We all live fast-paced lives these days, with no time or energy for impractical things. The world moves at a quick pace and our food is one area that has to keep up.

Time-poor consumers are increasingly seeking the convenience of home-delivered meals, meal kits and groceries, but as living costs rise, they are having second thoughts about the cost of convenience.

Morgan Stanley expects the online takeaway food market to reach $4.2 billion by 2025, with aggregators forecast to lift transaction values to $2.4 billion.

Menulog, which is the market leader, saw revenues rise 25 percent to about $88 million in 2017, after growing 64 percent in 2016 and 94 percent in 2015. Its transaction values are estimated to be more than $500 million.

However, Morgan Stanley says Uber Eats, which entered the Australian market in 2016 and is now in at least 12 cities, is catching up fast.

And it believes there is room for multiple players in the meal-kit and prepared-meals market, which is estimated to account for about $600 million of the $2 billion online food market.

So it is imperative that consumers choose the right service provider based on their health requirements. These are the key considerations you need to keep while choosing them.

What are you looking to get out of the food-delivery service?

Once you know exactly what you’re hoping to get out of joining one of these subscription services, you’ll be able to narrow down your options significantly.

Do they deliver to your area?

Before you get too excited about a food-delivery service, check whether they deliver to your area.

How much food do you need?

Next, you will want to consider how much food you need each week because this will influence which service is ideal.

Do they have the food you enjoy?

One essential element to choosing the right food-delivery service for you is obviously the kind of food that will be delivered to your doorstep each week. Fortunately, you can preview menu items from these boxes to get an idea of what kind of meals you should expect to choose from.

Are the ingredients of a high quality?

Many people are committed to locally sourced and organic ingredients these days, which many food boxes are catering to. If this is something you are also passionate about, you will want to do your research to find out where the ingredients for each meal are coming from.

How much will it cost?

And finally, you need to consider how much this new subscription is going to cost you. Many see the prices of these food subscriptions and immediately get a shock, thinking they are way too expensive.

Once you have covered these criteria, you'll be well on your way to choosing the right meal service for yourself. We also have some great meal services and offerings on YsEpicure that should appeal to your lifestyle, why not check them out and let us know of your experience?