What Women Are Eating Based on CookUnity Data

• Nearly 2 out of 3 meals ordered by women in 2025 were protein-forward - almost triple the share of salads and "light" meals.
• Latin American cuisine grew to nearly 22% of women's orders in 2025, reflecting rising demand for bold, global flavors.
• Top meals included Mexican Chicken Bowl (185K+ orders) and BBQ Chicken (184K+), signaling a clear shift away from low-calorie stereotypes.
• Women's salad orders declined from 54.7% in 2023 to 50.7% in 2025, while men's salad orders grew even faster - challenging gendered food myths.

CookUnity, the meal delivery platform that connects Eaters with award-winning chefs across the country, analyzed millions of orders, revealing that women are choosing protein-based meals with bold flavors - not low-calorie compromises. Roughly two out of every three meals ordered by women in 2025 were protein-forward, featuring poultry, seafood, beef, pork, or plant-based proteins - nearly triple the share of salads and light meals, which account for about one in five orders.

This shift reflects a broader change in how Americans eat. Ordering food online is no longer an emerging trend - it is everyday behavior, with 62% of U.S. adults using online food retail platforms and 17% consuming a meal delivery each week¹. Within that normalization of digital dining, women's choices reveal a clear preference: flavor, quality protein, and balance over restriction.

Women's protein-forward era is not bland - it is global and flavor-driven. In 2025, the top cuisines ordered by women included American, European, Latin American, Asian, and Indian. Latin American cuisine alone grew from 18.8% of women's orders in 2024 to almost 22% in 2025, highlighting growing demand for bold, culturally rooted flavors. Top-selling meals reflect that shift:

• Mexican Chicken Bowl (185,684 orders)
• BBQ Chicken (184,841 orders)
• Creamy "Marry-Me" Chicken (168,168 orders)
• Mom's Sunday Sauce Rigatoni (152,326 orders)
• Lemon Baked Tilapia with Cajun Cream (133,404 orders)

"This is a backlash against diet culture - it's nourishment with intention, " said Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, LDN, CookUnity's Culinary Nutritionist. "We see women focusing less on restriction and more on a mix of nutritious, protein-packed meals along with more indulgent comfort classics. What we're seeing in the data is a shift from calorie restriction to meals that are flavor-forward, satisfying, and aligned with active lifestyles."

Fiber, Balance and the End of the Salad Myth

The rise in protein hasn't come at the expense of fiber or balanced nutrition. Many of the most re-ordered meals among women - including Mexican-Inspired Beef Chili (52.9% repeat rate), Crispy Tofu in Black Bean Sauce (51.0%), and Italian White Bean & Sausage Stew (50.9%) - pair high-quality protein with fiber-rich ingredients like legumes, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. The data shows that today's eaters aren't choosing between indulgence and nutrition - they're embracing meals that deliver both.

Rather than "fiber maxxing" through snacks or ultra-processed hacks, women are choosing complete meals that naturally deliver fiber, fullness, and digestive support. In other words: yes to fiber - but through real food, not fads.

At the same time, the salad stereotype continues to fade. Women's share of salad orders has declined from 54.7% in 2023 to 50.7% in 2025 - approaching parity with men. Meanwhile, men's salad orders have grown faster than women's (+269% vs. +215%), signaling that food choices are no longer gender-coded, but lifestyle-driven.

"As a registered dietitian and culinary professional, I've spent over 15 years translating nutrition science into real meals," said Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, LDN. "The biggest myth I see is that eating healthy means eating less or eating bland. It doesn't. And more and more people are finally embracing this. Women today are choosing protein, fiber, and flavor together - meals that support muscle, metabolism, longevity, and satisfaction. That's not dieting. That's informed, modern eating that celebrates nutrition and the joy of food", mentions Del Coro.

CookUnity's chef-led model allows chefs to respond directly to what eaters are actually choosing. Meals are crafted by award-winning chefs and their teams, while the platform provides the infrastructure to scale nationally.

"For too long, there's been an assumption that women want smaller, lighter food," said Chef Aarthi Sampath. "In reality, they want bold flavor, spice, richness - and real protein. The difference is that not everyone knows how to bring those things together with balance. Chefs do. We're trained to build meals that combine protein, fiber, depth of flavor, and cultural authenticity without sacrificing satisfaction. And at CookUnity, with so many chefs and cuisines, that variety never runs out. Women don't want less - they want better. That's what we cook."

To further challenge outdated narratives, CookUnity is launching a playful integrated campaign that skewers the internet-famous "Women Laughing Alone with Salad" meme. Titled "Women Laughing with Whatever They Want", the campaign anchors in 30-second videos that feature a real, human actress bantering with an exaggerated AI-generated "salad woman" about narrow stereotypes and the flavor, variety, balance, and convenience that women actually crave. The social amplification features female CookUnity chefs and customers flipping the salad meme on its head and creating "memes" of themselves realistically enjoying the CookUnity meals they eat most often.

About CookUnity

CookUnity is America's first chef-to-you meal delivery. With a mission to empower chefs to nourish the world, CookUnity offers a solution that proves eating well can be convenient, affordable and delicious. The revolutionary model puts the power directly in chefs' hands, offering fully equipped kitchens, predictable revenue, and direct access to feeding millions across the nation. Subscribers get access to 180+ award-winning chefs, a rotating weekly menu of 300+ dishes, and fresh, fully prepped meals right at their doorsteps in sustainable packaging. Since 2016, the team has grown rapidly from a small kitchen in Brooklyn, New York, to eight kitchens across the nation and Canada. For more, head to cookunity.com.