No matter how determined you are to live a healthy lifestyle, sticking to a virtuous diet isn’t easy. We’re all for thinking ahead and preparing home-cooked meals, but when time isn’t on your side it’s time to give yourself a helping hand to snap into shape.
If juicing a kilo of carrots and mastering correct portion size seems like too much hassle, delivery diets can make it simple. The meals are carefully calculated to include important nutrients while helping to shrink your waistline and boost your energy. Best of all, you can ditch your weekly supermarket shop and enjoy three square meals plus snacks delivered to your home or office. Shaping up for summer has never been easier! Here’s our pick of the diets that really deliver.
Best for working out
Evolve Primal
Trialled by: Health and fitness writer Amanda Khouv
The promise: A convenient and healthy source of natural meals that helps to sustain an active lifestyle and get your body functioning at its best.
What to expect: High-quality, high-protein and tasty ‘paleo’ meals consisting of lean meat, fish and vegetables, as well as snacks.
The food: This is one diet plan that won’t leave you hungry or dissatisfied. The portion sizes were generous, but most importantly the food was delicious. Paleo versions of lamb tagine, Mexican chilli and Shanghai chicken were real winners. Starchy vegetables like butternut squash kept my carb cravings at bay and replenished glycogen stores, so I could still keep up a regular training schedule. My energy levels skyrocketed, too. Although I looked forward to my meals, I wasn’t watching the clock thanks to the high protein content keeping my hunger in check.
Did it deliver? This no-gimmicks delivery service really hit the spot and had me feeling healthier than ever.
For more info: From £55 per week or £400 per month, evolveprimal.com
Try it at home!
Andalusian chicken, broccoli and almond chilli (serves 1)
140g chicken breast
10ml olive oil
20g garlic, crushed
20g red onion
10g chilli
20g red pepper
5g thyme
20ml chicken stock
15g slivered almonds
50g broccoli
100g spring greens
1g arrowroot
1 Remove the visible fat from the chicken breast and marinate the chicken in half the garlic and half the olive oil for at least six hours.
2 Chargrill the chicken. Finely chop the red onion, chilli and pepper and sweat in the remaining oil with the thyme and remaining garlic.
3 Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Season to taste.
4 Mix the arrowroot with a little cold water and add it to the stock, stirring to combine. Bring back to the boil. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry pan with a little salt.
5 Blanch and refresh the broccoli and spring greens for no more than 20 seconds. Arrange the chicken on the vegetables and top with the sauce and almonds to serve.
Best for a detox
Nosh ABC Programme
Trialled by: Staff writer/sub-editor Ellie Moss
The promise: The ABC programme promises to alkalise, balance and cleanse your body to blast flab, fast.
What to expect: A breakfast juice, two green juice ‘snacks’, a chilled soup for lunch and a raw food dinner, plus a daily wheatgrass shot.
The food: This is not for the faint-hearted, as going from real food to a predominantly juice-based diet is quite challenging. I definitely felt lighter after the three-day trial, but I was missing solid meals like nobody’s business! The breakfast shake was filling and the lunchtime soups were reasonably tasty, but I found the evening meals – vegetable ratatouille and peppers stuffed with quinoa – a little bland. The juices were quite filling, so I didn’t feel too hungry between meals.
Did it deliver? This is a great way to shed weight and lighten up before a holiday or if you’re trying to lose some baby weight, but I wouldn’t recommend it for day-to-day life or busy weeks, as it can leave you lacking energy.
For more info: The three-day trial is £137.73, but for even better results try the seven-day programme at £321.37. See noshdetox.com for more details
Try it at home!
Watermelon and tomato gazpacho (serves 1)
2 cups watermelon, roughly chopped
1 beef tomato, roughly chopped
½tsp cayenne pepper
5tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
1 small avocado, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
3 spring onions, sliced
2tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
1 Add the watermelon, half the tomato, cayenne pepper, olive oil, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until smooth.
2 Pour the mixture into a large serving bowl and stir in the avocado, tomato, and pepper cubes.
3 Sprinkle over the spring onion slices and garnish with the herbs. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice to sharpen it if the weather is really hot.
