimum term for the subscription?
No, there is no minimum term. You can try healmeal out and adjust, pause or end it at any time.
Can I pick individual meals or are there fixed menus?
Yes, you can pick individual meals, but orders start at a minimum of seven selected meals. We recommend our carefully put-together rotation of meals, which makes sure you get plenty of essential nutrients. That way you automatically get a perfect combination of legumes, vegetables, spices and proteins.
How often do I get my delivery?
You can choose whether you want to be supplied every 1, 2 or 4 weeks – depending on how many healmeals you want to keep in stock.
What happens when I'm on holiday?
No problem! You can pause your subscription or change the delivery address at any time.
Is there a trial box before I decide on a subscription?
You can also simply place a one-off order, starting at 7 meals, to try healmeal out. But careful: plenty of people report falling in love and not wanting to be without it again.
Where can I also try your meals individually?
Here in Kassel you can, for example, grab a meal straight from the freezer at the Hotel Hessenland, pay at reception and enjoy it right away.
Or meet friends there in the evening for a healmeal date 💃
And: if you're missing healmeal in your city, do write to us on WhatsApp. We're always open to new partnerships. ∞
Health & nutrition
Why is healmeal so good for "longevity"?
healmeal is guided by scientific findings around nutrition and longevity. Our meals combine a wide variety of plant-based foods – rich in antioxidants, fibre, complex carbs and healthy fats – and deliberately do without industrial sugar, salt or additives.
Scientific research suggests that such an eating pattern can support healthy cell function and may be linked to positive effects on cardiovascular health and metabolic markers.
How do you manage to deliver such a high protein content per meal?
We combine high-quality plant protein sources such as legumes, oat and soya flakes, nuts and seeds. This combination creates a complete amino acid profile that supplies your body well.
Are complex carbs better than simple ones?
Complex carbs deliver long-lasting energy, prevent blood sugar spikes and encourage healthy gut flora. That keeps you full for longer and helps you avoid a crash & cravings. This doesn't mean white rice is bad, it's much more that the timing is what counts.
Why does every main meal contain so much olive oil?
Our high-quality virgin olive oil from Crete is a central part of the Mediterranean diet, which in studies is associated with anti-inflammatory properties.
Does your food cover many important micronutrients?
Yes! You cover many micronutrients well with a varied selection of our meals! Whether you need anything on top depends on you individually, of course.
Are your meals suitable for athletes?
Definitely! Our meals contain plenty of protein, complex carbs for long-lasting energy and healthy fats – perfect for building muscle and for recovery.
Can I lose weight or build muscle with your meals?
Yes! healmeal can be adapted to your goal – whether that's losing fat or building muscle. What matters is the right amount of calories.
Are the meals suitable for people with intolerances? (e.g. gluten-free, nut-free)
Our meals are vegan and free from artificial additives. If you have specific allergies, take a look at the ingredients list or get in touch with us for individual recommendations.
Will one portion fill me up?
In our experience, absolutely! For us there's nothing (okay, little) sadder than buying food and then not feeling full.
Our meals are on average around 700–850 kcal per portion and are developed to be rich in plant protein (at least around 28 g), complex carbs, fibre and high-quality fats. For many customers that makes for a pleasantly long-lasting feeling of fullness.
The exact values can vary slightly by variety. You'll always find the binding nutritional values on the respective packaging, and we update them regularly.
Do healmeal meals support a gut-friendly diet?
Many of our meals contain natural fibre from lentils, legumes and vegetables. A fibre-rich diet can contribute to more diverse gut flora – a factor that research often links to a well-functioning microbiome.
Since every gut reacts individually, personal experiences can differ.
Delivery & storage
How is my food delivered?
We ship your healmeals frozen in insulated shipping boxes and with reusable ice packs. That way your meals stay reliably frozen throughout the whole journey and arrive safely with you.
Do you deliver healmeal across Germany?
Yes! We currently deliver throughout Germany - conveniently to your home.
How long do the meals keep?
Our healmeals are delivered frozen and therefore keep for several months. You'll always find the exact best-before date on the packaging.
What's the best way to store the frozen meals?
It's best to store your healmeals in the freezer (-18 °C) straight after they arrive. That way flavour, freshness and nutrients are preserved at their best.
Can I also store the food in the fridge?
