Health

Diary of a ten day detoxer

bowl of oats and fruit, EATFITFOOD detox breakfast

While Romy’s logic sounds deliciously simple it seems things don’t quite work that way…

I always thought Romy and Michele had the right idea. PHOTO: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

I’m going to admit that this year I have been bad. Very, very bad.

During the long cold Australian winter – which is freezing, I don’t care what any Canadian says – I gave into every temptation and ate every delivered pizza. I devoured every chocolate I saw, drank every glass full of wine and regularly went back for 2nds… okay 3rds… okay 4ths… okay a lot! I ate A LOT of crap!

When the weather started to warm up I decided that something needed to be done to pull me out of my winter groove, which involved a lot of eating and not much moving, I started to look for a way out of my cosy chocolate filled rut.

Now after reading up about chia seeds, kale and vegan brownies (which I don’t believe would taste any good) I had an information overload and decided to be realistic. With my busy lifestyle in mind I decided if I couldn’t outsource the exercise part of my path to wellness I could at least outsource the cooking part – that’s  where the folks at EATFITFOOD came in.

After a little bit of looking I saw they had a 10 Day Detox plan available that would suit my lifestyle. The program included all meals delivered with weekends off.

The idea of the detox was to cleanse my body of all the crap already in it and restore it with wholesome food that would hopefully kick start some healthier eating habits.

From day one when I was greeted with cooler bags filled with two days worth of fresh food I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed.

A typical day of scrumptious food on the EATFITFOOD menu.

Looking at the first day’s menu, which included a fresh rejuvenate juice, free range scrambled eggs with roast romas and baby Spanish for breakfast, a pumpkin, tomato & beetroot soup for lunch and chargrilled salmon with cauliflower and parsnip puree for dinner, I was impressed with the variety.

The meals and snacks were so well presented and fresh looking that my initial fears of signing on to eat 10 days’ worth of prepacked food that would look and taste like airline quality cuisine were swiftly quashed.

After I downed my first Rejuvenate juice – a fruity cocktail (sans alcohol of course) of apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, watercress, beetroot & ginger – and hoed into the freshly delivered scrambled eggs I got really excited because the food tasted great and I could have it ready in minutes.

Basically how EATFITFOOD works is by designing all of the meals with a calorie-conscious approach, but that doesn’t mean you’ll starve. In fact in between breakfast-and-lunch and lunch-and-dinner are healthy snacks, like a cleanse bar – a deliciously sticky concoction of nuts and fruit, or fresh hummus and dip, or babaganoush and vegetable sticks. The emphasis on portion control ensures you feel full without falling into the trap of over eating and undoing all your good work.

The day three’s dinner of chilli, ginger & lemongrass chicken with broccoli, brown rice, green beans, squash and lemon was typical of the scrumptious evening serves. With chopped and prepared ingredients provided by the EATFITFOOD team and clear cooking instructions found on the daily menu I still got the pleasure of cooking a quick meal without all of the hassle.

As I went through the plan I realised one of the biggest highlights for me was that while everything was laid out for me, I still had ownership about how and when I ate. The directives I got weren’t super-duper regimented with instructions like “eat X exactly 4.26 hours after Y” and each meal offered alternatives so if you are like me, and don’t like capsicum, you could just swap it out for something similar.

Another key thing about the plan was I had the weekend in between my 10 day cleanse off. While initially I thought this could be my unhealthy undoing it turned out to be a win because I had friend’s birthday lunch that weekend and not being tied down to a meal plan meant I could still go and enjoy but I felt encouraged to make a healthier choice. The two days off were a good test of how to be social while implementing some of the habits I had made during week.

The team at EATFITFOOD also give you recipes online to help you create healthy meals at home.

As the cleanse began to wind down I felt myself craving less and less for food not included on the plan. Honestly I the first few days I really did want for something sweet after dinner (and might have caved a few times) but as time went by I was less interested. If I was full I was full and if I was hungry I thought more about the snacks I’d eat to fuel my body instead of reaching for the closest thing available. I could have shamelessly used the #cleaneating tag for everything I put in my mouth for that last week (but I didn’t because… it’s lame).

So when the detox was over I celebrated… with a wine. I know right! Why would I do that when I had done all of this good work?

Well to be honest, I indulged in the vino because I had achieved my goal. I got through ten days of detox (mostly not cheating) and my body felt better, my energy levels were higher and knew I had kick started better choices because I only had the one wine, not seven like before.

The ten days of extra help had broken bad habits and begun new ones. In the days since the EATFITFOOD experience I have continued to begin my day with a fresh juice, I look at portion size as a key element of healthy eating and I try to balance meals and snack on healthier options.

I wanted a whole body reboot and I got one because not only was I encouraged to eat differently I was forced to think differently. I was fed deliciously tasty food for my belly but my mind was also fueled with the inspiration it needed to kick start a healthy diet while leading a busy lifestyle.

About EATFITFOOD

EATFITFOOD is all about convenience and health. All meal plans are designed to provide your daily dietary needs in perfectly portioned meals and snacks that are deliciously healthy and calorie conscious.

EATFITFOOD provides great tasting, healthy home delivered meals in Melbourne and Sydney their packages and food delivery options can be found on their website.

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