Seattle Sutton

The Seattle Sutton concept is one that is designed to offer an alternative to existing low-calorie diet programs, like Nutri-System and Jenny Craig. Unlike those plans, the food provided by Seattle Sutton is fresh -- fresh vegetables and fruits, prepared as you might in your own home.

I received a one day supply of Seattle Sutton food on the 1,200 calorie per day plan. It consisted of Pumpkin and Cranberry Cereal, a Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwich for lunch and Salmon Fillet with Seasoned Couscous for dinner. You are expected to add two glasses of fat free milk and six glasses of water per day to the food provided.

Here's a quick run-down of how it works: You order this week's food. You pick up 3 days worth of food (9 meals) on Monday, and 4 days worth of food (12 meals) on Thursday. You refrigerate the meals (no freezing) until you are ready to eat them. If they require heating, you can place them on a microwavable dish and heat. The menus for both the 1,200 and 2,000 calorie plans are the same, but the portions are larger for the higher calorie plan.

Here's what I like about the Seattle Sutton program:

1. fresh fruits and veggies
2. no preparation or cleanup
3. no delivery charge if I pick up the food
4. no membership fee or contract
5. containers may be recycled
6. four days of food is the maximum at one time; you probably have enough refrigerator space

Here's why Seattle Sutton is not for me:

1. $125/$145 per week for the food is expensive, especially considering that the breakfast is often cereal or a muffin
2. absolutely no menu choice -- if you don't like a particular item, you are stuck with it anyway.
3. containers not microwavable
4. food doesn't provide a enough vitamins/nutrients; supplements will be required.
5. no dessert or snacks except those that are incorporated in some meals
6. food can't be frozen; it can't be safely kept longer than 4 days.
7. delivery charges are expensive ($20 to $40 per week)
8. no distributors in Scottsdale, north Phoenix or on the west side of town.

This program would be much too restrictive for me, but I can see how, if money is not an issue, there might be an appeal for some people who don't want to spend time shopping or preparing fresh foods.

_{As is common in the industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary meal for the purpose of the review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy. 07/09}