Some of you may have seen my previous post last week about Total Diet Food a brilliant food delivery service I trialled for five days to see if it really was as good as it seemed. With a 1500 calorie a day plan, I'll be honest in saying I was worried that food might be A). bland and uninteresting and B). not filling enough, but I soon discovered that, on both counts, I couldn't be more wrong...
I didn't get off to the greatest start, as post-delivery in the wee hours of the morning it would appear a hungry bypasser swiped by coolbag full of my day's meals from my doorstep. Brilliant. Luckily after contacting the TDF they zoomed another together and whisked it to my office. Day one saw a breakfast of low fat natural yoghurt with homemade gluten free granola and stewed pears, juicy and fresh with a hint of cinnamon. After a morning snack of mandarins and hazelnuts, lunch was a HUGE superfood quinoa salad with free range grilled turkey in a sesame oil dressing, followed by an afternoon snack of raw vegetable crudites and a broad bean dip, then a (hot) dinner of a cod and lentil pie with beetroot and spinach salad. After supplying a list of my no-no foods (TDF can cater to any diet, allergies, intolerances or just plain dislikes) it was great to receive delicious, wholesome recipes full of ingredients I like; I've tried a similar service before and ended up with at least a day's worth of food I couldn't stomach. You can see from the photographic evidence detailed above that Total Diet Food's dishes looked absolutely mouthwatering - and I can confirm they tasted it too.
I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of hunger - the only time I had a slight pang was at the end of my working day when I was definitely ready for dinner, but other than that the mouthwatering meals filled me up good and proper. My second morning dawned with the excitement that comes with discovering delicious new meals, and I have to say the gluten free oat pancakes with fresh cantaloupe, strawberry yoghurt and fruit syrup certainly didn't disappoint. I wasn't too sure about what mooli was (since established it's a kind of radish...) but its addition at lunch time to my roasted trout fillet with bulgur wheat, apple and beetroot salad was delicious. After just 24 hours I have to admit I was already starting to think a lot more about recipes to try in the future, new flavour combinations, ingredients I hadn't previously thought of trying and how to combine different foods to create healthy, filling meals without resorting to empty carbs and fattening condiments. I'm the first to admit that busyness and laziness mean more often than not I find myself sacrificing cooking a fresh meal from scratch for something that' quick and convenient. The chicken and aubergine melanzane with baby potatoes was definitely a winner come dinner time and certainly would be a doddle to make myself.
On to day three and the egg paté with smoked salmon, rye bread, avocado and cucumber is something I've made several times for breakfast since; great protein, good carbs and properly filling, I didn't even need my sesame grapefruit morning snack as I felt satisfied right up until lunch, something that can't be said of a Pret almond croissant... Said lunch was one of my favourites; grilled halloumi (always welcomed in my world!) salad with sweet potatoes and salsa verde. Following an afternoon snack of a deliciously chewy homemade fruit and nut bar, dinner was roasted salmon with couscous, cauliflower and curly kale. I don't eat read meat, hence leaving it out of my menu and having a lot of fish, but looking online at other example menus dishes are many and varied with everything from beef stroganoff and meatballs to sirloin salad and Hungarian lamb and vegetable stew.
Enjoying this experience a lot more than I thought I would, by day four I was slightly gutted that my sumptuous diet would soon be coming to an end! Breakfast dawned with a chia seed pot with low fat natural yoghurt and mixed berries, followed by a lunch of free range chicken saland with sun dried tomato pesto gluten free pasta, cucumber, julienne mange tout, lollo rosso and balsamic vinaigrette. I have to admit, this was the only dish that didn't completely blow me away...I think maybe the gluten free pasta was a step too far for my carb-loving chops, it just didn't quite taste right. It's probably a personal preference - the rest of the flavours were delicious - just not sure the gluten free pasta is for me, I'd probably rather go without. A dip of artichoke hearts with carrot crudites was a lovely (though pretty garlicky!) afternoon snack, and dinner of roasted cod fillet with mediterranean vegetable sauce, brown rice, broccoli and courgettes was once again a tasty way to end the day.
My final morning dawned with a roasted apple and strawberry oatmeal, followed by a spiced chickpea salad with organic quinoa and mixed salad vegetables for lunch. After an afternoon snack of cannellini bean and tuna dip with yellow pepper crudités, dinner was probably my favourite of the week; Thai style coconut turkey breast with gluten free rice noodles, pak choi and baby corn - tasting far more indulgent than its calorie content would let on, it was absolutely delicious.
I don't weigh myself so I can't say whether or not my Total Diet Food trial helped me lose weight. What I do know is that through eating properly, even for just five days, I found I had much more energy than usual, was less bloated and my jeans were ever so slightly less snug. It's really got me thinking about cooking more, taking the time to invest in making proper meals and has certainly cemented the fact that even though 1500 calories may not seem like a lot, when they are the right kind of calories that's enough to fill you up all day.
Total Diet Food starts at £27 a day; it might seem pricey, but if I think about the amount I would spend on croissants, sandwiches and lunches from Pret it's not obscene. Although it may work out expensive for a long term investment, I would certainly do it again in the run up to a holiday or wedding, or it would be a dream solution if I had a diet so full of allergies and intolerances that it made shopping and cooking for myself a total chore (I have several such friends and wonder where they find the patience...). If you're looking for a new diet solution, or even if you might just want to shake up what you eat and try something new, Total Diet Food could be the one for you.
www.totaldietfood.com
Love Laurel x
