Struggle to find time cook while watching your weight? Or don’t know what food is best for you? Us too. That’s why TOAD sought out some diet plans that deliver to your door.
Detox Delight
The Detox Delight plan is a short-term juicing programme to detoxify the system. The five-day plan sees fresh juices and soups delivered to your door. By abstaining from food and simply consuming four fresh juices and one soup per day, the body has a chance to cleanse and restore itself. The plan delivers everything you need. The juices come with an information kit about what to do if you are struggling and what to expect, ample warning about possible side effects and preparation advice.
The experience
The juices arrive in girlie packaging, and with the paperwork we feel that Detox Delight has accounted for everything. This is a little more strenuous than a meal plan because it’s a detoxification programme. We are surprisingly never hungry, but we do feel a little dizzy occasionally. The plan’s huge benefits are its after-effects, which make us feel it was worth the slight discomfort. By the fourth day we feel rejuvenated and energetic.
www.detox-delight.ae (055 883 5072).
Right Bite
The Right Bite programme is a meal delivery service that caters specifically to each client’s needs and preferences. We sampled the vegetarian menu. The first step of this programme is to meet the dietician, Hala Abu Taha, for a physical assessment. It begins with a weigh-in, then a body-analysis machine checks our muscle mass and fat content (ugh!). Once weight and goals are established, Hala sits with each client and discusses their eating habits, such as whether they eat breakfast – which everyone should, according to Hala. Then the client is given a selection of meals to choose from for each day.
The experience
Lo and behold, the portions are a reasonable size considering their reduced calorie-content. For only 1,200 calories per day, we get three meals that contain a bowl of food, a side dish and two snacks. We really enjoy it and don’t feel hungry. The dishes are different every single day, from stir fry to vegetable burgers, and biryani to lentil bolognaise. The thing is, when you stop consuming processed foods which tend to be high in fat, the amount of healthy food you can eat increases but the calorie content does not – so the portion sizes are big enough to keep us satisfied. We love the convenience of it, and when we go for a dinner one night we simply freeze the meal to eat another evening. Once the meal plan is over and we visit Hala again, we are thrilled to find out we lost 1.8kg of pure fat, in a week!
American Surge Center, 26th Street, www.rightbite.ae (04 338 8763).
Slim ’n Lite
Slim ’n Lite is a delivery meal plan designed to adjust to each individual’s body type and healthy goals. The plan starts with a consultation with Sara Shedid, the company’s dietician. She sits down with each client and discusses their goals, current diet and exercise habits, likes and dislikes, then explains why and how the client can improve his or her lifestyle. Then it’s on to the numbers. Sara takes our height, weight, measurements, then sticks us on a body analysis machine which shows us our body mass index (BMI) – the distribution of body fat and muscle in our body. All very informative, if a bit too honest.
The experience
To our surprise, despite the seemingly paltry daily calorie allowance that Sara planned for us, the first box arrives packed full of food that actually doesn’t look so bad. We start with dinner and save breakfast and lunch for the next day, as instructed. The week continues and our food is delivered on time each day. Throughout the week we sample all sorts of cuisine from Indian to Mexican, Italian to Arabic, and all of the dishes are fresh and hearty. Sara checks in periodically throughout the week – always happy to adjust dishes based on our preferences. By the end of the week we feel lighter and a little spoiled that we haven’t had to think about what to eat all week, or whether or not it’s healthy.
www.slimandlite.ae (02 222 2677).