Best for foodies
The Pure Package Protein Plus
Trialled by: Chief sub-editor Penny Carroll
The promise: A high-protein menu designed to keep your energy revving for intense workouts.
What to expect: Three meals and two snacks, plus an extra workout snack.
The food: This is gourmet food with a healthy twist. Every day I received a swish black cooler bag packed with meals that sounded like they belonged on a trendy café menu – think leek, pepper and mozzarella frittata for breakfast and salmon and butternut fishcakes for dinner. The dishes were filling and fresh – I didn’t feel as though I was on a diet (I was constantly snacking!) and I had plenty of energy for my daily bikini body blitz workouts. Oh, and the peanut butter and sweet cherry bar was seriously good!
Did it deliver? It really hit the spot – there was a lot of food envy in the office each day I opened my pack! I loved the meals and I really appreciated the tailored service that accounted for my workout schedule and personal tastes. Three days on the plan helped me feel lighter and energised, but never hungry.
For more info: The plan starts at £26.95 per day. Visit purepackage.com
Try it at home!
Chicken and prawn pad Thai (serves 4)
50g rice noodles
2tbsp sesame oil
1tbsp groundnut oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
200g free range chicken, cut into bite size pieces
200g raw prawns, defrosted
400g carrots, peeled and cut into julienne strips
800g bok choy, trimmed and quartered
300g bean sprouts
6tbsp tamari soya sauce
6tbsp fish sauce
2tbsp white wine vinegar
Juice of 2 fresh limes
70g raw, unsalted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
Handful fresh coriander, leaves picked
1 lime, cut into quarters
1 Soak the noodles in a bowl of boiling water for around 10 minutes (follow packet instructions). Drain and set aside.
2 Heat the sesame and groundnut oil in a large wok or frying pan. Add the garlic and chilli and stir-fry for a couple of seconds. Add the chicken and cook for three minutes. Add the prawns and cook for two minutes. Add the carrots, bok choy and bean sprouts and stir-fry for two minutes.
3 Add the cooked noodles to the pan and toss together. Add the tamari, fish sauce, white wine vinegar and lime juice and toss together, until all the flavours are combined and the pan is sizzling.
4 Place in the middle of a platter and scatter over the cashew nuts and coriander. Place the lime wedges around the side to serve.
Best for a fast health fix
The Detox Kitchen Protein Package
Trialled by: Editor Joanna Knight
The promise: A detox programme that celebrates what you can have, not what you can't.
What to expect: My package included breakfast, a cold-pressed juice, lunch, a snack pot, dinner and pudding. All the packages come with a little tub of fresh lemon and mint to add to hot water first thing in the morning, psyllium husks, a wheatgrass shot and a pot of nuts and seeds.
The food: The diet is creatively concocted, full of delicious combinations, and avoids any nasties that might derail your slim-down (like caffeine, sugar and alcohol). I was always pleased with what arrived, and the portions were just right. I continued to train and cycle to work for the entire week and I actually felt more energised than I usually do!
Did it deliver? The menus are fresh, inspired and varied and really revved up my energy levels, leaving me with glowing skin. The best bit – I was never hungry!
For more info: The Protein and Green Booster packages are £35.99 per day; the Vegan Package starts at £29.99 per day. Check out detoxkitchen.co.uk.
Try it at home!
Healthy chow mein
300g buckwheat soba noodles
1tsp sesame oil
1tsp coconut oil
1 red onion finely sliced
2 spring onions sliced
1tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ red chilli, finely chopped
1tbsp lime juice
1 beetroot, peeled and grated
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 courgette, grated
½ bunch coriander, finely chopped
1tsp black sesame seeds
1 Place the noodles in boiling water and cook for three minutes, then drain and refresh under cold water until chilled.
2 Heat the sesame oil and coconut oil in a frying pan. Add the red onion and spring onion and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Now add the ginger, garlic and chilli and cook for a further 3 minutes.
3 Add the noodles and continue to stir so that they are completely covered in the mixture. Transfer the noodles to a bowl.
4 Add the lime juice, grated beetroot, carrot, courgette and coriander, mix together and season. Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
