Health & Wellbeing guinea pig Holly Enriquez road tested the Sydney-based, 10-day Eat Fit Food detox program and realised that detox doesn't always equal deprivation.
After recently completing a 5-day juice detox, I approached undertaking another detox program with extreme caution — would it leave me starving, moody and unable to leave the house in fear of coming into contact with something sugary?
Turns out I had nothing to fear. The Eat Fit Food detox isn't your ordinary, green-juice downing detox. It's more like having your own personal chef who creates healthy, delicious, organic meals and snacks for you every day. Now this was something I could get used to!
The Eat Fit Food detox is a 10-day program which offers a variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables, locally-sourced fish and organic chicken. Off the menu is red meat, dairy, wheat and gluten and preservatives, so it's a great chance to weed out any food intolerances.
They also recommend cutting out alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine for the duration of the detox.
"It isn't easy to balance work, family and other commitments, and often our diets are neglected," says Eat Fit Food Director Bianca Monley on the Eat Fit Food website.
"Missed meals, stimulants such as coffee, tea and cola drinks, late nights, alcohol and pollution are just a few of the factors that lead to inadequate nutrition and fatigue."
Sounds like me alright.
"The Eat Fit Detox Program is designed to get you back on track, energised and motivated," it promises.
What's involved?
Every second day of the program, I would open my front door to find two packages waiting for me. Every pack contained breakfast, lunch and dinner, morning and afternoon snacks, a pre-breakfast cleansing juice and a high-fibre, psyllium husk bar.
And the food was fresh and oh-so delicious. Some of the meals that I was feasting on where:
- brown rice porridge with poached pears and walnuts;
- olive-crusted salmon with new potatoes and shredded silverbeet;
- roast pumpkin and caramelised onion frittata with a side salad, and;
- healthy fish and chips!
The meals were in generous portions, though as someone who does a lot of exercise, I found they didn't contain enough protein to keep me satisfied as lunch was generally plant-based. I would recommend only doing light exercise on this detox, such as walking or yoga.
Compared to other "detoxes" I've tried before, I didn't feel deprived on this one at all. In fact, some of the meals I was eating felt quite gourmet compared to the food I usually dish up for myself. And it also felt quite indulgent to be eating organic, local produce, something I just can't afford to do every day.
Naturally the no-caffeine bit was a bit of a struggle at first as I have my "first coffee of the day" routine down pat. But I found that after a few days I wasn't missing it anymore and there was my breakfast juice and mid-morning bar to take my mind off my caffeine fix.
It also became a little tricky to be social if I had to cart my dinner around with me, so I opted to stay at home more during the detox or organize non-food related social events — my life really does revolve around food and wine I have discovered!
The outcome
When the detox was over, I hadn't lost any weight on the scales (Eat Fit Food has a weight-loss program if this is your goal) but a few people did mention that I was looking slimmer, which I think was down to being less bloated.
But I certainly felt the benefits of eating fresh, wholesome foods and cutting out alcohol, sugar, wheat and dairy. I felt lighter, more energetic and also had many compliments on how my skin was looking.
The detox felt like a mini health retreat without leaving my home! I would definitely recommend it to anyone whose diet needs a clean up or just wants to give themselves a mid-winter pick-me-up.
The Detox and Cleanse program costs $580 for 10 days.
For more information, visit eatfitfood.com.au
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