We recommend storing them in the freezer. If you want to eat a meal soon, you can let it defrost in the fridge. Please don't refreeze it once thawed.
Do I have to defrost the meals before eating?
No, our meals can be prepared straight from the freezer – either in the slow cooker, a pan, the oven or the microwave.
Preparation & flavour
What's the best way to prepare the meals?
Our meals are ready in just a few minutes – either in the slow cooker, air fryer, a pan, the oven or the microwave. Just heat and enjoy!
How do the meals taste – more hearty or mild?
Our meals are evenly seasoned, based on the principles of the Mediterranean diet. For a bit more sweetness there are our breakfast meals – all tasty, natural and nourishing!
Why aren't the meals salted?
One of the many things that set our meals apart is that they are unsalted. You can decide for yourself whether and how much salt you add. That gives you far more individual room to respond to your own preferences and your body's needs.
Is there a way to season or adjust the meals individually?
Yes, you can of course add spices or fresh ingredients at any time to adjust the flavour to your liking.
Feel free to add: eggs, feta, sardines, salt, protein powder
Sustainability & quality
Where do you source your ingredients?
From the best sources that currently (as a young startup) let us buy from them.
- Our spices are organic premium quality from Azafran.
- The organic supplier Dennree unfortunately still has minimum order volumes, which we expect to reach with your support.
On the subject of regional: what matters more to us is what happens in the field, not just where the field is. If local farmers work with chemicals, we just don't feel it — and we don't want to serve you anything we wouldn't eat ourselves.
How do you make your meals?
With love, by hand – prepared by Felix himself. 👨🍳
We cook our main meals in a steamer with remineralised reverse-osmosis water from volkswasser.de.
The result: a balanced nutrient content, minimal exposure to microplastics or heavy metals.
Sounds nerdy? It is.
How do you make sure your meals are really healthy?
At healmeal we develop our meals on the basis of current nutritional science – without dogmas, trends or one-sided food ideologies. Instead of committing to a single concept such as „purely vegan“, „keto“ or „paleo“, we follow the basic principles that research and large population studies repeatedly link to a better diet.
Above all that includes a predominantly plant-based, varied diet with diverse ingredients, legumes, complex carbs, high-quality plant protein and plenty of fibre. Studies such as the American Gut Study show that a high plant diversity and many different plant sources per week can encourage healthy gut flora – an important part of a balanced lifestyle.
We deliberately avoid heavily processed ingredients, industrial sugar and unnecessary additives, because current research suggests that such foods can have negative long-term effects on health, metabolism and well-being.
At the same time we know that nutrition is individual. Depending on tolerances, personal preferences or lifestyle, it can make sense to add certain foods on top – for example fermented foods for the microbiome or omega-3 sources such as algae or fish.
Our healmeals give you a simple, everyday-friendly basis for that: nutrient-rich vegan ready meals that bring together complex carbs, plant protein, fibre and high-quality olive oil in a balanced mix.
So that you always know clearly what you're eating, you'll find all the binding nutritional values and ingredients on every pack, transparent and up to date.
Why are your meals better than cooking for yourself?
But who manages to cook at this quality, this variety and as gently on nutrients as healmeal, every single day? At least we don't know anyone – and that's why healmeal is the second-best choice for those moments when you have no time or no appetite for a big cook. By the way, flash-freezing straight away is the gentlest way on nutrients to make the meals keep.
How sustainable is your packaging?
We're continuously working on making our packaging more and more sustainable. Here are a few facts:
Our meal trays including the film are made of materials that are biodegradable or compostable to European standards (EN13432). They're made from pollutant-free, sustainable raw materials and can therefore be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
For frozen shipping we use recyclable cardboard and sturdy ice packs, so that your meals reach you safely and frozen.
Tip: You can simply reuse the ice packs – e.g. for a picnic, for transporting your meal prep or for cooling your drinks in summer.
With individual products such as our cocoa we're also working on making the packaging even more sustainable. At the moment it's mostly paper/card, but it has a small share of plastic for protection and shelf life.
We're open to feedback or tips if you have ideas for more sustainability. 💚
Are your products certified organic?
At the moment we're not certified organic. Our ingredients are free from additives and fresh, because our focus is on nutrient density and sustainability – regardless of labels. Do read on under "Where do you source your ingredients".
