Nutritional needs are complex and unique between individuals. Chiyo supports a diverse and nutritional diet that is associated with good health but is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult with your healthcare provider for your individual metabolic and nutritional needs.
About - FAQ
What is Eastern Food Therapy?
Eastern Food Therapy is a traditional approach to healing that uses food as medicine, primarily based on principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It focuses on balancing the body's energy (Qi) through dietary choices that align with individual health conditions and seasonal needs. This practice emphasizes the healing properties of whole foods to restore harmony and promote overall well-being.
Will Chiyo help cure some of my pregnancy symptoms?
How long is the postpartum period?
The postpartum period typically lasts for six weeks following childbirth, though it can extend up to 12 months as the body continues to recover. This period includes physical, emotional, and hormonal adjustments as the mother returns to pre-pregnancy health. Our advice is to listen to your body.
What kind of ingredients do you use?
Our recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free using whole, fresh ingredients. We never use any refined sugars, trans fats, additives or artificial preservatives. Whenever possible, our ingredients are organic and locally sourced as well!
Should I be taking a prenatal vitamin?
Taking a prenatal vitamin, as recommended by your doctor, is beneficial if you're pregnant, trying to conceive, or in the postpartum period, as it provides essential nutrients like folic acid, iron, and calcium. A diet rich in whole foods can be further supported by a prenatal vitamin to ensure optimal nutrition.
How does your plan differ for those who plan to breastfeed or not?
In the postpartum program, our snacks are made with galactagogue foods, which support milk production, but they are also healthy and beneficial even if breastfeeding isn't part of your plan. If you are breastfeeding, you'll need about 300 extra calories daily, but there’s no need to worry. This might mean our meal plans last longer, or you may want to add extra snacks—trust that your body knows what it needs.
How many calories are in each day?
Our fertility and hormone balance programs are designed to support approximately 2,000 calories a day, depending on your height and activity level. For postpartum, our programs generally provide around 2,500 calories daily to meet the increased nutritional needs during recovery.
Which meal plan do you recommend?
We curate meals to ensure a balanced diet that meets your needs. As such, we recommend the 3 meals a day, 5 days a week plan for maximum benefit. However, we offer various meal plans to accommodate different lifestyles!
What if I have allergies?
All of our recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free and we do accommodate for certain allergies including tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, hemp, eggs, fish, shellfish and wheat/gluten. You can specify your allergies at checkout to ensure we swap necessary ingredients or meals. Please note that we cannot accommodate mushroom, alliums or soy allergies and be aware that our facility processes milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, and soybeans.
Do you have a vegetarian option?
Yes! Our menu is already plant-forward, and for recipes that include meat, we provide carefully chosen vegetarian substitutions that maintain nutritional balance. Feel free to specify your dietary preferences when you configure your program details or email us if you have any questions!
How do I order for a friend?
You can either purchase a gift card, or purchase a meal plan. In both cases, please provide your the recipient's email & contact information! We will reach out to them directly to manage deliveries.
Can my whole family eat Chiyo?
Yes, all meals are safe and nutritious for everyone in your family. Snacks, broths & tonics are made specifically for fertility or postpartum needs. You can order additional meals at a discount for up to 3 of your family members. Add-ons will be delivered along with your program!
What if I miss the order deadline?
Orders and subscription modifications are due by Thursday @ 12pm ET. We cannot guarantee any changes after that. To minimize food waste, we only order produce just-in-time and already begin the prep and production process after orders close. Of course, we'll try our best as we know life and birth is unpredictable!
How do I know when my delivery is on the way?
You’ll receive a text that delivery is on the way and an ETA. Meet us at the door or we can drop it off at a safe spot. Food will be insulated with an ice pack to ensure freshness.
Where do you deliver?
🚚 Local deliveries are made Monday and Thursday evenings.
For more details about our local deliveries, please click me to see if you qualify!
📦 Shipped Postpartum (nationwide!) deliveries are made on Tuesdays and Fridays via overnight shipping.
For local delivery, will my order be delivered to my door?
We'll make our best effort for your order to arrive at your doorstep. However, while this works 80% of the time, we cannot make any guarantees. For our local deliveries, we use a third-party courier service and their ability to deliver to your door also depends on availability of parking on the day of. We recommend tracking your delivery through the link we provide on the morning of delivery via text.
What will be included in my deliveries?
For 5 and 7 day programs, in your first delivery you will receive all of your week's broth, tonics, snacks and garnish packs, along with meals for days 1-3. In your second delivery, you will receive the rest of your week's meals.
For 1 day trials and 3 day programs, you will receive all of your meals, broths, tonics, snacks, and garnish packs in a single delivery.
What do I do with the delivery packaging?
All of our materials are sustainable & recyclable. If you'd like to return your ice packs, feel free to hand them back to our driver (local delivery only).
Our containers are made from recycled material & BPA-free, which means they are not heat-safe. For local delivery, our ice packs are reusable and can be returned to our drivers each week, which we sanitize before reusing the following week. For overnight nationwide shipping, the insulated foam is compostable and can be deconstructed by water down your sink!
How do you support the communities you serve?
We are committed to equitable food systems - we partner with organizations that support our mission and donate a portion of meals for low-income new parents. We believe deeply in diversity, equity and inclusion from who we serve, to who we hire, to who we partner with. If you have any suggestions for how we can improve, please let us know.
I love your service, but can't afford it.
Please email us. We are building a coalition to better support and advocate for parents and families on SNAP/WIC - we’d love to hear from you. Good nutrition is a universal need.
I don’t know when I’ll start my postpartum meals. How do I schedule/change my first delivery date?
We know (bringing new) life is unpredictable. At checkout, we’ll ask you to leave an estimated date for your first delivery. We’ll check in the week prior to confirm. If you need to reschedule, text or email us with the subject “Postpartum reschedule” 5 days prior to your first scheduled delivery.
We love what you’re doing. Can we discuss a partnership?
Absolutely! We love supporting other brands - email us.
What is your cancellation policy?
You can receive a full refund as long as you cancel before Thursday @ 9am PT / 12pm ET. Cancelling after that may be subject to a 50% restocking fee (due to already incurred costs in sourcing & production).
Prepaids with early cancellation are subject to a refund minus prepaid discount and processing fees.
What is your refund policy?
While we strive to make this a delightful experience for every customer, we know that may not always be the case. We're human too! Please contact us if you have a problem with the order along these guidelines:
- Food error orders: if you're missing an item or received the wrong item, we will offer a refund for the wrong item
- Food dissatisfaction: Refunds and/or replacement food are available upon request for orders in which the food is wrong, omitted, arrived unsafely (e.g. temperature, damaged) and other similar circumstances. Refunds are not typically provided for food that does not fit a client's taste.